Thor 1. Chapter 1

Don't own it. Wish I did though. Enjoy!

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Living around superheroes sucked sometimes.

It was bad enough having Thor around on a regular basis. Darcy wasn't jealous of Jane or anything, but she wouldn't mind having a cut hero to get down and dirty with. On occasion, she'd seen or met a slew of other heroes, including Thor's teammates in the Avengers, and apparently, in order to be a superhero, it was a prerequisite that a person be hot and fill out a tight uniform nicely. Which was awesome having that eye candy around all the time, but also sucked for the libido. Regular guys didn't really measure up anymore. Poor Ian.

The first time Reed Richards visited Jane's lab and the rest of the Fantastic Four tagged along, Darcy nearly exploded when she saw Johnny Storm up close. Dude was smoking, literally. And naughty, based on his panty wetting smirk. When Darcy casually shed one of her outer layers, complaining of the sudden heat in the lab, he puffed himself up and buffed his smoking fingers on his chest. Over the top? Definitely. But still insanely hot, and Darcy wanted that.

There was some serious flirtation going on when the Fantastic Four got a call for help. Something about robots attacking the city. Storm shrugged regretfully at Darcy, and then caught fire and flew off. Watching his flaming backside fly away, Darcy decided he was going to be her superhero fling.

Her chance came a few weeks later at a benefit party thrown by Tony Stark. Lucky for Darcy, Thor insisted that she get an invite, even though Darcy had only met Tony once. Still, being Thor's girlfriend's intern/friend was enough to warrant that invite, so Darcy found herself out with Jane, shopping for a dress. She figured there'd be some superhot guys there, so she went with an emerald green strapless number that accentuated all of her curves. She had them, why not show them off for a change?

Tony Stark sent a freaking limo for them, which really kind of blew Darcy's mind. Of course, seeing Thor in a tux also blew her mind, but whatever. She was adaptable. After all, she'd lived through two alien attacks.

Still, she found herself rubbernecking like the small town girl she was when they arrived at the hotel hosting the party. Thor was impossible to disguise as anyone else, so when he stepped from the limo, reporters and paparazzi were all over him. Jane stood resolutely by his side, hating the swarm of attention, but not willing to abandon her man. Darcy didn't have that restriction, so she slid out of the limo and past the press, gliding into the hotel like she owned it.

She stalked around the outskirts of the giant banquet room, eyes trying to pick out heroes, but not really seeing any. Darcy wasn't really into high society shit, and the attitudes of the few people she'd bumped into so far had set her teeth on edge. She'd had more than one man assume she was a 'working girl' and make discreet offers. As if .

Then she saw her salvation, standing in the entryway, clad in a tux. Wow did he look fine. Also blonder and broader than she remembered, but it had been a few weeks since she'd last seen him in Jane's lab. He must have been working out a little.

She breezed up to Johnny Storm, who looked uncharacteristically nervous and uncomfortable, and looped her arm through his.

"Wow am I glad to see you!" she blurted, tugging him toward the open bar. "If one more guy assumes I'm a prostitute and makes an offer, I'm going to knee them in the balls. You are a sight for sore eyes!"

"Uh…I'm glad?" He didn't sound too sure about it, but Darcy figured he probably wasn't expecting to see her here.

She ordered a drink and then looked up at Storm. He really did look uncomfortable, and that surprised her. "What's your poison, hot stuff? I'd tell you I'm buying you a drink, but…they're free."

"Uh…scotch?"

Darcy hip bumped him. "Good choice." She scooped up her drink and downed it in one gulp for courage, waving at the bartender for another. Storm was only sipping at his drink, which really surprised her. It suddenly dawned on Darcy that maybe the man was here with someone or meeting someone. After all, a guy like Storm didn't lack for company.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry. Are you here with someone? Or meeting someone?"

Blue eyes met hers, and one corner of his mouth ticked up in a halfhearted smile. "No. I'm alone."

"Whew!" Darcy exhaled in relief. "Well, now you're not, right? Protect me from these lechers?"

