Who: Steve Rogers & Darcy Lewis What: Netflix and non-chilling When: Last night Notes/Warnings: It's Captain America people. There are no warnings.
“Steve was not sulking, he swears. He'd tried to go for a run in the gym. That had ended very poorly. Now he was back in the penthouse, sitting in his room, notebook open trying to put down every thought he could think of that might help. But he wasn't a scientist. He had no idea where to even begin.
He hadn't been tiny and more or less useless for a long time, and it wasn't sitting well. He wanted to solve this. Not be stuck in hiding. Someone could sneeze at him and he'd get his first cold in decades. And then it would be awful.
Steve wasn't his abilities, but he'd functioned with them longer than he'd been without and had no idea what to do with himself.
Darcy might like to flirt outrageously and make inappropriate comments, but she was also a thoughtful person who genuinely liked doing things for other people. So when she found out that Steve was stuck at the Penthouse until the science team could figure out how to undo whatever had been done to shrink him, she took her Stark credit card and went shopping.
When she arrived, her arms were laden with packages and she also had a pizza and a six pack of beer, just like when she’d gone to hang out with Peter while he was grounded. Luckily, she didn’t need a hand to open the door or anything, Friday let her in and she went looking for Steve.
“Hey,” she said, glad that his bedroom door was open since she couldn’t exactly knock. “I brought supplies.”
Steve looked up, then smiled, he was definitely not looking like normal. "Hi, Darcy, you didn't need to do that." Though he looked thankful, he was feeling like death warmed over. It had been a long time since he'd been faced with all his illnesses.
This was rough on him. Even if he wouldn't really say it. He got up to help her set everything down. "Thank you, though, what all did you buy?" He shook his head, she was a good friend.
Even if she sometimes overdid it, he was impressed by her thoughtfulness when he hadn't asked for anything.
“Sit,” she said, waving off his attempt to help. “I got it.” She put the pizza down on top of the dresser, setting the beer beside it, and then moved over to sit next to him surrounded by her shopping bags.
Darcy grabbed the closest bag, peeked inside, and said, “Okay, this one has art supplies.” She handed it to him. “Sketch pads, colored pencils, that sort of thing. I figured you were going to be bored sitting around here and that’s something you can do.” Without hurting himself, she didn’t add out loud, though it was on her mind. “I’m also going to set up my Netflix account on your TV and introduce you to the concept of binge-watching.”
Steve stood there for a moment, blinking as he tried to help anyway then sat down, letting her handle it. He was not used to people doing things for him, it was always the other way around.
This was awkward and new.
He blinked then took the bag, "Darcy… that.. Thank you." He was a little blown away, no one else had thought about that. He took a helook through it before setting it down, he ran a hand through his hair, a little at a loss.
"I never really sat and watched anything on Netflix…" he'd heard about it (because Tony) but he never really bothered. Now was the time.
If anyone was qualified to teach Steve about sitting around on his ass doing nothing, it was Darcy. “Oh, I figured,” she said. “I made you a profile and added a bunch of things I think you’ll enjoy.” It was heavy on the documentaries and period pieces as opposed to her own profile that was littered with reality TV.
She picked up another bag. “Okay, this one has vitamins, a variety of herbal teas, a humidifier, which should hopefully help you breathe better, and a heating pad that you put in the microwave.”
He blinked again, "that was very thoughtful of you." And he'd be happy to see what she put on there for him. He honestly wouldn't even know where to begin. It was a lot, and he just never needed it.
"You seem to have thought of everything." He was touched, actually, that she'd gone and done all of this for him. "I think all of those will be helpful. I'm grateful."
“One more,” Darcy said, grabbing the last bag and handing it to him. This one contained a navy blue snuggie and a pair of slippers. “I know it’s August, but without the same body mass you’re used to, I was worried you’d get cold,” she explained. Besides, cozy things were always nice to have.
She smiled as she stood up. “I also brought pizza and beer so I can teach you how to have a proper Netflix binge session,” she said. “Let me go grab some plates from the kitchen. Be right back.”
Steve watched her go, still a little shocked, and honestly kind of in awe. He didn't remember the last time anyone had some any of this for him. He was grateful for the snuggie (as weird as it was) and slippers. He would get cold.
He snuggled into it, it was cold for him now and he hated that too. He waited until she got back, "this is the sweetest thing anyone has done for me."
Darcy frowned a little at that. “Well, that’s a shame,” she said. “People should do more nice things for each other.” It would make the world much better in her opinion.
