Clint and Natasha did emerge in time for dinner, and ended up helping Bruce make curry. Darcy, sufficiently sober now, did her happy curry dance on the kitchen table as Jane and Tony egged her on and Bruce sighed. As soon as she was done, though, he yanked her down and kissed her soundly. Tony wolf whistled, and Pepper smacked him upside the head.
"Bruce, have you given her the Santa's helper lingerie yet?" Tony asked, leering goodnaturedly at Darcy and dancing out of the way of Pepper's hand.
"No, Tony," Bruce sighed. "I have not. You got everyone too drunk last night. I was planning to tonight though, so way to ruin the surprise."
Tony's eyebrows shot up. "You actually were?"
Bruce gave him a look, cutting his eyes at Tony and raising an eyebrow. But Darcy had heard. "Really?" She asked seductively, pushing the peppers Bruce was cutting away and wrapping his arms around her. "Cause I could totally rock that."
The look on Bruce's face was priceless.
Maria Hill chose that moment to enter the kitchen, shrugging her coat off and rolling her shoulders, dislodging snowflakes and scattering some snow on the floor.
"Party foul!" Tony cried, now distracted from Bruce and Darcy glaring at the snow on the ground. Steve snatched the mop and traded it with Maria for her coat. She made a show of mopping up after herself, crossing her eyes at Stark as he turned away with a humph. Steve, who caught this gesture raised his eyebrows, and she sighed as she handed him the mop to put away.
"Too much family immaturity," she sighed.
Steve snorted. "If you wanted to get away from that, why did you come here?"
She grinned at him and sashayed over to where Coulson was sitting near Thor. Steve caught his breath, scolded himself not to watch her tantalizingly swaying ass, and joined them.
When Natasha announced that dinner was done, and everyone jumped up to serve themselves ("Agent Coulson, do you like garlic naan or plain?" "Garlic, thank you.") Maria smiled at Steve.
"Subtle," she said. "Thank you for taking care of him." But when Steve nodded and went to get dinner for himself and Coulson, she hovered awkwardly by the door.
"Hill. The curry's really good," Stark said, not missing her. "Even if you invited yourself . . ."
"Maria!" Pepper cut across Stark, managing to sound gracious. "It would be wonderful if you could stay for dinner."
"Thank you, Miss Potts," Maria said, matching Pepper's tone. "Mr. Stark, if it is that much of an imposition . . ."
"Nah," Tony mumbled around a mouthful of naan. "I'm just messing with you. You brought us Coulson. Plus you're the only single female Steve can handle talking to."
Steve spluttered, but Maria nudged him into silence, giving him a brief smile to signal that she didn't take offence from Tony's words. Later, though, she would deny all knowledge of how exactly the salt ended up in Stark's coffee.
After dinner, Jane and Thor began scrubbing pots. Darcy loaded the dishwasher, and did not complain at all when
"How domestic," Coulson remarked to Steve, quirking an eyebrow as Jane and Thor's bubble flicking fight expanded. Darcy certainly didn't mind joining, and even Maria was pulled in when Jane's handful of bubbles missed Darcy and landed directly on Maria's chest. Slowly she looked down at the bubbles, then back up at Jane, and the other woman actually looked a little afraid as a dangerous smile slowly crossed Maria's face.
"Those who cooked don't have to clean," Steve explained, "and those who cleaned up earlier for breakfast are exempt from dinner."
"How many shouting matches and fist fights did it take to work that one out?"
"Five," Steve answered, entirely straight faced, and Phil knew he wasn't really kidding.
"Right."
Maria joined them when the dishes were done (and the bubbles gone). She had random wet patches splattered across her sweater, and a few soapy bubbles lingered in her hair, which for once wasn't perfect, and her eyes sparkled. Steve was forcing his eyes away from her when the reason for her glee was revealed as she whipped her hands from behind her back and lobbed the last handful of bubbles at him.
"Wha . . ." Steve stuttered. "Maria!" But she grinned back, completely unabashed. His eyes caught hers, and slowly he reached up to brush the clump of bubbles from her hair. Something in her eyes changed, and Steve caught his breath. Coulson sighed and looked away, pretending to be absorbed in Thor and Darcy's conversation over Facebook, on which Thor now had more friends than Darcy.
Neither Steve nor Maria knew where that moment would have led to, only that it was shattered when Stark skidded into the kitchen.
"There's enough snow for a snowball fight!" He crowed, sprinting out again.
Darcy let out a whoop and followed him, screaming for Bruce to get his behind out of the lab because he was going to throw snowballs like a beast, goddamnit. Thor and Jane following. Clint and Natasha had removed themselves from the kitchen right after dinner, and though there was noticeably less tension- Clint had asked Phil to pass the naan during dinner- it was still there.
Phil cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly in his seat, and Steve finished tearing himself out of his focus on Maria.
"I guess I'll just go to my room now," he said.
"Agent Coulson, are you familiar with Stark's battle tactics?" Steve asked, squeezing Maria's shoulder as she began to protest that Phil didn't have to hide. "Because, believe me, we are going to need a referee."
"Yes," Phil said, letting more relief creep into his voice than he intended to. "I suppose I could be referee."
Steve was again rewarded by Maria's grateful smile as he stared at her over Coulson's head as he escorted the other man out, having offered up a warmer jacket.