Drunk
The complete pandemonium surrounding Bucky's new Instagram account, the news that he and Jane were dating and pregnant, and that they were adopting a little girl from a local orphanage meant that it was impossible for the Avengers and their loved ones to exit the tower by normal methods of transportation.
Paparazzi lined the sidewalk at all hours of the day and night in the hope of getting the first picture of the couple together.
Jane had experienced it before when she was dating Thor, an actual alien prince.
Bucky had not, and Steve could tell his best friend didn't like it one bit, but he was holding up and that was all that mattered.
Unfortunately it also meant that their take out choices at the moment were limited to whatever restaurants were in the tower, and Bucky and Jane kept to the upper floors to avoid their picture being sold to the highest bidder. Not to mention they didn't want pictures of their little girl floating around, the pictures of Bucky holding her that day a couple weeks ago had been enough for Jane to pull ranks and say enough.
Lunch that day with Bucky, Jane, and Olivia was Chinese takeout from the restaurant downstairs. Olivia was on Bucky's lap, and the three of them were having fun introducing her to new foods.
She loved the orange chicken and lo-mein. She hated the friend rice. And Steve had to admit the faces she made when trying the food were absolutely adorable despite the mess she was making. Though Bucky didn't seem to mind, and Jane was doing her best to keep her face clean.
It was a noble feat but Jane was definitely failing.
Steve laughed. "She's an absolute mess," he said. "She's going to need another bath."
"At least she likes baths," Jane remarked. "I remember Sofia hating them when she was this young. She hated getting her face wet."
That was a new piece of information that Steve had not known. As close as he had gotten to Darcy's children, he seemed to be learning something new about them every week, if not every day. Sofia was a regular water bug lately. She was even signed up for swimming lessons here at the tower. They couldn't get her out of the pool!
Jane's ring gleamed on her hand as she wiped the toddler's face again, Olivia tried to push her hand aside, but Jane scolded her gently. "We gotta wipe your face, honey." The baby puffed out her cheeks and Bucky laughed.
Steve was genuinely happy to see his friend's so happy and settled in their relationship. It'd been a wild few months. There was a time when they all thought Bucky would never have what he had now. And now he was outdoing them all.
Therapy was getting more harsh by the session. He knew he had a lot of repressed memories hidden down from his youth, getting your ass kicked every day was bound to cause issues, but he hadn't realized how much he had buried down. Way down.
Why hadn't he swam?
That was also another question he had yet to answer. For all that he had still when he had to land the bird, why didn't he fight harder after the landing? He had Peggy waiting for him. And a future. Maybe some kids.
He would be lying if he said that Bucky wasn't motivation in how he acted in recent years. He wanted to tear everyone who hurt his best friends to shreds and then some.
But was he his primary motivation back in the war?
He rescued an entire squadron because it was Bucky's unit. The 107th.
Was Bucky his primary motivator? He was his biggest defender when they were boys. But a motivating factor?
And what did that mean about his own future? Bucky had done the work and figured it out.
He looked at his best friend who was staring smitten at his new little girl. She had a piece of orange chicken in her hand and was currently smashing it in her mouth, much to Jane's consternation. This was the least he'd ever seen Bucky eat when there was Chinese around, ever.
Not that he could blame his friend. He hoped some day that that would be him. Sofia as his own, on his lap, taking food off his plate.
Simply because she could, because he was dad.
Darcy quietly entered her apartment around midnight. The kids would be asleep by then, most likely sprawled out in the living room.
So the scene that greeted her of her kids sprawled out on the floor, the tv playing an old comedy as they slept, didn't surprise her.
The very angry Tía Luci sipping tea at her table did.
"Tía," Darcy said quietly in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Jane with the baby since Bucky is out."
Luci didn't respond right away but she did take a long slow sip of her tea, which told Darcy that she was in big trouble. "My daughter has her daughter in hand. She doesn't need my help. You on the other hand, do not."
"Tía Luci," Darcy sighed and sat down. She took a mug and a bag of chamomile out of the tea box, and used the kettle to pour hot water over the bag in her own mug. "You're talking in riddles."
"Sofia was sick," Luci snapped and Darcy's eyes widened. "I put the Vick's Vaporub on her. She will be fine. But I called you ten times. And every time. El voicemail." She made a cutting motion across her body with her hand. "Bella tried to call you before she called me. She was scared. I understand the need for time for yourself. But this isn't like you Darcy."
Darcy said nothing, properly scolded as if Luci was her own mother. And in some ways, she was.
She'd turned her phone to vibrate, and honestly she hadn't felt it go off. She'd just wanted one night where she didn't have to feel anything. Any guilt or jealousy. She wanted to just be free for one night.
Bella had been watching the kids more lately. She'd been ready to take on more responsibility. But still. She was fourteen, her baby sister getting sick would have been scary for her. Darcy felt horrible that she hadn't answered the call.
Luci had notified them all that she was planning on moving to New York. She had told the entire family already. She had fallen in love with the city so quickly, and the fact that she and Jane had rediscovered their relationship was something that Luci just couldn't give up.
Plus she had basically adopted Tony. He'd given her an apartment on a different floor so she'd have some quiet time away from the grandchildren if she needed.
And she'd been there for her own children in their time of need.
Darcy had no words.
Therapy was brutal, and she'd been lashing out.
"I understand that you are in a different position. You are a single mother," Luci was saying. "And you deserve time to yourself. Pero you can't go acting like you are sixteen again."
"I'm not," Darcy snapped and Luci depended her glare. "I'm sorry," Darcy said. "I'm just having a rough time."
"Because why?"
"I see Jane and Bucky. They are a family. And I want that. I had that," Darcy admitted. "But I'll never have that again.