Storm frowned, looking very serious suddenly, and Darcy marveled that there were depths to this guy that she hadn't expected. "Of course. No man should treat a lady with such disrespect."

She hip bumped him again with a huge smile. "You're pretty cool, hot stuff."

It was strange. She would have expected Storm to be a total attention whore, based on the reports she'd heard of him, and her brief time in his presence. But the man at her side, still sipping on his one drink, was uncomfortable and ill at ease, ducking his head away from others. It was kinda cute and endearing, but again, not what Darcy expected from Johnny Storm.

She'd lost track of Jane and Thor some time ago when ducking away from another lech, before Storm's arrival, and decided that there really wasn't any reason that she was hanging around.

"So, hot stuff, let's find someplace a little quieter, okay?" Liquid courage was awesome.

Storm looked down at her, one arm still held captive by hers, and offered that half smile again. "Okay."

Darcy pulled him off to one side of the room, to a side door that she suspected was for the serving staff. There shouldn't be any reporters or paparazzi out this way, and that was confirmed when they stumbled out onto the street. Compared to the stuffy atmosphere inside, the outside air was fresh and inviting, if a little chilly.

"Much better!" Darcy decided, pulling Storm into a sheltered corner of the building, away from prying eyes.

"It was a little much in there," he offered.

Taking liquid courage to the extreme, Darcy swiveled, pushing Storm up against the building. His eyes widened almost comically when she reached up to tug his head down to her level.

"Geez you're tall, hot stuff." And shy? That wasn't the read on him she'd gotten from before, but now it seemed that Storm was the complete opposite. He was sort of cringing into the building wall, eyes wide as she stretched up. What the hell? But it didn't stop her from pressing her mouth to his.

Storm made a small noise against her mouth, and for a terrible moment, Darcy thought he was going to pull away or bolt. When she nipped his bottom lip he groaned, then his hands circled her waist and pulled her up against him. His mouth firmed against hers, tentatively returning her kiss.

Darcy hummed against his mouth, one hand sliding down from the back of his neck, over the insanely broad shoulder and down to the very impressive chest. He was so warm she hoped that he didn't combust. That wouldn't be good for her.

His heart was just racing under her hand, and Darcy wanted to cheer when one of his hands slid up her back, coming to rest on the back of her neck. She nipped again and a needy sound came from the back of Storm's throat. He rocked forward against her and he was strong, almost pushing her over if not for the hand around her waist.

Darcy pulled away from his mouth to gasp for air, frowning a little at him. "I don't get you, hot stuff," she panted. "The first vibes I got from you were total playboy, but now…more like teenage boy."

Storm flushed a little. "Uh…sorry?"

Darcy thought about for a moment, then shrugged. "Actually, who really cares?" She pulled his mouth back to hers, and the hand on his chest slid down and around his narrow waist to get a good solid pinch on his ass. It was practically divine.

Storm gasped, and she took that opportunity to lick into his mouth and get a good taste of him. He tasted like scotch and…butterscotch? Like he'd had a candy in his mouth before the drink. Umm…tasted good. Darcy pinched again and continued to enjoy that surprisingly innocent mouth. The ass felt almost heavenly under her fingers, so she patted it, loving the bouncy feel of it. She felt it flex as Storm rocked forward again with an incoherent groan.

Darcy pried her eyes open, to find Storm's squeezed shut. He had the longest lashes and that was just really unfair. So she pulled back a little and nipped at his jawline. "You are ridiculously handsome," she complained.

He shuddered a little, pressing his forehead against hers, eyes still closed. "And you are very beautiful. Are you always this…bold?"

Darcy laughed breathlessly. "Bold? This isn't really all that bold. And no, not usually this 'bold'. But it's hard to have a social life with the company I keep nowadays."

He huffed softly, hand at the back of her neck rubbing soft circles under her hair. "I don't even know your name."

Well, that kinda sucked. He didn't remember her? "Guess I didn't make much of an impression before then, huh?"

She felt his forehead wrinkle with a frown. "We've met? I'm sure I would have remembered that."

That was more in line with the playboy image Storm projected. "Well, you had to rush out to save the world right after we met, so I guess more important things crowded me right out of your head. It's Darcy."

