"So you want to date Darcy?"
When Steve had said that he wanted to discuss something, Bucky hadn't thought it would be that.
"I want us to date her," Steve corrected from his spot perched on the coffee table. Bucky raised an eyebrow and gave him a disbelieving look. He couldn't blame him; it wasn't every day that your boyfriend asked you to bring someone else into your relationship. "It's called polyamory."
"Yeah?"
"It's not uncommon." Bucky's eyebrows inched closer to his hairline. "Well, it's not unheard of."
"But Darcy?"
Steve blushed even as he gave him a challenging look. "Yeah, Darcy."
They stared at one another for a long moment before Bucky huffed and leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees, head in his hands. "Darcy."
"Yeah," Steve said again. He watched and waited anxiously as his boyfriend ran his hands through his hair before looking up at him.
"Is it just because it's her, or is this something you've been thinking about for a while?"
"What'd'ya mean?"
"Are you asking because you want Darcy, or are you asking because you want someone?"
"Only because it's Darcy."
"Why?"
"Why Darcy, or why am I asking?"
"Aren't they the same question?" Bucky frowned, running a hand through his hair again.
"I'm asking because she's Darcy," Steve smirked. "She makes you smile and laugh, and I see how you look at her when you think I'm not looking. She's your soulmate, Buck… your other soulmate," he added, blushing slightly before adding, "and not only because of the words."
Bucky gulped and stared out the window for a long moment before he met Steve's eye. "So you want to do this for me?"
"For us. I'm not that unselfish."
"So you like her?"
"I'm 100, not dead," Steve chuckled, making Bucky smirked. He watched as his boyfriend stood and started to pace the living room, a hand stroking his mouth.
"Dating, right? Not just...sharing?"
"Yes, dating. I mean… I hope we'd eventually get to that, but for now, we'd date her."
Bucky continued to pace, eventually ending up in front of the window overlooking the city. "You think she'd go for it?" he asked.
Steve looked down at his hands before rubbing his faded soul mark, trying to convince himself that this was the right move. Trying to decide if he was just being extremely selfish – thinking that he might be lucky enough to not only two soul mates, but also possibly a third.
It had been three years since he'd first found out about her, had done research to convince Buck of how great she was, how he needed to give her a chance. It had been years of watching Darcy and Bucky grow more comfortable with one another.
It had been nearly a year since Darcy had silently cried herself to sleep in his arms after her break up with Ray.
It had been a year of wanting to hear her laugh, of feeling pride in her accomplishments, and stolen moments of tenderness – a peck on the cheek, a lingering hug, a possessive arm thrown casually over her shoulders – under the guise of friendship.
It had been a year of watching Bucky do the same.
It had been a year of trying to reconcile the feelings he had – trying to understand why he didn't feel jealous, just…just confused about how right it felt when the three of them were together.
"I hope so," Steve said softly.
OOO
Every time they went down to DC to ask Darcy to date them, Steve and Buck couldn't find the right moment to ask her. It was an awkward question to ask, especially given that they didn't know what she would say. The fear of ruining the friendship they had often kept them from saying anything at all.
They decided to surprise her on their eighth trip down. It'd been a rough week - they'd been called out to take down a rogue scientist which had ended badly, with a minor explosion rocking a small neighborhood and drawing the ire of the media - but the thought of a weekend relaxing with Darcy was enough to get them in the car for the 4 hour drive.
Bucky took a deep breath as he stood outside of Darcy's building, looking up at the light pouring out of her living room window. "You good?" Steve asked, coming up behind him with their bags and pressing a hand to his lower back.
"Just tired," he shrugged. "Just want to spend time with our...Darcy."
"We're gonna do it this time," Steve assured him, tugging him over for a kiss. Bucky sighed against his lips and shook his head before adjusting his baseball cap.
"Come on, punk. Let's go and see our girl."
They punched in the main door code and made their way upstairs. And, just as Buck raised his hand to knock on the door, it opened to reveal a laughing Darcy.
They stared at one another for a moment before she grinned and launched herself into his arms; he held her a split second too long when she started to pull away. "I didn't know you guys were coming this weekend!"
"Surprise?" Steve said, dropping his bag as she turned towards him. His hands lingered on her waist as she turned to face them both.
"You guys okay?" she asked before lowering her voice. "I saw what happened."
"Fine," Bucky replied, glancing at the blonde woman standing in the doorway.
"You look it," Darcy frowned, taking in the dark bags under his eyes and the few days of stubble on his cheeks.
Behind her, the blond cleared her throat. "Darce?"
"Oh crap, right!" Darcy recovered, taking a step back and threading her arm through the other woman's. "Guys, this is Lindsay - Linds, this is Steve and James."
"Lindsay," Steve smiled, reaching out to shake her hand. "We've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Oh! So you're Darcy's guys… Ouch!" she smirked when Darcy elbowed her in the ribs; Steve and Buck glanced at one another. "Nice to meet you too."
