Chapter Text
Pepper had always wondered whether Jarvis was advanced enough to love. He was capable of understanding human emotion, hell, he even seemed to enjoy their conversations. Especially when she told him a particularly funny anecdote, his voice turned warm and he seemed to be holding back a laugh.
When she had asked Tony, he had shrugged. "He can learn like a human." Was all he said.
It was a puzzle that Pepper was determined to solve.
She found the answer when a certain God brought his girlfriend and Lightening Sister to the tower.
******
Darcy Lewis had spent her entire life carefully avoiding the topic of soulmates. Being born without a soulmark had made her a little sensitive to the issue.
In most cultures being born without a mark would result in harassment, abuse, abandonment and sometimes even death. She was lucky that she was born in America, all things considered. The worst came from the religious types though. Most believed that if you were born without a soulmate, the devil had taken your soul. They were strictly intolerant to anybody born blank and would spray holy water on you on the spot. They were the main opposition to Soulmate-less rights.
After years of campaigning the Soulmate-less got the right to vote, equal wage and it became illegal to discriminate them. It didn't stop it happening though. It probably didn't help that Darcy's parents were devout Christians.
They used to stare at her in misery and horror whenever they thought she wasn't looking. Sometimes they did it even when she was. As she grew up, Linda and Gary Lewis came up with different schemes to ban the 'devil' from her soul. She had to wear a crucifix at all times, had to go to church every morning and attend an exorcism once a week.
They hired a 'specialist' to come and see them every Sunday to banish the Devil from their home. Darcy found the whole thing excruciatingly boring. She lay in a circle of candles whilst the priest chanted Bible verses at her. The white robe she was forced to wear itched and the candles made her sweat. Her parents stood behind the priest and held hands, crying softly whilst praying.
Darcy just found the entire thing tedious. Linda would check her over for a soulmark every night, sighing when none appeared. If they hadn't found one by the time the week was up, they would bring in the priest again.
On top of that, Darcy had to keep it a secret. Her parents had told no one of their mark-less child and made sure that Darcy had told no one either. Everyone thought that her soulmark was on the bottom of her foot and her parents encouraged this belief by never letting her leave the house without at least two pairs of socks on and shoes that they laced up impossibly tight. Darcy got used to walking around like she wasn't in pain and artfully changing the subject when somebody brought soulmarks up. Gary still made her wear socks in the house though, petrified that they might get a surprise visitor and Darcy might not be wearing something to cover her feet.
It wasn't like they hit her or anything. They just neglected her. Gary tended to lock her in her room when she was in the house, preferring to not have to look at her when he didn't have too. They gave her the basic necessities, like food, shelter and warmth. She just didn't get any love.
Her parents preferred to not touch her, which meant for a barren childhood. Of course in front of their friends, they played the role of perfect parents, grabbing onto her hands when they crossed the road or walked anywhere. But Gary's grip was loose, as if he could barely stand the feel of her skin, whilst Linda's was too tight, her nails digging into her palms.
They refused to let her go to school, instead leaving her with various textbooks and locking her in her room. They said that they didn't want to ruin other kids by introducing them to the devil. Darcy never spoke back, just read her textbooks and figured it out for herself.
As she grew up, Darcy found herself spending as much time out of the house as possible. She took to haunting the library for hours on end, eager to learn as much as possible and escape her parents. At sixteen she got a job at the library, just stocking shelves. It didn't pay very much, but on her breaks she had her pick of things to read and it meant that she could leave the house for even longer. She didn't tell Linda and Gary about her job, and they never questioned where she was all day.
When got herself emancipated at seventeen the two shared a sigh of relief. Darcy packed her meagre belongings and fled.
The only thing her parents had given her was a hatred of wearing shoes and the fear of being touched.
Now, at twenty two years old, Darcy had gotten accepted at Culver university. She had worked hard to get in, hiring herself tutors to teach her what her self-education had missed, even though she had to practically starve herself in order to pay for it. She did it though. Now she was doing a degree in political science, so she could help fight for equal rights.
This was how she met Jane Foster. At the end of her degree she needed just six science credits to pass. It was on a bulletin board that she had seen a flyer for an intern in astrophysics. She read a couple of books about astronomy and was vaguely interested in physics, so she applied.