"Still…it's not like me to forget." He sighed regretfully and then straightened, lifting his forehead away from hers. "I guess we should go back inside."

"What? Why?" Darcy frowned. Talk about mixed signals. This guy was driving her nuts.

Storm shrugged. "Well, you know, because we're supposed to be there?"

Darcy slumped forward, banging her forehead against his chest. "You're killing me, hot stuff. I've got a better idea. Why don't we ditch this party and go back to my place for some coffee?"

"Um…okay. I'm not really a huge fan of coffee, but sure."

That statement almost had Darcy scratching her head. What the hell did that mean? There was absolutely no way that Johnny Storm wasn't really into sex. Just no way. Was he trying to say that he wasn't really all that into her? Was he trying to hint that he was gay? There had never been any hints of that, and it would just be a crime against every female on the planet if it were true.

She straightened, tilting her head up to look at him. He looked nervous again. And a little worried.

"My coffee is pretty irresistible," she assured him saucily. She stepped back away from him, and caught the hand at her waist in her own as she turned away, leading him out toward the street with the intention of grabbing a cab.

One sailed up to the curb as she reached it, still towing Storm behind her. The door popped open and a passenger unfolded himself from the back seat, wearing a slightly rumpled tux. He was a looker too, with longish dark hair, stubbled cheeks, and bright blue eyes. Eyes that widened in surprise when he saw Storm behind her. An devilish smirk spread across his mouth.

"Hey Steve. Leaving the party so soon?"

Steve? What the hell? Darcy turned to look at Storm, who ducked his head a little sheepishly. "Hey Buck. This is Darcy. We're going to have coffee at her place. Tell Stark I'll probably be back later."

What? Darcy felt like someone had hit her in the back of the head, trying to make sense of what was going on. She released Storm, stepping out to one side so she could look at both men. When the new guy laughed loudly, she looked over at him.

His eyes were full of mirth. "Oh Steve. You are still completely hopeless with the ladies."

"Who the hell is Steve?" Darcy finally burst out. Both men turned to look at her in confusion.

"Uh…I am." Storm gestured toward himself, eyebrows almost comically high on his forehead.

Darcy wanted to thump her head against the cab really hard. "Okay, is this some kind of superhero punked thing? Really?"

The new guy bit his lip, eyes still dancing. "Who do you think he is?

"Johnny Storm! We met in Jane's lab a few weeks ago."

The new guy's eyebrows went up. "Sorry doll. He's not Johnny Storm. Storm isn't that big. His hair is darker."

Well duh. Darcy had already noticed that. "I just…I thought that he'd been working out a lot. Their faces are identical!" She felt the flush of embarrassment light up her cheeks and spread through her whole body. She'd practically molested this guy, and he wasn't Johnny Storm?

"Who the hell are you then, if you aren't Johnny Storm?" she snapped.

Blondie scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Steve Rogers. I'm an…associate of Tony Stark." He gestured at the other guy, who was still trying desperately not to laugh. "This is my best friend Bucky Barnes. He's an ass sometimes."

Darcy wanted to run away and hide now. Only her. She was the only person in the world who could possible mistake some poor stranger for a superhero and try to seduce him. No wonder he'd given out mixed signals. Then again, most men really didn't care if they knew a woman or not before getting horizontal with her, so this Rogers guy must not be into her at all. He probably just didn't want to make her feel bad.

"Shit. I'm sorry. I totally thought you were Storm, and was just kinda picking up where we had left off."

Barnes couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and turned his head away to let it out. Darcy resented that a little, because now she felt like a complete twit.

"Darcy? Is everything okay?"

She turned, seeing Jane and Thor bearing down on them with a slightly intoxicated Tony Stark following behind them. Oh god. This couldn't possibly get any worse, could it?

"Fine Jane. Just making some new friends."

Thor beamed at her. "You have met the Captain and the Soldier! Both fine men and good warriors."

Rogers winced a little. "Thor. You're not supposed to let on who we are, remember?"

Thor titled his head to one side. "But this is Darcy. She has already met many others."

