Chapter 11
Darcy was in class the first day of Steve’s basic training, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t peaking in occasionally. Especially when that one guy decided to be a sexist pig. She sneered at the guy, pleased though that her Steve was nothing like that guy. But when the woman landed a punch square in his face, Darcy couldn’t hold back her pleasure.
“Oh snap!” She yelled with a grin.
It was then she was brought back to her surroundings with her classmates and her professor all staring at her. She cleared her throat and settled further into her seat. She could feel Steve repressing a chuckle. She waited until attention was drawn away from her before speaking to Steve.
“Sweetie,” she muttered. “You’re lucky I’m head over heels for you or else I would be in love with that woman.”
She smiled at Steve’s choke of surprise. She took a deep sigh and cut off her connection from him. He needed to focus now, she knew that. She also knew these next few days were going to be tough for them. They were so used to being able to talk with each other, but things were different now. So later that night, Darcy was surprised when Steve talked to her.
“You awake?” He asked softly.
Darcy straightened. “Yeah, I was just studying for a quiz tomorrow. Is it safe for you to talk?”
“Most of the guys are asleep.” He muttered. “I just needed to hear your voice before going to sleep.”
Darcy smiled softly. “I’m proud of you, Steve, I hope you know that.”
“We’ve barely started.” He snorted.
“I’m gonna be proud of you no matter what, Steve.” She sighed. “You nervous?”
“I’m more nervous about the running tomorrow.” He remarked.
Darcy grinned. “Let me know what time.”
The next day, Darcy dressed in sweats and her tennis shoes. She waited till Steve contacted her before ditching her books in her dorm and taking off for a jog. She could already hear his heavy breathing and it broke her heart.
“I’m here with you, Steve.” She panted. She knew he couldn’t reply back to her, but it would do him some good to have some support. “I hope this shows how much I like you. I haven’t ran since high school.” Darcy could feel the burning in both hers and Steve’s chest.
“Darce,” he panted lowly. “I’m behind.”
“That’s okay,” she assured. “Keep your pace. I’m with you all the way, soldier.”
“I gotta pick up.”
“You’re doing fine, Steve.” She smiled weakly, sweat already pouring on her forehead. “I’m not doing much better.”
“I…” he struggled, his breathing get weaker.
“Don’t try and talk, just listened to me.” Darcy liked her dry lips. “It doesn’t matter if no one else thinks you can do this, Steve. I know you can do this. You’re so much stronger than you think.”
“We’re stopping.” He wheezed. “Thank you, Darce.”
She stopped at a railing, putting her hands on her knees. “Told you, with you all the way.”
She watched in Steve’s eyes as men struggled to catch a flag off a pole. She knew Steve needed to ride back, his body couldn’t take much more.
“Sounds like a good challenge.” She smirked. “You like challenges, don’t you Stevie?”
“I have you don’t I?” He snorted.
Darcy admitted to herself the pride she felt when Steve took down the flag pole. Her guy knew how to think outside of the box, one of the other reasons she was falling in love with him.
Darcy was eating lunch in the cafeteria when she decided to check up on Steve again. She could feel his body was struggling, his eyes on the ground. Pushups, Darcy grunted, her least favorite exercise. Her girls didn’t like them either. Looking around the cafeteria and seeing the hoard of students, she grabbed her phone and put it against her ear.
“Doing good there, babe, keep up the good work.” She encouraged.
“Ugh,” was his only reply.
She listened in and heard Agent Carter’s remark about her grandmother. Darcy snorted around her salad. “I swear Steve, I’m getting a crush on that woman.”
When she heard the announcement for jumping jacks and felt his body slowly crawl up, she felt her own body aching. Her heart was breaking over the pain Steve must be feeling. She was just about to give him another pep talk when she heard the shout ‘grenade.’ Suddenly, her connection was completely cut off from Steve.
Darcy leapt away from the table. “Steve?”
She was dimly aware of other students staring at her. She couldn’t hear him or see him anymore. She tried focusing back on him, but he was blocking her. Darcy’s heart began pounding in her chest. What happened to him?
Darcy was crying on her bed when she finally felt him again.
“Darcy? Why are you crying?”
Darcy jumped at the bed, looking at Diane. “I gotta go!”
She ran out of her room and out of the building till she was finally outside. There were a few students walking around at night, but she edged around them till she found a bench.
“Steve? What the hell happened?” She gasped.
“I’m sorry, but some things…”
“You can’t do that to me!” She yelled. “I heard someone shout about a grenade and the next thing I knew I couldn’t talk to you. I thought you were…”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He apologized. “Things just got hectic and I wanted to tell you the news myself.”
“What news? What’s going on?” She demanded.
“Darcy, I was picked for the program. Dr. Erskine just left. I have, well I guess surgery, tomorrow.”
“Surgery?” Her face scrunched. “Steve, you’ve been keeping me in the dark about this whole thing. I want to know what’s going on.”
Steve struggled for the words. “They said they’re trying to create a line of super soldiers. There’s this formula and I’m gonna be the first…”
“Steve,” she interrupted. Darcy’s mind was racing, all of the puzzles beginning to make sense.
“What?”
“This can’t be happening.” She muttered to herself. Darcy blindly reached for her phone in her pocket and immediately googled WWII super soldier.
“Darce, what’s going on? What are you doing?” Steve asked.
When the first image popped up and confirmed Darcy’s former stupidity, she felt every part of her freeze.
“I have Captain America in my head.”