A/N: I love the 'soulmates' AU because it is pretty easy to write one shots for. I love Darcy because she could totally be me. And I love all of the Avengers, soooooo...

"And how many girls are your 'like biggest fan ever'?" Darcy teased, as Steve was attacked, for the millionth time, by a gaggle of fangirls. She totally meant it as a joke, but she forgot who she'd been walking with. The Winter Soldier just froze next to her, and even though he wasn't looking at her, she had the weird feeling that he was definitely watching her.

She wasn't sure she'd ever actually talked to him before, now that she thought about it. He was always around, with Steve, and he'd talk to Steve, and Steve alone, in a low voice that everyone could hear, but never make out what was said. If she was honest, and Darcy was always honest with herself, that voice was the sexiest thing she'd never heard.

The silence stretched out unrelenting between them, until Cap walked back to them and they headed back to the tower. A sort of sinking feeling was forming in her gut, and a tightness in her throat that she couldn't find an excuse for. Darcy cleared her throat as they walked in the shiny doors, and pulled Steve aside.

"What's up, Darce? You were kinda quiet back there," Steve said, ever the concerned gentleman. Darcy fidgeted.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm really sorry if I, like screwed his brain up or something, cuz you're the one that's stuck cleaning it up…"

The Cap grabbed her arms. "Darcy. What is it."

"I just made a joke, earlier, while we were outside, and he just like, totally did not take it well." Steve was definitely panicking, a little, and she was catching it. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what I said that-"

"It's okay, Darcy, I'll take care of it." He gave her a quick smile, one that told her he had to do this often, that there were lots of things that people said that Bucky couldn't handle, and he was gone, chasing after the soldier who'd long left the front lobby.

"Bucky? Bucky, I know you're in here." Steve called out as he entered Bucky's room.

"Go away, punk," his friend's voice groaned from the corner. Steve walked around the sofa to find him huddled up on the floor, flesh-and-blood hand shoved in his hair.

"What was it this time?" He slid to the floor next to him, waiting. It was probably ten minutes later when Bucky finally spoke, which startled Steve. Usually it took him at least a half hour to open up.

"It wasn't bad, Steve, it was…" he paused for a few minutes. Steve waited. "She said my words," he whispered.

Steve was flummoxed. He had not been expecting that.

"Seriously? But, how has she not talked to you before today? Darcy literally talks more than Stark."

"I don't know," Bucky laughed, and it sounded a little desperate, and forced, but Steve was so glad to hear the sound.

"Wait, you didn't say anything back? Bucky, you gotta go talk to her, this is great!"

"No."

Steve pulled out his puppy dog eyes. Bucky glared right back.

"Come on, you can't do nothing, it's not fair to her."

"I'll talk to her when I'm ready, Steve," Bucky said firmly. Steve pouted.

"Jerk."

"Punk."

Darcy thought maybe he had liked her joke, after all. At any rate, she'd noticed the formerly brainwashed soldier hanging around her a lot, now. And she swore she'd seen him smiling at her jokes, too. Perhaps she'd just startled him that first time. She hadn't exactly followed up with Cap afterwards. He'd given her a nod later that day as they passed each other in the hall, and she figured that meant everything was hunky-dory.

Bucky was just painfully shy, she decided. And uncertain of his reception among the rest of the Avengers.

Case in point, he was currently sitting at the table next to her when everyone else was across the room assembled on and around the couches, watching, of all things, The Notebook. Darcy hated that movie. But the rest of the Avengers had decided that it was 'necessary viewing' for Cap and Bucky to 'catch up' to the current decade. Not that Darcy was totally against romance, she just preferred it when it was combined with a little comedy, or action. There were very few strictly romantic movies that she liked.

If she'd known that they'd pick this movie, she'd probably wouldn't have come down. In the spirit of team unity, she was still in the room, just working on her iPad in a position where she could ignore the movie.

At some point, Bucky had apparently gotten bored of the movie, and moved to sit back at the table with her. Darcy was just about to get up and grab herself a beer from Tony's expansive alcohol fridge (literally a separate fridge for all his alcohol) when he sat down. She slid her chair back, and his sharp blue gaze immediately pierced her.

She got the feeling that he thought she was leaving because of him.

"I'm just going to get a beer," she said quickly. "Do you want one? I mean, I don't know if you can still get drunk, if you're anything like Steve…"

She trailed off as his gaze softened, and he gave her a short nod, and a tiny smile that was somehow the sexiest thing she'd ever seen, sending a thrill all the way through her. She smiled widely back, and went to get the beers.

Darcy handed him his beer with the bottlecap opener as she sat back down. She'd already opened hers, but she'd been around paranoid superheroes and spies long enough to know that they preferred to open their own drinks. She got another small, delightful smile as he opened his beer.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a real sweet gal?"

Darcy gaped at him. He'd just said her words! In his sexy fucking voice that could melt butter by itself.

"You just, wait," she stammered. "You already knew." Bucky looked afraid, and she didn't like how vulnerable he looked.

"Last week," he said. "I'm sorry, Darcy. I just-" He huffed out a breath impatiently.

"Don't be," she said, and as he turned to look at her with a little spark of hope in his eyes, she grabbed his t-shirt collar, and planted her lips on his.

Steve glanced behind him to check on Bucky. He'd been a little worried when his best friend had left the couch twenty minutes in to the movie, but he'd relaxed when he'd seen Bucky heading over to Darcy, and not to go off somewhere by himself. Steve had hoped he'd tell Darcy that they were soul mates soon, and if the very intense make-out session occurring behind him was any indication, he just had. Steve smiled.

Tony noticed he was distracted, and looked over, too.

"Go get a room!" he yelled at the couple. Bucky jerked back from Darcy, who just laughed as slid off his lap and dragged him out of the lounge.

"Finally," said Natasha.

Thor looked confused. "Finally?"

"Darcy's been staring holes in him since he got here, and he hasn't been much better," Natasha explained.

"Actually," Steve piped in, "they're soulmates." Thor nodded in comprehension, and put his arm around Jane.

"Hey, Tony…" Bruce said tentatively. "What rooms do they have access to?"

"Fuck."

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