Oh no. Oh god. Thor called him Captain. The only captain she knew of, with Thor's merry group of superheroes, was Captain America. Captain Freaking America. She'd jumped Captain America, paragon of virtue and goodness.

"Oh shit. Just shoot me now." Darcy hid her face in her hands.

Jane was there, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "What is it?" Her voice turned hard. "Were they bothering you?"

Darcy heard Barnes' snort of laughter. "Not at all. Apparently your friend and my friend were going to her place for coffee."

Tony Stark's almost girl-like squeal of glee was drowned out by Thor's loud approval. "That sounds wonderful my friends! Darcy's coffee is truly superb!" He clapped a hand to Rogers' shoulder. "We should all go!"

Jane choked, Tony Stark practically howled, and Barnes laughed again. In the midst of all of that, Darcy slipped into the waiting cab and made her escape.


	2. Chapter 2

I just couldn't leave things hanging for Darcy and Steve. So here's 'what happened next'.

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Darcy hibernated in her apartment over the weekend, not answering her phone or returning texts. The tiny part of her that wasn't dying of absolute mortification was grateful that the party had occurred on a Friday. She didn't have to be at work until Monday, so maybe by that point, she would be able to face people again.

Captain America. She'd jumped Captain America. Had even tried to seduce him, even though he'd seemed a little clueless. He'd been such a good guy about it too, not calling her out as a complete tramp for lunging at a guy she didn't even know. Then again, he was Captain America, so being a good guy went with the uniform.

Then there was dear Thor, who still wasn't up to speed with Midgardian customs. No idea that inviting someone for coffee meant something else completely, so he'd enthusiastically suggested they all go. God. Tony Stark had been howling with laughter, which probably meant that both Thor and Rogers would get teased about it. She was now responsible for embarrassing two Avengers.

When Jane threatened, via text, to bring Thor over to break into Darcy's apartment, she sent a very terse text in reply. She was fine, nothing wrong, just didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Then she continued to sit on her sofa in ratty, stained clothing that was four times too big, eating comfort food. She'd be five pounds heavier by the end of the weekend, but possibly able to face people again.

This was why she was perpetually single. Because Darcy Lewis was a walking embarrassment to herself and most everyone around her. Also apparently why she couldn't have her own hot superhero hookup. It was just too embarrassing for the hero in question.

At the end of the weekend, Darcy came to two conclusions. One - ice cream could not make her feel better. Two – she couldn't hide forever.

So Monday morning she donned her bulky layers, pulled on a knit hat, and said to hell with doing her hair or using makeup. Why bother? Thus armored and immune to worries that came before, she made her way to Jane's lab.

Jane, bless her, didn't say anything, just offered a sympathetic smile. Darcy was grateful for that. She didn't want to talk about her appalling blunder, or her complete inability to function like a normal girl. She just wanted to go back to being Darcy, the overlooked intern. That was comfortable. It was safe.

It wasn't meant to be.

A murmur went through the lab, somewhere around noon. Darcy ignored it, intent on her data entry, until a shadow fell over her. She looked up and squeaked in surprise, pushing her chair back as far as it would go.

It was Johnny Storm. For real this time. The hair was very short and dark, the shoulders and chest weren't as broad, and the expression was a dead giveaway. Storm looked like he wanted to get into trouble. And there was that panty wetting smile she had appreciated. Except now, it looked a little superficial. She couldn't help comparing it to that slightly self-mocking half smile that his blonder, broader superhero doppelganger had worn.

His smirk only grew at her retreat. "So. I heard that I almost got lucky Friday night at Stark's party. Shame I wasn't actually there."

The flush of embarrassment shot through her, and Darcy squeezed her eyes shut. "How long did Stark wait until he contacted you?" she asked in resignation, already suspecting the answer.

"Friday night," Storm confirmed. She could hear the laugh in his voice. "I heard you totally mauled Cap. How was he?"

Darcy wilted a little, eyes still closed. "Confused. I mean, with the way he looks, he should be used to women lunging at him, right? But he's a standup kinda guy, because it least he didn't push me away and try to embarrass me or anything. I did that all on my own."