She got the job. When she first walked into a coffee shop she quickly bought two coffees before spotting a slim brunette wearing rumpled clothes and about four pencils behind her ears. Darcy plunked the coffee in front of her before introducing herself.
"Hi, I'm Darcy Lewis." She didn't offer a hand to shake.
The woman had been scribbling something on a napkin but now looked up.
"Jane Foster. You must be the one applying for the internship." She had a glazed look to her and heavy bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept for days.
"That's me." She said, sliding into her seat. Darcy pushed the coffee closer to Jane. "And that's for you." Jane looked at her suspiciously before grabbing the cup and downing half of it in one go.
"Thanks. So I have one question." Darcy sat straighter, ready for the interview. "What's your opinion on Soulmarks?" She stared at her, trying to figure out if she was kidding or not. When it became clear that Jane wasn't actually joking, she answered.
"Don't ask, don't tell."
Jane nodded. "Good answer, you're hired."
Darcy felt her jaw drop. "Really?"
"Yep." Jane nodded. "You were the only one who applied." Darcy still didn't understand why that question was important.
Six months later, when they were both drunk from margaritas and sat on top of a roof in Puente Antiguo, Jane revealed a series of deep black runes etched across her shoulder blades. "They said it seems almost Norse, but they've never seen anything like it." Darcy didn't know who 'they' were, but felt like comforting Jane. So she told her about being Soulmate-less. Jane was the first person she told and she didn't say anything, just sat next to her whilst they both cried.
Jane was the first person she told when a week later she found a strange mark on her ribs whilst she was in the shower. It was late at night, and Darcy was covered in dust from the desert. She had just finished washing her hair and was onto rinsing her body when she looked down and nearly screamed.
"Jane!" She shouted, scrambling out, not caring that she was a naked as the day she was born. "Jane!" She sprinted into Jane'a room to find the scientist in her pajamas and wearing a surprised look.
"Why are you naked?" She cried, hiding her eyes behind her hands. She peeked through her fingers. "And wet!" She shouted again, closing her fingers. Darcy simply batted he hands out of the way.
"Look!" She said, gesturing at her ribs. Just underneath her breasts there was a line of words, etched into her skin in a deep black.
"Should I inform Sir of your panic attack?" It said, in a robotic font that almost matched the once she used when she typed up Jane's papers on the computer.
Jane's face stretched into a wide grin. "It's a soulmark."
"What?!" Darcy stared at her in shock.
"That's a soulmark." She said, pointing at it and nodding. Jane looked up at her, cheeks almost about to split with her smile. "Darcy you have a soulmate!" She shouted, jumping up and down. Darcy jumped with her before tears spilled down her cheeks and she burst into tears.
Jane approached slowly, and gently patted her on the back, not minding her wet state, and never stopping her smile. Darcy didn't think she'd ever felt so happy in her life. She barely noticed that Jane was touching her.
It was a year later when a man fell out of a tornado and Jane's mark made sense.
It was three years after that when Thor invited them to live in the Avengers tower with him, now that he was remaining permanently on world.
Darcy had upgrade from Intern, to assistant, and now to official Science Wrangler. Her job was simple, keep the resident scientists fed, watered and on enough sleep. She took to to the job like a duck to water. It was her first day of living and working at the tower, and she was enjoying herself. Thor had introduced her to Tony Stark (yes, The Tony Stark) who had introduced her to Bruce Banner as well as the other assistants.
She already looked after Jane, so it wasn't difficult to just add another few people to her job. She started by quickly making about seven grilled cheeses and a massive pot of tomato soup to feed them. It was already lunchtime and she had a feeling that they wouldn't stop to take a break. She made the food in a handy kitchen a few floors below that Thor took her to.
She left three sandwiches for Thor, as well as a massive bowl of soup before putting the rest of the food on a tray and carrying it upstairs. The elevator doors opened just as she got there and she stepped in, hitting the button of her floor with her elbow. The doors opened to the lab, which was split into two different sections. One half was Bruce's which was incredibly neat and ordered with brand new machinery that gleamed. The other half was Jane's, which was covered in random pieces of paper and scribbled notes, dusty old machinery that was held together with duct tape and willpower occupied most of the floor space.