“Okay, I wasn’t sure what kind of pizza you liked, so I got half plain and half supreme,” she said. “I like either, so you can pick.” In addition to plates, she was carrying some bottled water because she wanted to make sure he paced himself with the beer.
He shrugged a little, he rarely let people get close enough. And it wasn't like Bucky was going to do that kind of thing for him. "It's alright."
"I will eat almost any pizza, but I'll opt for Supreme this round." He grinned, shaking his head. "You went all out, didn't you?" He sounded amused.
“I know Dad and Bruce are working around the clock to figure this out,” Darcy said, not even realizing that she actually referred to Tony that way for the first time so casually. “But until they do, you need to be comfortable.”
She put two slices of supreme on a plate and handed it to him, along with a beer and a bottle of water, then got her own stuff ready and moved to sit next to him again. “Okay, so, you’re lucky that Friday can play the TV and you don’t have to worry about remotes,” she said.
“As are everyone with a science degree, I swear.” he shook his head a bit, “It is an adjustment, and one I was never expecting to have to make.” Steve took the plate of pizza, then set it and the beer on the table. He laughed, then, “Well, yes. I suppose I am lucky in that regard. Friday does make a lot of things easier.”
Tech still made him - not wary, he liked tech - but mindful. He didn’t want to become reliant on it. Now, more than ever, he was learning that if you relied on something, it tended to get taken away. He grinned over at Darcy before he picked up a slice to take a bite out of. He was going to have to remember not to eat like he usually did. He couldn’t burn the calories now.
When he grinned at her, Darcy was struck with a sudden urge to give him a hug. She resisted though so she didn’t accidentally knock over pizza or beer all over his bed. That would negate the nice things she was trying to do.
“Friday, open Netflix please,” she said. The TV sprang to life and brought up a screen listing both of their names alongside tiny pictures. Hers was one of the people from a reality show she liked, but because even when she was being nice, Darcy couldn’t resist the urge to troll a little, the image next to Steve’s was of the actor who played Lucifer. “See how I set up a separate profile for you?” she said.
Steve was still Steve. Just more awkwardly adorable. The serum gave him freedom to do what he always tried to do. He was struggling to check himself. He couldn't save the world the usual way. It was a fight to keep him on the bed.
But he was trying.
He blinked, then laughed, "Who is that face you picked for my icon?" He shook his head then nodded, "alright. So how does this work?"
Darcy chuckled. “That’s Lucifer. He’s hot. And the show is pretty good.” She didn’t think it would be to Steve’s tastes though.
“All right, so, Friday, open Steve’s profile.” When it opened, he’d see a full menu of options. “You can pretty much find anything,” she explained. “But the stuff under “My List” is what I picked that I thought you’d like.”
Most of the titles were war stories or documentaries, but there was also a selection of movies that Darcy deemed important cultural touchstones from the past few decades.
Steve laughed a bit, "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment." He grinned then took a sip of beer. Oh, that was nice. He liked the cool crisp taste, even when he was a super soldier, but he knew he'd feel it soon. He was looking forward to it.
"Oh, you know me." He said as he looked over the titles she'd selected for him. They were perfect choices. Things he would enjoy. "What are those?" He pointed to the movies that didn't look military.
>
“Those are Darcy’s Culturally Important Movies That You May Have Missed While Being a Capsicle,” she said. “So that you can maybe understand more of the jokes Tony and I make or memes you see on the internet.”
Some of the choices were legitimate classics and some were just things that Darcy thought should be classics. There was a lot of John Hughes. Also Heathers.
He blinked. Then blinked again and laughed. "Things I might have missed while being a capsicle. I like that." He laughed as he leaned back, getting comfortable. He took a big bite of his pizza, happy.
"Alright then, my cultural guide, where shall we begin?" He was of no use elsewhere so he could afford to settle in and just relax. He was looking at Darcy through a different lens, though.
It was nice to see Steve at least somewhat relaxed for a change. Darcy kicked off her shoes so she could swing her legs up on the bed and lean back against his pillows. “Haha, oh you are in for a treat, my friend. Friday, play The Breakfast Club. This is the quintessential teenage experience movie.”
As the opening sequence began, she took a bite of her pizza and then cracked open her beer. She may not be a super spy or a badass ninja, but she could still be useful and that made her happy.
Steve had rarely relaxed, even when he was normal Steve not smol Steve. He looked over as she leaned back then offered her a smile. "What is it about?" He asked not knowing it at all.
He was enjoying the pizza and beer, reminding himself to take his time. He was s sick man, and as much as he wished he could ignore that, he couldn't.