"Same," Buck said, shaking her hand as well.
"Come on," Darcy said, reaching for the bag Steve had dropped. "You guys can grab the couch and Linds and I will crash in my bed."
"We're interrupting your night out," Buck said as Steve grabbed the bag. "We'll get a hotel."
"Nope, you're staying here," she smiled. "Do you guys want to go out with us? We're celebrating Lind's night of freedom."
"Seriously...toddler's are exhausting," Lindsay sighed. "My husband is a saint for taking her his weekend."
"Joey's good but a saint? I wouldn't go that far," Darcy smirked.
"If you don't mind us going, we'll tag along," Steve shrugged after silently conferring with Bucky.
"The more the merrier!" she grinned. "Just throw your stuff down and we'll head out."
"Alright," Buck said.
When they turned to set their things in the living room, Lindsay whirled around and mouthed, "Oh my god, they are so hot!" Darcy rolled her eyes.
OOO
They hit a dive bar, where Steve and Buck were quiet for most of the time, letting Darcy and her best friend catch up. When the pool table opened up, they checked to see if the girls need anything before claiming the table.
"We can't ask her with her friend here," Steve said as Bucky racked the table. They glanced over at the girls, where Lindsay had a knowing look on her face and Darcy was shaking her head.
"You know I'm right," Lindsay said.
"Just. Friends," Darcy stated before sipping her beer.
"With your soulmate. And his stupidly hot boyfriend."
"Yes."
"Who drop in, unannounced, and not for the first time?"
"Yes, like friends do."
"That is not the look of someone who wants to be just friends," she pointed out, tipping her beer towards the pool table. Darcy glanced over to see Bucky leaning against his pool cue, looking over at her. Darcy cleared her throat and looked away as his eyes shifted to the table, where Steve had just knocked the 7 ball into a pocket.
"Oh yeah, just friends," Lindsay smirked.
"Ok, not going to lie - they're hot. And they're really great guys, who I care deeply about."
"Oh god, there's a 'but' coming up - "
"But they're dating, Linds. And I'm not going to break them up."
"Who said anything about breaking them up?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow and grinning. "A little fling? Why not a little ménage à trois?"
"You're ridiculous," Darcy blushed before taking a long gulp of beer.
"No, that - " she motioned over to where the guys were, and bit her lower lip. "That is ridiculous. I mean, it's not fair that those two...mmmm. And they both like girls, so it's not out of the realm of possibility."
"I think you may have had too much to drink," Darcy chuckled, grabbing the pitcher of beer and emptying the last of it into her glass.
"It's been forever since Ray!" she sighed; Darcy's face clouded over – it had been almost a year since they'd broken up but it still hurt a bit. Lindsay reached over and clasped both her arm before pleading, "Please let me live vicariously through you, Darce. I got married when we were eighteen...eighteen!"
"Really?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
Lindsay pouted, resting her chin in her hand while looking over at the pool table. "I love Joey, I really do. And our life is great. But sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if we hadn't meet in fourth grade, the kind of person I'd be. The kinds of guys I would have dated."
"Linds," Darcy sighed. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," she said, sniffling and blinking away tears. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"You sure?"
"Yup," Lindsay nodded before downing the rest of her beer. "Can we please go flirt with cute boys so I can forget for one night that I'm a mom?"
"If you insist," Darcy huffed a laugh as she slid off of her stool. But rather than moving towards the pool table, she stepped in front of Lindsay and pulled the other woman in for a hug. "You know that if you ever needed anything, I'd be there in a heartbeat, right?"
"I know," she sighed, hugging her tightly. "I appreciate it."
"Ok," Darce nodded as she pulled away and cleared her throat. Beer in hand, she linked arms with Lindsay and walked towards the table; the guys looked up as they approached. "Teams on next game?" she asked.
"Sounds good," Steve said, and - after shooting a cocky grin at Bucky - sank the next 3 shots before calling "Eight ball, top right corner pocket."
"Asshole," Bucky muttered as the ball rolled in.
"Rack 'em," Steve said triumphantly while leaning against his cue. "Any preferences on teams?"
"Well, clearly it can't be guys against girls," Lindsay said, eyebrow raised at the previous display. "Blondes against brunettes? Or mixing it up?"
"Blondes it is," Steve laughed as Bucky and Darcy shrugged at one another. "Ladies first?"
After retrieving a cue, Lindsay broke the rack without getting a ball in. Bucky motioned for Darcy to take her shot and stood back as she lined up and sank a solid ball. "Yes!" she squealed, pumping her fist before turning to high five Bucky. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he slapped her hand.
It was clear that the guys were holding back as their shots banked off of the sides without hitting anything in; Steve performed mental trigonometry and physics a split second before throwing his shield, and James was a sniper. Whenever they did decide to make a shot, their talent was clear, as was their personalities. Steve made his shots quick and unthinking, bouncing the cue ball off of the sides before hitting his mark, while James was more methodical, lining up his shots and gauging everything before striking fast and with precision.
