Soulmates, Inc.

Darcy's eyes were beginning to glaze over as Jane began one of her "Thor is the most amazing man ever" speeches. It's not that that she didn't believe that Thor was a great guy or the perfect fit for Jane, but there was only so much that a single gal could reasonably take the week before Valentine's Day.

"Whatever . . . I don't even believe in soulmates," Darcy declared off-handedly as she sprawled onto the couch of Jane's mom's apartment.

"W . . . w . . . what . . . . what do you mean you don't believe in soulmates?" Jane sputtered at Darcy's nearly sacrilegious statement.

"It's a hoax."

"There's scientific proof."

"You're only saying that because you put Thor in the system and you were right about him."

Jane shook her head violently. "That's not the only reason. The research . . ."

"Whatever," Darcy repeated putting in her earbuds, deliberately ignoring Jane.

SoulmatesInc. was a company with a proven track record. Over the years, they'd use their computer algorithms to match up hundreds of thousands of couples. Within a decade, no one even bothered getting married without running their prospective mate through the battery of on-line tests that ensured 100% compatibility.

Except for Darcy it seemed.

Her track record had been dismal so far.

Ian the intern - failed match.

Mike from the apartment building next door - failed match.

Clint Barton - failed match (Darcy knew that was a long shot but had to try anyway, especially after seeing him in a sleeveless shirt).

That left Darcy as a permanent third wheel, hanging out with Thor and Jane, muscling in on their couple time.

And she was really beginning to hate it.

000000

"C'mon, Buck. You should try it," Steve chided as they finished their regular sparring session. He began to unwrap his hands, placing the gauze and tape to one side as he went.

"It's ridiculous," scoffed Bucky, folding his arms in front of him. "I can't believe you, of all people, got suckered into thinking that a computer could find you love."

"Sharon and I . . . ."

"Ugh . . . no more talk about your romance, Rogers," Bucky nearly growled. If he had to hear one more time about the amazing Sharon Carter, he'd stuff his own ears with cotton balls.

"Why won't you at least give it a try?"

"'Cause it's a scam," Bucky retorted. "You give away a ton of personal information for free to a data mining company."

Steve snorted and rolled his eyes. "What do you know about data mining?"

"I read," Bucky replied defensively. He took a sip out of his water bottle, recalling the details of the newspaper stories. "I must have read a half dozen articles criticizing that company for its practices. You're being naive, Steve, if you think they are matching people up through the goodness of their hearts."

"And you're being cynical," Steve shot back.

"Not wanting to put my trust into a shadowy organization with dubious business practices is hardly being cynical, Steve."

"Soulmates, Inc. is hardly Hydra." Steve winced as Bucky flinched at the name, instantly remorseful that he'd brought it up. "Look . . . I'm sorry. That was a low blow."

"It's fine . . ." Bucky swallowed hard. "So, I admit it. I've got trust issues. My shrink says it's normal . . . after everything." His voice trailed off and his eyes were unfocused for a moment, lost in a sea of painful memories.

"Could you at least just give it a try?" Steve asked.

Bucky shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe."

Author's Note- I'm thinking of writing a bit of a WinterShock soulmates Valentine's Day story.