Storm snorted softly. "I also heard Thor was trying to make it a group thing."

Darcy was going to slap Tony Stark when she saw him next. "Yeah. He hasn't quite picked up on all the nuances of Midgardian dating life yet. To him, coffee is coffee. I hope no one explained it to him."

"Well actually, Stark helpfully explained it to Thor. And Cap, who was also a little clueless."

Oh god. Just what she'd feared. How would she ever look Thor in the eye again? She wasn't that worried about Captain America, since she'd never even met him prior to the party, but then again, the shame of Cap knowing she was…free…with her affection…ugh.

Storm was still reveling in the humor of the situation though. "According to Stark, Cap nearly swallowed his tongue when he figured out what going back to your place for coffee actually meant. Thor was concerned that you were being disrespected, and 'had words' with Cap."

"Stop," Darcy croaked, feeling bile and shame close up her throat. "Please just stop and go away. I don't want to even think about this anymore."

"Hey. Hey, I didn't mean to upset you. C'mon Darcy. Open your eyes and look at me, okay?"

He sounded apologetic, so she cracked her eyes open. Storm looked concerned, but not overly sincere about it. Darcy shook her head. "I meant it, okay? Please go."

Instead, Storm hooked an empty chair with his foot and dragged it over to sit down. "Hey c'mon. You shouldn't have to go through all of that without anything to reward you. You know?"

Unbelievable. "Please tell me that you're not trying to get into my pants right now." Darcy leveled her best glare at Storm.

He shrugged, completely oblivious. "Wasn't that what you were going for on Friday night? Getting into my pants?" Apparently he thought that flashing his panty wetting smile would make her forget all the embarrassment she'd gone through.

Darcy waved him off. "No offense, Storm, but Friday night kinda killed my libido for the moment, and probably any desire whatsoever for a superhero. I mean, you're totally cut and smoking hot, but I'm not up for making an ass of myself again. And I know your mode of operation, you're definitely the love 'em and leave 'em type. Makes me think you're probably the bag 'em and brag type too, and I really don't want details about me like that getting circulated in superhero gossip."

He actually looked a little stunned. "You're saying you don't want in on this?" He gestured to encompass his whole body.

Darcy sighed heavily. So, her initial impression of Storm was completely correct, a total narcissistic playboy. Even more so than Stark, which was hard to believe. Then again, Stark probably had at least a decade on Storm, if not more, so he'd had time to mellow out a bit.

"I did, Storm. Not anymore. It's not you. It's totally me." Which wasn't completely true, but he was looking like a kicked puppy. What a complete child!

Then he perked up. "It's cool. How about next week?"

She deflated. "Johnny. Go away. I'm trying to be nice about that, but you're pretty persistent."

He frowned. "But you were totally going to hook up with me. Well, Cap me. So now that you have the real thing, why don't you want it?"

Darcy clenched her jaw shut over the first three things she wanted to say. "Did you even listen to anything I just said? Go find someone else to hook up with, Storm. I'm done with it."

He hopped up, but didn't leave. "See, I know you're embarrassed right now, and that's natural and everything, but you don't want to miss out on this." He gestured to himself again.

She'd tried to be nice. Storm made a weird sort of grunting noise when the taser probes hit him, and dropped to floor, muscles twitching. Darcy switched it off immediately, not really wanting to punish him, and watched quietly while the twitches slowed. Storm slowly sat up and then rolled to his feet a little unsteadily. He smiled a lopsided smile.

"So…next week then?"

Darcy was opening her mouth to reply when the lab doors hissed open. "The lady asked you to leave, Storm."

Darcy actually shivered at the power in that voice. It hadn't sounded that way the other night, when he'd been all shy and confused. But now? Now he sounded like Captain America.

She leaned back in her chair, enough to see around Storm. Rogers was in his uniform, without the head gear, and it was the first time she'd seen them both together. His friend, Barnes, was in step behind him, followed by Thor.