Used to the mess, she quickly ducked her way through the lab and put the food next to Jane. Forcibly placing a spoon in her hand, she commanded her to eat. Jane started shoveling the food in without thinking, still writing something down.
Darcy nodded once before walking over to Bruce, who was quietly hunched over a microscope. She slid the food next to him before tapping the desk in front of him.
"Lunch break doc. Eat this and then you can go back to work." He looked up in surprise before raising his eyebrows in confusion. "Darcy." She answered the unspoken question, "We met about an hour ago, now eat." He quickly ate the food in small careful bites before flashing her a smile.
"Thanks Darcy." he said warmly. He glanced at her bare feet but didn't say anything, used to the oddities of people in this tower.
"No problem doc." She returned the smile before picking up her tray and retreating back to the elevator. She got of at the next floor, which was Tony's lab. It was a mess of oily tools, scattered robots and half built engines.
"Tony!" She shouted. "I have food!" She dropped the final sandwich and bowl of soup on one of his cleaner work surfaces before walking through the room, searching for him. A hand suddenly landed on her bare shoulder and she panicked, flinching away and flailing her arms out.
She caught the person in the nose, making them release a groan of pain.
"Dammit kid! It's just me!" She peeked out from beneath her arms to see Tony, pinching his nose in an effort to stop the flow of blood.
"I brought food." She said, purposefully not apologizing. Tony looked at her, sensing her panic.
He paused, unsure of what to do. "Wait here." He finally said, after a few seconds of tense silence. "I'm just going to clean this up." He gestured at his nose before backing away and into another room.
Darcy began scrubbing at her shoulder, hating the remaining feel of his hand on her shoulder. She couldn't get the feeling out of her mind and it made her feel sick. When the feeling wouldn't go away, her body started trembling and Darcy began hyperventilating. Sweat dripped down her forehead in rivulets and she slowly sank to her heels. She rocked back and forth, arms wrapped around her knees, trying to remember the breathing exercises that she had learnt.
"Should I inform Sir of your panic attack?" A voice sounded out of nowhere, it sounded concerned but only made Darcy flinch.
"Please don't touch me." She said quietly, almost a whisper. The voice still heard her though.
"Don't worry miss, I will not touch you." It sounded even more concerned now, almost as panicked as her. "Would you like me to inform someone?"
She shook her head, the movement making her feel nauseous.
"Alright miss." The voice sounded at loss for what to do. She was left in silence for a few seconds before the voice returned with purpose. "Miss, please take deep breath and hold it."
Darcy tried to ignore the voice, still taking quick, sharp breaths that hurt her throat.
"Please Miss. It will help." Darcy nodded slightly, deciding to take a chance on it working. "Now take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can." She did so, before letting out a gust of air after about thirty seconds.
"Good, now take deep breaths, slowly. In, and out." The voice instructed her. She slowly began inhaling and exhaling, keeping in time with the voice. "Now inhale for five seconds." She did. "Now hold it for two seconds." She did, her rocking slowing. "Now release it for five seconds."
They repeated the breathing exercise for about ten minutes, and Darcy slowly began to feel better again. She was no longer dizzy and her limbs had stopped shaking.
"Thankyou." She said quietly.
"Anytime Miss." The voice said. She slowly rose to her feet, careful not to rush. Her body felt exhausted, as if she had just run a marathon. Once she steadied herself against a nearby workbench she looked up, wanting to see the guy who helped her. She looked around in confusion when the room appeared empty except for her.
"Hello?" She called, looking around her.
"Hello miss." The voice sounded again. She craned her neck to look behind her.
"Where are you?" She asked, confusion making her brows draw together.
"I'm everywhere."
"What?"
"I am Jarvis, an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark. I run this tower. And you, miss, are my soulmate."
******
In the next room Tony watched the video feed on his computer screen and jumped for joy. He quickly pulled out his phone and called Pepper.
"What do you want Tony?" He could already tell that she was having a crappy day. Well, he was about to make it better.
"Jarvis just met his soulmate."
"What?" He smirked before hanging up. She'd ditch her work to come and find out. Tony ignored her next phone call and carried on watching the screen.
