A/N: In my world everyone forgave everyone at the end of civil war and now everyone lives together and iw never happened bc i refuse.

i.

Bucky Barnes would never forget the first time he saw Darcy's smile. It was, and remained, one of the most gorgeous things he'd ever seen.

It was the first time he'd ever met her and, having heard many stories, he'd thought he was prepared for their inevitable meeting. He wasn't.

Darcy had been laughing loudly, her head thrown back in glee and her feet casually thrown over Tony Stark's lap as he laughed along with her.

He wouldn't be so dramatic as to say that his world shifted, but that smile did set something in motion that not even he could have anticipated. He found himself unable to tear his focus from the curve of her lips, and, for the first time in a long time, he felt a warmth in his chest.

His distraction, however, wasn't wholly a good thing. In a move that could probably be placed straight into a slapstick comedy, Bucky comes to a sudden stop, causing Steve, who had been following close behind and focusing on his phone, to crash straight into his back.

"What the hell, Buck, I…" Trailing off when he sees what his friend is staring at, Steve's scowl morphs into a bright smile. "Darcy! I didn't know you were visiting!"

"Neither did I," is the quiet, grumbled remark that comes from the billionaire currently poking Darcy's foot. She kicks him lightly in the ribs – which Bucky smirks at – before shooting a beaming smile at the approaching supersoldier.

"That's what a surprise is, Stevie. Haven't you ever heard of those before?"

Despite the teasing, Steve makes his way over to her as she brings herself to a stand on the couch, reaching over the back of it to lean into his open arms. Bucky can't stop the brief feeling of jealousy that seems to flare up inside his chest; both at how easily contact seems to come for the two of them, and the fact that he didn't get such a warm welcome from such a beautiful dame.

"It's been a couple of years, I know; but I kept track. I hear you briefly became a fugitive, picked up another old-timer and saved the world a couple of times round. So…" Pulling back a little she shoots Steve a confused grin. "Congrats? I think?"

Chuckling, Steve nods his head, looking a little bashful. "Yeah, it's been pretty crazy recently." Throwing a fond glance back at Bucky, to which the ex-assassin rubs his hand awkwardly over the back of his neck, Steve smiles. "I wouldn't change it, though. Darcy, this is Bucky; Bucky, Darcy. You've both heard a lot about each other, I'm sure."

The second Darcy turns that beaming smile in his direction Bucky's entire body seems to heat up, the hard lines of his face smoothing out as he can't help but grin back. A little dopily if the amused look Steve throws him is anything to go by.

"Hey!" Bucky steps a little closer as she leans one hand on the back of the couch for leverage to jump over, landing with a dull thud and sticking out her hand for him to shake. "So… Super Soldier 2.0, huh?"

As she smiles up at him, Bucky gently wraps his flesh hand around her extended one.

"Yeah, I… I guess so."

There's a beat of silence as his eyes scan her face, memorising the details, before he suddenly realises that he's been shaking her hand for way too long. Snatching his own back to his side, Bucky attempts to regain his composure.

"But if we're getting semantic about it-" ("Please feel free not to, Terminator, some of us actually want to watch this film" Tony's remark is muttered from the couch as he gestures to the paused TV, drawing an eyeroll from the other three inhabitants of the room) "-I was technically a soldier first. I was also born first. So, wouldn't that make Stevie over here 2.0 and me the original?"

At the first hint of sass coming out of his mouth Darcy's polite smile turns into an excited grin. There was nothing she loved more than a little snark in a hot man.

"I guess it would." As she shifts to look in Steve's direction, Darcy shrugs as if it were out of her control. "Sorry, Cap, but the man makes a good point. You've officially been demoted."

Bucky's smile has only widened once she turns back to him, and despite his demotion Steve looks giddy at the sight. It still took a lot to make Bucky grin like that.

"However," Bucky looks a little scandalised when Darcy points an accusing finger at him, "you should not be bragging about being older than anyone, honey; not at your age! You're supposed to declare that you turn twenty-one every year – that's what my great-grandma did when she was as old as you."

His shock was blatantly obvious on his face and neither Darcy nor Steve can hold back their chuckles at his expense. Tony hops up from the couch, casually patting Bucky on the shoulder when he passes by on his way to the attached kitchen, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"She has that effect on a lot of people, bud. Don't worry."

"Hey!" Bucky notices that despite her indignant shout she's smiling, and he shocks himself by imagining that smile pressed against his own lips. It's this thought that makes him trail after her like a lost puppy when she follows Tony to the kitchen.

And if his eyes just so happen to travel down her body appreciatively as he walks, who could blame him?

A/N: There will be five more parts to this (as indicated by the title). I was originally going to post it all as a single oneshot, but I have no impulse control and after getting this first part finished I just couldn't help but post it. I haven't posted in forever and without attention I die so here it is.

Let me know if you want more! Comments are welcomed and appreciated!

Feel free to hop over to my tumblr too - daryldamnson