Rogers walked over to Darcy, placing himself beside Storm, and folded his arms across his chest. How could she have possibly thought that Storm had buffed up that much in a few weeks? That chest and those shoulders were very broad. She slowly rose to her feet, to save herself a sore neck. They were both tall, although Rogers seemed to top off Storm by an inch or two.

"Turn around!" Barnes barked at the two men, who slowly swiveled to face him, instead of Darcy. What a view from the back though. Nice.

Barnes came to a dead stop, looking from one to the other. "Huh. Whaddya think, Thor?"

The God of Thunder also looked from one to the other. "Uncanny. They truly do closely resemble each other." A frown wrinkled his brow. "Their personalities could not be further apart, however. Tell me, Storm, do you wish court Darcy as a proper suitor?" He tapped Mjolnir into the palm of one hand, eyes narrowed menacingly.

He probably couldn't have said anything that would have scared Johnny Storm more. The hothead stumbled over a panicked denial, and then made a hasty retreat. Darcy bit her lip to hide her smile, suspecting that Jane had placed a call for help to get rid of Storm. But now she had to face her embarrassment head on, and that really kinda sucked.

Rogers slowly turned back to face her. He had that serious look on his face, but she didn't miss that his eyes focused briefly on her mouth before snapping up to meet her gaze. He inclined his head. "Darcy. It's, uh, nice to see you again."

She flushed and rolled her eyes. "C'mon Cap. Say what you really mean."

She didn't miss it when Barnes shouldered him hard. "Yeah Steve. Say what you really mean."

Rogers swallowed, looking down at the floor, then slowly back up at Darcy. "I've thought about kissing you again nonstop since Friday night," he admitted.

Darcy sat down abruptly as her knees grew a little weak. Okay, the world had not prepared her for having Captain America admit he wanted to kiss her again. But…

She looked to Thor. He had just chased off Johnny Storm for wanting to get in her pants. But Thor was smiling. He inclined his head toward her. "I approve of the Captain, Darcy. He knows how to respect a lady."

Darcy looked up at Rogers. He was biting his lip, staring down at her in trepidation, with Barnes a solid presence at his side, supporting him. And she was sure that there had to be a hell of a story in there somewhere about why Captain America was almost painfully shy around women. Maybe it would be a good idea to find out why.

She smiled. "Well Steve, contrary to your first impression of me, I really don't go around kissing men I just met. So, if you're thinking of skipping right to the coffee…"

His eyes widened comically. "No! I don't want that!" Barnes shouldered him hard again, eyes rolled toward the ceiling. "I mean, I might want that in the future. I mean, you're beautiful. Oh god. Um…" Steve floundered, face bright red, looking to his friend for help. That was just too adorable.

Barnes shook his head. "What the wonderfully eloquent captain means is that he'd like to 'court' you, as Thor put it. And while getting into your pants is probably a goal for the future, he doesn't want to skip right to it because that's not how ladies should be treated."

"Bucky!" Rogers shouted in mortification. He covered his face with his hands. It was totally not fair that Captain America was shy and apparently really bad with women.

Darcy stood up again. "Steve." He peeked between his fingers at her, and slowly lowered his hands when he realized she wasn't going to smack him. One side of his mouth quirked up in that so-cute half smile. "Since Thor approves, you may proceed with courting," she told him. "But you'll have to work a bit for that kissing, because you got quite a bit already on credit."

A real grin broke out on his face. "Yes ma'am." Then, when Barnes smacked his shoulder in exasperation, he stuttered a little. "Um…okay? Okay, Darcy." He ducked his head and then looked back up. "Can I take you to dinner? Or a movie? Or…what would you like to do?"

Watching him flounder through it, Darcy felt a little sorry for him. "Let's start with dinner, Steve. Barring any hero-related emergencies, you can pick me up at 7:00 on Friday. Okay?"

He nodded, scratched the back of his head nervously, and twitched a little. "I'll uh…I'll see you then."

Barnes shook his head and pulled/pushed Rogers out of the lab. Thor stayed, small smile tugging at his mouth.

"He is a good man, Darcy. Treat him well."

She didn't think that would be a problem. "I will, Thor. I will."


End file.

Thor, Humor, Romance