#stevedarcy

Do you have a soldering gun anywhere in the apartment? Askingfor a friend., Came the text that litup Steve’s screen.  From Darcy.

S:  For what?

D:  An adventure ;)

S:  Darcy, for what.  

D:  Bucky’s right, you’re awful at surprises.

And then she didn’trespond again despite the fact that hewas the one on a mission.  (Why shetexted him expecting a response in the first place was another story).  

When Steve returned home aweek later, he wasn’t sure what he’d find. Nothing looked too differentupon inspection.  All of their furniturewas where it should be and Darcy was heading towards the door to greethim.  

“Hey.”  Steve held her close while surveying the room.  Really, nothing looked too—oh.

There was a plastic set ofsteps sitting against the couch.  

“Mabel’s getting old, herknees aren’t what they used to be, so I got her some stairs on Amazon.”  Darcy stayed tucked up under one of his arms,looking out into the living room with him.

Her cat, Mabel, wasperched on the couch dozing in a square of sunlight.

“What about the solderinggun?”  

“Oh.”  Darcy waved him away and headed towards thecouch to sit with Mabel.  “I didn’t doanything to the house.  I just thoughtI’d keep you on your toes, you know. Make you all the more anxious to come home.”

Steve laughed.  It’d been a couple years since they’d starteddating and only about six months since they’d moved in together, but heappreciated having Darcy in his life. She was smart and witty and had a great sense of humor and just.  Gothis brand of Being A Little Shit As A Show Of Affection.

“Mission accomplished.”

“Also, I totally used thesoldering gun to make Dum-E a hand that’s permanently flipping Tony off.  He’s going to figure out it’s detachablelike, immediately, but my mother always told me it’s the thought that countswhen you’re giving gifts.”

Steve laughed again, loudand loose and leaned over the back of the couch to kiss Darcy (once he’dstopped laughing and smiling enough to do it properly, anyway).  

“My God, I missed you.”

Darcy hummed.  “Missed you too.  Next time you have to go, I’m going to adopta giant ficus and mix glitter into Bucky’s shampoo.”

Charity Link Steve/Darcy

“What are you wearing?”

Darcy slid her sunglasses down her lobster-pink nose and gave her visitor an unamused look. Seeing as how the sun, large and runny-yolk yellow, was setting in the background, she hoped it was as dramatic (and not gut-wrenchingly excited, be cool Darcy) as she imagined. “You’ve been in the 21st century for two years. I KNOW you’ve seen a bikini by now.”

for @glynnisi

“Okay…so that should be the last of them,” Darcy called up to Steve.  “Come down and we’ll check them out…hopefully there aren’t any bulbs we have to replace or anything…”  

Steve climbed down the ladder, his heart in his throat as he crossed the floor to join Darcy at the far end of the room.  They’d been instructed to bedazzle the room in twinkly lights.  He was *really* hoping Darcy liked it.  

She flipped the light-switch, turning off the lights as she knelt to plug in the white cord.  

She gasped.  The room was illuminated.  Hundreds, possibly thousands of tiny bulbs spelled out the words, “Dinner, Darcy?”  She turned to gape at Steve, who could feel his cheeks reddening under her gaze.  

“Dinner with you?”

He shrugged, looking down.  “Only if you want to…”  

for @glynnisi

A/n:  Suspend belief.  I’m not an astrophysicist.  Or even an avid star-gazer.  This is seat-of-the-pants writing.  ;)  

“Here’s the thing…the Christmas star was probably a planetary alignment…” Darcy explained.  “Jupiter and Venus aligned in the constellation Leo in August 2 or 3 B.C, and then again in June the following year.  It definitely coincides with the shepherds watching over their flocks by night…since the lambs would have been born in the spring.”  She shrugged.  “But you know…your way is possible too…”  

Tony narrowed his eyes in a good-natured manner.  “Not all of us can work with an honest to god astrophysicist, Lewis.”  

Steve snickered under his breath.  “Just like not all of us are literal rocket scientists, right, Stark?”  

“Rocket scientist,” Tony scoffed.  “I’m an engineer and don’t you forget it. I’ve got the degree from MIT to prove it.”  

“You got a degree from MIT to explain the Christmas star as, and I quote, ‘aliens’?”  Darcy asked.  

“No.  I got a degree from MIT so I could do this…” Tony took a step back, pressing a button on his wrist and abruptly taking off through a convenient hole in the shifting ceiling above them.  

“Not bad, Lewis…” Steve commended her, sliding his arm around her waist tentatively.  “Not bad at all.”    

for @glynnisi​

“Come sit with me…” Steve reached for Darcy, pulling her into his lap on the couch.  

“I have a billion things to do, STEVEN,” she said deliberately, even as she leaned over to peck his cheek.  

“You don’t have to do any of them, do you?  You could just…blow them all off and come cuddle me in front of the fire?”  

“And what are we serving the dozen people coming over for dinner tomorrow?”

He shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist and sighing happily as she relaxed against him.  “I dunno, cuddles?”