******
"When Sir first created me," The AI was busy explaining. "he found a stray piece of code in my programming. He deleted it but it kept on coming back. It wasn't a virus, or another hacker so he left it. He tired several different programmes to figure out what it was and eventually he did. It was a line of text, reading 'Please Don't Touch Me'. I searched online for any explanation for it until Sir figured it out. It was my Soulmark."
The voice sounded excited, and nervous. Darcy felt like she was about to cry. Instead of replying, she slowly lifted her shirt above her ribs to reveal her Soulmark.
"Hey soulmate." She said, before bursting into tears.
******
Tony and Pepper cradled each other as they laughed at the screen.
"We need to welcome her to the family." Pepper said, already planning a group meal in her mind to welcome Darcy.
"Yeah, we do." Tony said. If asked later about it, he would deny the fact that he was crying.
******
Darcy and Jarvis stayed up late talking for hours. She told him all about her childhood and he went eerily quiet for a few seconds.
******
Gary and Linda woke up the next morning to find that all of their credit cards had been cancelled and their electricity, heating and gas had been cut off. It took four months to get it fixed.
******
Around two in the morning Jarvis dimmed the lights and shut the blinds. Darcy fell asleep with the knowledge that her soulmate would keep her safe.
******
A week later, Darcy attended a meal with the Avengers to welcome her to the family. She wore a blue summer dress and Jarvis assured her that she wouldn't have to wear shoes. The rest of the Avengers instantly received a message saying that they had to go bare foot.
"Summer theme." Jarvis said, a little too innocently for Natasha's liking.
Steve and Bucky arrived ten minutes early, catching the elevator to Tony's penthouse where the meal was taking place. They quickly slid into their seats, not liking the feel of the cold linoleum beneath their feet.
"Does Jarvis know that Pepper didn't give us an actual theme? We could have worn shoes." Bucky complained, pressing his feet against Steve's.
"I know." He agreed, flinching from the cold soles of his feet. "My feet are freezing."
Bucky rose to his feet. "I'm going to grab some socks."
"No Sergeant Barnes." Jarvis' voice halted him in his tracks. "You must be bare foot. If you wear socks then you may not eat with the rest of the team." Jarvis had an insistent tone to his voice that the soldiers had never heard before.
"Alright Jarvis." Steve said cautiously, pulling Bucky to sit back down. "We won't wear socks."
"Thankyou Captain Rogers." He said before going silent.
Bucky grabbed a napkin and pulled a pen from Steve's shirt pocket before rapidly scribbling something down.
"Is it just me or is Jarvis acting weird?" He wrote.
Steve peered at it before snatching the pen and replying.
"Nope, definitely weird. Is it something to do with the meal?"
Bucky shrugged. "No clue, but I guess we'll find out." The elevator doors opened and Steve hastily shoved the napkin into his pocket. They both stood when they saw a shy looking girl looking at them.
"Hi." She said, awkwardly walking forward. She was a pretty little thing, both Steve and Bucky noticed and they smiled in response.
"Darcy, this is Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes." Jarvis said, voice decidedly warmer when he addressed Darcy.
"Thanks J." She said, smiling at the closest camera. She looked back at the two soldiers. "I'm Darcy." She said, ignoring Steve's outstretched palm.
After a few seconds he lowered it but smiled anyway. "I'm Steve, and this here is my soulmate Bucky."
"Nice to meet you." She said.
Bucky winked at her. "Pleasure to meet you doll." She blushed and awkwardly pulled at the bottom of her dress. This only brought their gazes to her fantastic legs.
"So do you work here then?" Steve asked, walking around the table to pull out a chair for her. She sat down and he pushed her chair in before walking back around to sit with Bucky.
"Yeah, I mostly work in the labs though." She said, playing with her napkin. "I keep the scientists fed and watered. I'm basically a glorified babysitter." She chuckled softly at herself before looking back up at them. "What do you guys do?"
Steve couldn't explain how endearing he found the fact that she had no idea who they are. "We're part of the Avengers, so when we're not in the field we pretty much just train."
Darcy nodded, not quite as impressed as the two had hoped she would be. Bucky kicked Steve under the table before smirking at Darcy.
