Steve
The first time Darcy met Captain America, Death was not there. Darcy had no idea why Death wasn’t always around. She’d learned that their comings and goings didn’t correspond to disasters or epidemics. At least, not ones on Earth.
After Ultron and Sokovia, Jane finally put her foot down. She would no longer be separate from Thor’s Avenger-ing “because it was safer that way.”
“First of all, London proves I’m not actually safer,” Jane said. “Second of all, if Tony Stark wants to muck with alien technology, I want to be there to slap some sense into him!”
Thor, who was probably looking forward to watching Jane slap Tony, didn’t argue. Nor did he point out the hypocrisy of her trying to prevent Stark from mucking with the alien tech that had made her career. Darcy had no such qualms and pointed it out with a certain level of glee. (Darcy loved Jane to death, but she also loved to argue.)
Jane pursed her lips. “Well, I don’t try to build stuff out of alien technology! I’m just trying to understand it.”
“So other people can build stuff out of it?” Darcy asked.
“But not murder bots!” Jane protested. “I’m not encouraging the building of murder bots!”
Darcy relented only because they were already on their way to the new and shiny Avengers facility. If Darcy didn’t try to sleep on the flight, she’d be too tired to function when they arrived. When she woke up, Death was gone. It wasn’t unusual, and it was a bit of a relief. That was one thing she didn’t have to worry about as she and Jane moved into their new lab and quarters.
Walking into the facility, Darcy a backpack on her back, her purse in the crook of one elbow, the handle to her wheeled suitcase in the other elbow, and a box of Jane’s homemade science equipment in her arms. She was walking lopsided because the handle of her suitcase wasn’t designed to reach all the way up to her her elbow, despite how short she was. It was uncomfortable.
“Can I take that for you?” someone asked. Darcy looked up (and up) to see Steve Rogers. Captain America was asking if he could take her box from her hands.
She tried valiantly to mask her awe. After all, she didn’t freak out (much) during two different alien invasions. She could keep her cool here. “Actually, can you take this one?” she asked, jerking her elbow to indicate the stupid case dragging her down.
Captain Rogers nodded. A little reshuffling later and Darcy was standing upright again. The first Avenger dragged her suitcase behind him as they walked. “I’m Darcy,” She said. “Jane’s assistant.”
“I know,” the captain said. “Nat and I get briefed on everyone who comes here.”
“That’s fair,” Darcy said. “Considering most people already know who you are.”
“True.” He shrugged, but his face was so carefully impassive that Darcy changed the subject.
They ended up talking about Thor. Or, more accurately, the alcohol Thor brought it from Asgard. “He gave me some of it once,” he admitted and shrugged. “I didn’t drink it.”
“It tastes like sweet licorice, in case you were wondering,” Darcy said.
Steve, as he told her to call him, looked at her with wide eyes. “He gave you some? When Tony asked Thor, he said ‘tis not fight for mortal man.’”
“I am no man,” Darcy said.
Steve looked at her then looked ahead, the tops of his ears just a little pink. “I noticed that.”
Darcy laughed.
She couldn’t help but be grateful Death wasn’t there. Not that she minded Death hanging around, but… Captain America stuff aside, Steve Rogers himself was that kind of wildly ridiculous human being you couldn’t help but like after just meeting them. And she couldn’t help but trust him after talking with him for five seconds.
If Death had been there, it would have been really awkward.
It was probably going to be equally awkward when Death got back.
Steve hung around a lot, despite the fact that his work and her work didn't have any overlap. But she wasn’t allowed to hang out with him during her off hours. Classified. He must have decided he would hang out with her. Why he wanted to hang out with her was a mystery she hadn’t solved, but as long as he did, she wasn’t complaining.
It had taken her a while to work up to it, but she asked him about the senators and congressmen he’d met back in the forties. His knowledge was fascinating. He was relieved that someone found the past interesting, and she sighed when he told her that. “There are lots of people who want to know about what life was like in the forties or the thirties or the twenties. You're just not hanging out with any of them. You hang out with too many science types.”
“And you don’t?” he asked.
Jane raised an eyebrow, having given up all pretending she wasn’t eavesdropping.
“Science types are awesome,” Darcy said for Jane’s benefit. Steve chuckled. Jane nodded and swept out, eyes on a tablet. “But they’re not the only types out there,” Darcy said when Jane was gone. “And, as they would tell you, your samples of future people suffers from a little selection bias.”
“Really?” Steve asked, after he got finished laughing.
And that was when Death waltzed in.
It had been about a month. Death had been gone for both shorter and longer periods of time. Darcy had pretty much gotten used to the idea that they were completely unpredictable.
But Steve jumped when he saw the large black panther appear. He stood and was about to slide into a fighting stance when Darcy put herself between him and Death. He frowned at her. “What is that, and how did it get in here?”
She chewed her lower lip and sighed. “I can explain?” she offered.
He looked between her and Death, his eyebrows furrowing. “You might want to. Now.”
“Um, well… Steve meet Death. Death meet Steve. Thor’s better at explaining this than I am, but, basically, Death hangs out with me a lot? You can see them if you’re my friend and I trust you. Thor, Jane and Erik can see them too.”
Steve’s frown deepened but the assembly alarm went off. He looked between her and the blaring siren for a moment before making a decision. “Well talk about this when I get back, he said. She nodded. He ran off.