Darcy was glad that he didn’t seem to mind her making herself comfortable in his temporary bedroom. “So, these five kids, who are all totally different, get stuck in detention on a Saturday morning,” she explained. “And it’s about them becoming friends, sort of, and realizing that they have more in common than they think.”
There was a lot more, but she figured that covered the basic gist. “It also has a kick ass soundtrack,” she said.
Steve should have minded - but he was too worried about everything else to really think about what would be proper, and what wouldn’t. He also didn’t think much of it because, well, he was scrawny and sickly looking. “Saturday morning detention. That sounds rough.” he laughed a bit.
“Alright, I am looking forward to seeing this one.” he polished off one of the slices of pizza, it didn’t take him long. He might be sicker than normal, but he was hungry. He took another sip of the beer, too, shaking his head, it had been so long.
They mostly watched the movie in companionable silence, except for a few times when Darcy had to clarify some reference that Steve didn’t understand. When it ended, she turned to him with an expectant look. “Well? What did you think?”
During the course of the movie, they’d polished off half of the pizza and a good amount of beer.
Steve was enthralled - and he hadn’t expected to be. He was feeling tipsy, too, which wasn’t something he was used to feeling. Full and tipsy was a very good feeling. He didn’t mind it much, though he knew it would be something he’d easily overdo if not careful. “Not what I was expecting, but I liked it.” of course he would, the basic message was totally in his wheelhouse.
He leaned back and stretched, everything felt wrong and he was still trying to get used to it. And failing. “That wasn;t bad at all.” he grinned.
“Good,” Darcy said, rolling to her side and propping herself up on one elbow. She figured that the whole ‘group of people banding together for a common goal’ thing would appeal to him, even if that goal was just to fuck with the teacher in charge of detention.
She was content to hang out and watch more movies, if he wanted. “Do you want to watch something else?” she asked. “I can always go make some popcorn.”
Steve was no saint, either, he played the part well, but he’d pulled his own share of pranks as a kid, and he was known to be a little snarky, and his views on what was good and right was not always aligned with the world’s as a whole. Steve was not immune to poking the bear of trouble.
He looked over at Darcy as she rolled onto her side to look at him. “We can do that. I am not tired, though I am feeling a little fuzzy - I have to say it has been forever since I’ve felt that.” he shook his head, “Yes, popcorn would be good.”
She got up and handed him a bottle of water. “Drink that,” she said, before taking their plates and the rest of the pizza so she could put it away. The last thing Darcy needed was people yelling at her for getting Cap drunk. Plus he did not need to add a hangover to the other ailments he was suffering.
When she returned a few minutes later, carrying a large plastic bowl full of fresh, buttery popcorn and a stack of napkins, she said, “Okay, so, you can pick our next movie. Do you want to watch a time travel adventure or a campy murder mystery?”
Steve took the water gratefully, she was right, there was no way he needed a hangover too. That would be awful and he would hate it so much. He took a drink as he waited for her to come back with popcorn. He was going to regret eating everything but it was also not bad.
“Okay, um, campy murder mystery, though I am not entirely sure what campy means?” he smirked a bit as he looked over at her. “Also that smells wonderful.” handful of popcorn, here he comes.
Even though he didn’t need to consume ten thousand calories a day, Darcy wanted to make sure he ate. So what if she was feeding him junk for both his body and his brain? He deserved a chance to just chill.
“Oh, it means kind of silly, over the top ridiculous,” she explained. “So it’s funny while also being mysterious.” She wasn’t sure what year the board game Clue had come out or if he’d be familiar with it, so she didn’t bother trying to explain that the movie was based on a game.
She handed him the bowl and then settled back down next to him. “You need anything else before I start it?”
“I’m good - go ahead.” he said as he tucked a leg under him, comfortable and thoughtful. Steve never really took time for himself, and right now, that’s all he had. Darcy was keeping his thoughts from turning inwards, and that was helpful.
Steve needed the distractions. Even if he only thought he was accepting them because of her kindness, not for himself. But he needed this. “I look forward to learning about this whole concept of campy.”
“You’re gonna laugh your ass off,” Darcy promised before instructing Friday to play Clue. She nudged his shoulder with hers. “You can tell everyone that we ‘Netflix and chilled’ if you want,” she said, though she was 99% sure he didn’t know what that meant.
He had no idea.
None.
It was harmless, though, and he grinned. "I look forward to laughing." He was happy he had such good friends to keep him through this mess.