Lindsay kept up the playful banter with Steve, asking for his thoughts on which move to make next and teasing him about missed shots.
After Darcy missed yet another shot - she'd yet to knock another ball in after her first lucky shot - she hung her head and let out a defeated sigh. Linds nudged Steve and grinning. "I think you might need to help Darce with her form, James."
"Dunno," Steve smirked before giving her an appreciative look over the rim of his glass before saying, "Her form seems pretty good to me." Darcy blushed even as she pointed at him with her cue.
"Keep it up, Rogers, and you'll be sleeping on a bench outside." Steve held up his hands and chuckled.
"Just sayin', Buck can help you line up a shot, maybe knock one in."
Darcy flipped him off before looking over at her partner. "I suck at pool. Probably should have told you that in the beginning." A smile tugged at the corner of Buck's mouth as he reached up to pull his hat down a bit further as Steve made a shot, knocking another ball in before purposefully missing the next.
"Come on," Bucky said, motioning for Darcy to move towards the cue ball.
"It's your shot."
"You're taking it."
"I'm good," she said, her blush deepening before taking a gulp of her beer. He gently tugged her over and motioned for her to take his turn. Tilting her head back, she sighed before stepping up to the table and leaning over the table to line up her shot.
Bucky stepped behind her, not touching but enough to make her very aware of his presence. "You mind?" he asked before moving to stand beside her.
"Um…"
He didn't touch her but leaned closer to her and pointed. "It's all angles and just the right amount of thrust."
"Oh yeah?" Lindsay smirked. Darcy threw a glare over at her best friend before turning back to her shot, catching the look that Steve gave to Bucky. But when she looked over at him, Buck was staring at the table. He moved to stand behind her again and gently moved the cue to the left before standing beside her and reaching across the table.
"Aim for here," he said, pointing to a spot on the cue ball. "Not too hard."
"Just the right amount of thrust," Lindsay chuckled. Darce shot her a pointed look that clearly said 'I will kill you'.
Carefully, she pulled back the cue and tried not to think about the fact that - even though the bar was somewhat loud - she could feel the tension of the three around her to the point where it nearly drowned out the noise. "Pass," she said, quickly standing up and letting her hair fall into her face to obscure her blush.
"No!" Lindsay howled.
"Buck, make your girl take the shot," Steve laughed; Darcy didn't think it was possible to blush harder but she managed it.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Buck said quietly, standing beside her.
"Pass," she repeated, trying not to notice how close he was standing by her.
"Alright," he nodded before looking over at Steve and Lindsay. "We pass."
"Fine, fine," Lindsay said as she moved to stand beside her friend, raising an eyebrow, silently asking if she'd pushed too far. After giving her an exasperated look, Darcy squeezed her hand back before moving to stand against the wall where Bucky and Steve joined her.
As Lindsay took her shot, Bucky's hand brushed hers as Steve pulled her into a sideways hug.
OOO
Bucky looked up as he heard the bedroom door open and the soft footfalls that announced Darcy's arrival. He smiled as she waved her empty water glass at him and made her way to the kitchen. Steve shifted beside him, rolling away from the light as Darcy opened the refrigerator and retrieved the water jug. Quietly, he slipped out of bed and made his way towards her, making sure he stepped hard enough to let her hear his approach.
"Mind?" he asked, pulling a glass from her drying rack and nudging it towards her. Darcy smiled and poured him some water before returning the jug to the fridge and leaning against the counter.
"Did you have fun tonight?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, ducking his head. His metal fingers clinked on the glass as he picked it the glass and took a sip.
"So we didn't exactly get a chance to talk about why you're here. Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine," he said quickly, spinning the glass between his hands until her hand rested on his wrist.
"You can talk to me, you know."
"I know." Bucky heard her sigh before she pushed off the counter and stepped into his space; he moved back slightly and wasn't entirely surprised when she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He hesitated a split second - it was hard to be touched sometimes, even after this long - before holding her tightly.
"Happy to give hugs if you don't want to talk, but I'm here if you need someone."
"This is enough for now." It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he never wanted to talk to her about what was going on - Darcy was his refuge from everything else, the shit show that was his life and work at times.
Darcy sighed again and moved to pull away, but he held her tightly. She gave him a confused frown.
Slowly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Darcy stiffened in his arms before she shoved him away, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth open. Her head whipped over to look at Steve's back.
"Darce - " Buck said, reaching for her hand.
Without a word, she hurried back to her room, the door closing loudly in the silent apartment.
Buck wiped a hand down his face while muttering, "God dammit." Abandoning the water glasses, he made his way back to bed.
As he settled back onto the thin mattress, Steve reached back and grabbed his hand, tugging it until Buck curled around him. "You've got a habit of kissing instead of talking."
"Shuddup," Bucky said into Steve's neck.