Luci reached over the table and laid a hand over hers. "Mija," she said. "Did you ever have that? You forget, I was there. Nick, el diablo, is not like James. And comparing him to Nick is not fair to James."
"We were a family."
"I've learned a lot recently that blood is not always family. And you and Nick were not a family. You tried to paint a pretty picture at every family meal, Darcy, pero we all knew."
Darcy snorted. "You guys were all pissed when we divorced."
"Language," Luci scolded. "And yes. We are the old fashioned. But we love you. And we only want you to be happy. That's why we were happy for you to come here to Nueva York. Because you and my Jane are sisters. And because the kids needed out of that mess their father created."
Darcy stared into her mug and Luci sighed. "Darcy you will find what Jane has. I know it. And maybe you have already, but you are just to scared to admit it."
Jane looked up from a research paper she was reading from Norway. Olivia had discovered the joy of hiding behind the curtains and popping out trying to scare them. And of course Bucky played along, sending the little girl into peals of laughter because of his dramatic clutch to his chest and collapse to the floor.
Jane watched as the little girl climbed onto his chest and squealed. "Dada up!" Jane shook her head and smiled.
Bucky had this father role down pat. And holy hell was he sexy in it. They were still stuck in the tower. Darcy had to go to a school thing for Bella and Mason, and they were keeping Sofi who was asleep on the couch.
Jane reached over and made sure Sofia's blanket was secure around her body and then ran a caressing hand over her own baby bump. The twins were more active now and her fatigue was more than it ever was during any part of her pregnancy. Regular naps with Olivia helped a lot.
Bucky pretended that he was a monster chasing after the baby, and the baby squealed and clapped and took off toward the kitchen. There was a spot they cleared beneath the island for her to hide in, and she ran directly to it and climbed in.
Jane took her cell phone and snapped a quick picture of the little girl in her spot, from her own spot on the couch.
Yeah, she was going to be one of those mothers.
She felt Steve before she saw him. Sitting at a bar in the top part of the tower, where you could view the beautiful Manhatten sunset over the New York skyline. She was nursing a beer, and wallowing in self-pity.
And fuck if she didn't have a ton of that lately. She had received a thorough lashing from Bella this morning, and she felt so guilty that she bought the kids a new gaming system they had been wanting for months.
Single parenthood was hard. And anyone who told you otherwise was a bold faced liar.
Not to mention that since she started having kids right out of college, she never got to experience any adult life really without children.
And it was addicting.
One night at a dance club with Laura, became bar hopping with Nat, and then a Wine and paint party with Pepper.
She wondered how Pepper and Laura managed "me-time," when Tony and Clint were away.
She wondered how Jane managed it now.
For all intents and purposes, Jane took to Olivia like a fish out of water, and it showed. The little girl was as attached to Jane as she was to Bucky now, which was a very good thing.
But she hadn't really seen Jane stress like she herself had this past month. Granted motherhood was still new to Jane, and Bucky was a very hands on father. But even when Darcy was a new mother she was never that in control.
She'd watched yesterday as her cousin marched up to her fiancee's side and demanded a date night. Told him to find a babysitter. And marched away.
Her cousin had the balls of ten-thousand men, and Darcy didn't know where she could get some.
Truthfully she use to be that way as a teenager. She had a mouth that could run with the best of them, aka Tony Stark.
When did motherhood mean you had to lose your identity, and why had she actually let it happen?
Steve nudged her gently. "You're thinking very hard over there. A penny for your thoughts?"
She laughed. "They are worth less than a penny."
"I'm sure that's not true," he took a sip of his Asgardian Ale, and sat it down. She'd learned early on not to challenge him to a drinking contest if Thor hadn't been around recently.
She'd learned early on not to challenge him to a drinking contest period.
"If you must know then," she took another swig of the remainder of her beer, and tapped the bar to let the bartender she wanted another one. "I'm a lousy mother."
"Darcy," he said. "You're a great mother."
She shook her head and ate a couple of peanuts from the snack bowl in front of her. "Nope. I went out last night, and got so caught up that I didn't even answer my phone and Sofia was sick."
"Sofia's sick," he asked, worried.
"Oh she's fine now," her words slurred a little. "We put the Vaporub on her. Cleared right up."
"I will never understand," Steve show his head. "Even Jane swears by that stuff."
Darcy lifted her new beer in a salute to Steve. "Cheers."
He lifted his glass and nodded. "If it makes you feel better, everything is kicking my ass lately. Therapy is kicking my ass emotionally, and Bucky has been kicking my ass physically."
"What," Darcy's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yup," Steve nodded and winced. "My best friend is an asshole who can kick my ass. And he even beat me to having a kid! Who would have thought?"
"To be fair, he is a good father."
"Oh he's a great father," Steve exclaimed. "Which pisses me off even more. It comes so easily to him."
"To friends who are jackasses," Darcy raised her beer in a salute and giggled. "May they always make us feel inferior to their superiority!"
"Here, here," Steve hiccupped and reached for his second glass. "And to Asgardian Ale, another thing that's kicking my ass!"
Darcy laughed and almost fell out of her chair, but caught herself last second. "To parenthood, because even though it's rewarding it totally sucks!"
Steve laughed and clinked his glass to her bottle and chugged the entirety of his new drink. "I need some air."
Darcy slid off her stool and stood. "Me too. Regular ale kicks ass too, apparently," she giggled and reached for her bag. "Lucky for us it's a nice night!" She followed Steve out to the balcony that overlooked the city.
Truthfully the New York skyline was a view she would never get tired of.
Darcy didn't register Bella's exclamation until it was too late.
"Oh.. My.. God," Bella slammed the door shut and Darcy lifted her head and squinted at her alarm clock at her side table when she felt something move beside her.
A glimpse of blonde hair and a chiseled body told her that it definitely wasn't Sofia.
"Shit!"