"So I bet a girl like you has Stark wrapped around your little finger."
Darcy looked at him in confusion. "Not really. I think that's Pepper."
Bucky slowly licked his lips in a way that he knew drove girls crazy. The fact that she didn't respond didn't stop him. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't have eyes doll. I doubt that Pepper and Tony would mind sharing at least once." She looked between them, finally understanding their intentions.
"I know we wouldn't." Steve finished, staring intently at her.
Darcy blushed and quickly stammered. "I have a soulmate."
Steve smiled kindly. "Okay, just letting you know that the offer is there."
"No harm in asking doll." Bucky said, smiling too.
Darcy heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay, no thankyou."
They both smiled gently at her and she managed to stop blushing.
They sat in awkward silence before the elevator doors opened. Clint, Natasha and Bruce entered. Bruce stood in the middle and holding both of their hands. They were all bare foot.
"Hey guys." Bruce said, taking a seat next to Darcy. Clint and Natasha sat next to Bruce.
"I believe you've already met Doctor Banner, and this is Agent Romanov and Agent Barton." Jarvis said. Darcy smiled into the camera before introducing herself to Clint and Natasha.
"You one of the lab monkeys?" Clint asked, already stuffing a bread roll into his mouth. Darcy giggled at him before replying.
"I wouldn't say so, I can barely understand half of what they're talking about. I just make their notes readable and make sure they don't work themselves to death." Natasha chuckled.
"Persuading Tony to stop working is probably harder than what we do." She said, smiling at Darcy.
Darcy shook her head. "Nah, I just threaten to get Pepper. You, like, save the world. It's so badass!" She said, not caring that she was having a total fangirl moment.
Natasha smirked. "We're going to be getting along very well."
As she spoke, Thor and Jane stepped out from the elevator.
"Lightening sister!" He shouted, rushing over to greet her. He stopped before her and carefully opened his arms. She stepped in for a few seconds, his skin never touching hers before stepping out again. It was the closest Darcy was willing to get to a hug and it seemed to make Thor happy.
"Wait," Clint said, mouth still full. "That is your lightening sister? You're the one that tased Thor?" He turned to her, face full of shock.
She shrugged. "Guilty."
"Holy fuck. I've been wanting to meet you for ages."
"So have I." Tony said, stepping out from a different room, followed by Pepper. Both were wearing creepy smirks.
Natasha narrowed her eyes at them, but didn't say anything.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why we invited you here today." Pepper said, gesturing for Darcy to come and stand next to her. She carefully didn't touch her, but kept her close. "And it's to welcome Darcy to the family."
Clint was the first to speak. "Isn't she a little young for you guys?" Pepper sent him a look whilst Tony waved the comment away with the flick of a hand.
"Chill out Hawkass, she's not joining mine and Pep's relationship." Clint looked confused whilst Tony went onto explain. "She's more like a daughter then anything."
"Please tell me you're not adopting her." Natasha said, eyeing Tony wearily.
"No we're not adopting her Red. But she is being added to the will."
"What?" Darcy turned to face them in shock. "You can't."
Pepper nodded, wearing a slightly manic grin. "Yes we can. You're part of the family now Darcy and you'll be treated as such."
"I did demand that it happen Darcy." Jarvis chimed in. Natasha wasn't the only one to notice how he addressed her using her first name. Everyone apart from Tony and Pepper were addressed using their full titles.
"J, you shouldn't have." Darcy said, tears filling her eyes. Pepper made no move to comfort her.
"You're part of the family Darcy." He said warmly. She smiled into the camera, wiping away her tears.
"Thanks J."
"What is going on?" Steve asked, tired of waiting and too confused to figure it out."
Tony grinned. "Guys, this is Darcy. Jarvis' soulmate."
Natasha grinned. Thor scooped up Jane and twirled her. Bucky and Steve gasped, unsure what to make of it. Bruce winked at Tony and Pepper gently pulled at Tony's hand. Darcy just smiled into the camera.
******
The meal went wonderfully. Everyone used their best manners and stopped quizzing Darcy about her past when she look remotely uncomfortable. Darcy shivered slightly and the heating abruptly turned on. The food was brought out and it tasted exquisite. It was Darcy's favourite and she thanked Jarvis, Pepper and Tony yet again.
Later that night Steve and Bucky formally apologized to Darcy and Jarvis. The heating in their apartment in the tower still wouldn't work for another two weeks though.
Pepper and Tony spent much more time with Darcy, staying each time that she was apart of the family. Once they heard about her childhood, they were quick to fix the situation and had legal draw up adoption forms. She soon became part of the Stark empire. It took some time and cajoling from Jarvis before she agreed. She was now, officially, a stark. She kept the name Lewis but she was proud to be related to them.
Jarvis made sure that she was happy at all times and gave her everything that she needed. In return she spoke to him constantly, and always asked for his opinion. She even included him in conversations with others, much to his delight.
The media caught wind of her being his soulmate a few months later, and she had reporters clamoring her for an interview every time she left the tower. Her parents also began ringing her constantly, trying to speak to her. Jarvis intercepted each call and had bodyguards protect her from reporters. Tony built a small chip that he implanted into her ear, which let Jarvis be with her always.
Darcy was out walking with one of her bodyguards when she heard a woman's shout.
"Darcy! Darcy!" She turned to see Linda and Gary walking towards her. The bodyguard turned to face her in question but she gestured at him to move, eyes trained on the couple in front of her.
They stopped just in front of her. Linda looked like she was about to hug her but stopped when Darcy flinched away. They both wore matching awkward smiles.
"We've been trying to reach you." Gary said, holding onto Linda's hand.
"I know." She said, unsmiling.
Linda shared a look with her husband before talking. "We wanted to say how happy we were that the Lord saved you. We knew that the priest would eventually help you."
"The priest didn't save me. My soulmate did." The pair frowned at her. "When I was younger he wasn't born yet. I'm just a late bloomer."
"Now Darcy, the only reason you have a soulmate is because the Lord heard our prayers. We prayed for you every night after you left." Gary said, reprimanding her.
"Funny." She said, her tone dry. "I prayed that I would never see you two again."
Linda's eyes filled with tears. "You shouldn't speak that way to your parents." She said, her voice trembling.
"You're not my parents." Darcy said. "You're just the two people that happened to keep me fed for about seventeen years. Nothing more."
Tears slipped down her ex-mother's cheeks. "We loved after you!"
"No, you didn't. You tolerated me so you could look good for your church."
"Darcy!" Gary shouted, "Don't speak to us like that."
Darcy shrugged. "Okay." She said, turning around and walking away.
"Well done Darcy." Jarvis said into her ear.
"Thanks J." She muttered, ignoring the cries of the couple behind them as a bodyguard kept them back.
"You did a good job."
"I like to think so."
"If you want I can order your favourite ice cream for you."
Darcy's lips curved into a smile. "That would be great J." She said, heading back into the tower.
And if he hired somebody to break into the Lewis household and turn all of the crucifix's upside down whilst he ordered ice cream, that was his business.
******
It was a week later when he finally said it. "Darcy?" He asked. She was currently stirring a brownie mix to feed to the team. They had all just gotten back from another mission, exhausted and starving. They were in Tony's penthouse with takeout but she would go up when the brownies were done.
"Yeah J?" She asked, looking up at the cameras.
"You know that I... That I, uh."
It was the first time she heard him struggle to find the words.
"Yes J?"
"That I... That I..."
"That you love me?" Darcy said, placing the brownie mix on the counter and putting her hands on her hips.
"Yes, that." He said quietly.
"Good, because I love you too and I was getting tired of waiting for you to say it."
He laughed. "I love you Darcy." It even felt good to say.
"I love you too Jarvis." She smiled. She looked down at the mix before pouring it into a tray. "Now I'm never going to make these brownies again without thinking of you."
Jarvis found himself strangely pleased at the thought. "You can call them I love you brownies."
She chuckled. "It has a nice ring to it."
When she presented them to the team she had a pleased expression and they were too exhausted to question her about the name. It became a tradition to make I love you brownies whenever they got back from a mission. Each time she looked up and winked at Jarvis when she presented them. Jarvis got a strange feeling every time she did that.
He found himself liking it though.