Day Seven: You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
You're a mean one, Mister Grinch
You really are a heel
You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel, Mister Grinch
When the elevator dinged, Bruce didn't even look up from the microscope. "I'm still busy, Tony."
"Incorrect-a-mundo," Darcy said, sitting on a vacant rolling stool and sliding over to him.
"Miss Lewis," he said, somewhat startled. His glasses slid from the top of his head onto his nose as he jerked away from the microscope.
"For the millionth time, it's Darcy. And this," she said, placing her mug of eggnog and the wrapped present on the table beside him, "is for you."
"Oh, uh…" he stuttered, his hand shooting to the back of his neck. "Tha-"
"It's from Tony. He gave the rest of the team's theirs earlier, you know, when we were decorating for the party tomorrow?"
"Ah. About that-"
"The one that you're absolutely thrilled to go to, because there's probably going to be a drinking contest between Thor, Steve, Tony, and Natasha that'll end in a four way tie?" A smile tugged at the corner of Bruce's mouth as he fingered the corner of the present, tracing the smooth tape.
"I'm not really in the holiday spirit."
"Which is exactly why you should have been upstairs today! I mean, I get it, the science is important and all that." Darcy rolled her eyes and lifted her hands in a defensive way, "I work with Jane, I know. But come on! It's Christmas!"
"I appreciate your wanting me to join, but I'm…I haven't had the best history with this holiday." He watched as she opened and then closed her mouth, and he tried not to fixate on how plump her lips were. Christmas had never been a happy time in his house, with his father's alcohol fueled rages, and his mother being smacked around while attempting to protect him.
"You know that almost everyone in this tower's had a bad experience with Christmas? The last one Steve celebrated was in the forties during freaking World War II, and from what Pepper's told me, Tony's dad wasn't exactly in the running for Father of the Year. Clint and Natasha didn't really get to be kids, and Thor's still dealing with his brother's whole attempt to take over the world. So you turn into the Hulk? At least you're in holiday colors."
"Even so-"
"And do you hear me complaining about not being able to afford to fly home for Christmas? Nooo! I mean, it's not like I get to see them that often, but this whole being a lowly intern thing doesn't pay very well and that job with S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't materialized like I thought it would and-"
"I'm sorry," Bruce said. "I didn't realize…"
"Yeah, so, if I have to be upstairs putting on a good face, then you do too," Darcy said, crossing her arms under her chest.
"Miss L-"
"Darcy."
Bruce heaved a sigh, "Darcy." She grinned. "I'm going to bring everyone's good mood down if I go upstairs."
"Uh, exactly the opposite. Your absence has been noted and commented upon. I mean, you weren't even there to open your present." Her hand darted out to push the gift closer to him and their hands brushed.
"You said it's from Tony?" Bruce asked, regarding the package skeptically.
"Yup."
"Should I be exercising extreme caution?"
"Nope, I think you're safe, Doc."
"Bruce," he smiled. "If you're Darcy, then I'm Bruce."
"Bruce," Darcy repeated, a lazy smile crossing her lips. Her fingers itched to reach over and ruffle his floppy hair.
He took the badly wrapped package in hand and lifted it to his ear, shaking it slightly. His eyes drifted back to Darcy, who smirked.
"No ticking time bombs?"
"Tony probably found a way to stop the ticking," he smiled. When she winked and clicked her tongue, making the pistols with her hands, he laughed.
"Good thing he's on our side, 'cause he'd make one bad ass villain." Still chortling, Bruce ripped the paper off, revealing a small box with cartoonish picture of the Hulk on it. Sighing, he opened the box and pulled out the ornament, dangling it from one finger. "Tony always managed to keep it classy," Darcy grinned.
"That he does," Bruce said, shaking his head.
"There's a reserved spot for that on the tree upstairs." When he didn't say anything, she reached out until the ornament was sitting on her palm. "He's not so scary looking, is he?" she said, spinning the plastic figure so that it faced her.
"It's not an accurate rendering," he sighed. The Hulk had definitely been made child friendly.
"Hey, I've seen the guy in action. He seems pretty…well not tame, but goal oriented?" her voice rose on the last word, as if trying to decide if it was the right phrasing. "And I'm not going to complain, especially after the Jolly Green Giant showed up out of nowhere and kept those robot thing-a-ma-bobs away from me."
Bruce flinched at the memory of Victor von Doom's attempt to exploit the craziness after Loki's attack. "It's not always that way," Bruce warned her. "The Hulk is dangerous."
Her mind when to the way Hulk had turned and said 'Darcy safe?' She'd jerked a nod, and he'd waited a heartbeat before going to rejoin the fight. When she'd been in the lab the next day, Bruce had acted like he hadn't remembered. Which, according to Tony, happened a lot. There had been a few weeks moping on her part, which consisted mainly of being a bit more sarcastic and shooting looks across the lab at him a more frequently than before.
Darcy shrugged, propping her elbow up on the table and putting her chin in her hand. "He's kind of a hero to me. And most of the city." Bruce shook his head and reached for her eggnog, taking a long drink. The corner of her mouth tipped up.
"Well, thanks for the break, but I should…" he motioned to the microscope.
"Oh no you don't," she said. "You are not making me go back upstairs and be the only single one."
"I've got work I need to finish."
"And I quote, 'A scientist job is never done!'" Bruce chuckled at the phrase Jane and Tony had written on the white board after Darcy had attempted to pull them away for lunch. "So a break now, or a break later, you'll still be coming back to stuff to do And if you don't go upstairs with me, I'm going to sit here and bug you."
Apparently, Bruce didn't believe her. When he turned back to examine his slide, Darcy pushed off the table, rolling across the floor. Her fingers curled around the seat and her toes pushed off the floor, spinning her around and around. Her hair flew out as she leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling. "Bruce," Darcy said in a singsong voice. "Bruce! There are cookies, and eggnog, and fudge upstairs! And they're watching movies. And relaxing."
With a heavy sigh, Bruce pushed away from the table as well, realizing that he wouldn't get any work done. "Alright, I give in," he said.
"Woo- oh!" Darcy said, stopping the stool and throwing her arms out to steady herself. "Spinny room."
"Here we go," Bruce laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. When Darcy stood up, she stumbled into him; the blush that spread up his neck and across his cheeks made her chuckle.
"You're pretty solid under those baggy clothes, Doc."
"Er…thanks?"
"You're welcome. Now, grab your ornament and my eggnog, and we'll go catch the flick and then you can retreat to you cave to do science."
"Sounds like a plan."
They surreptitiously glanced at one another on the elevator ride up to the penthouse. When it dinged open, they were greeted by a flurry of activity. Apparently the Avengers had returned from their shopping trip and were digging into some of the baked goods and enjoying mugs of eggnog and hot chocolate. Bruce and Darcy tried to sneak in quietly, but that was spoiled when Tony spotted them.
"STOP!" the billionaire yelled before pointing up at the ceiling. The two looked above and saw that they'd stepped right under the mistletoe. As they lowered their heads, their eyes met, and both had shy smiled.
"For Baldur?" Darcy asked.
"For Baldur," Bruce repeated. Conscious of their audience, Bruce leaned down and kissed her, their glasses clicking together. Both ignored the catcalls from Clint and Tony.
Darcy smiled when he pulled away, and felt something flutter in her stomach when he licked his lips. Their eyes lingered for a moment longer before she turned and flipped off the others who were cheering.
"Let's find that spot for your ornament," she chuckled, looping her arm through his and pulling him over to the tree.
And that's how the Hulk joined Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Thor, and Hawkeye on the tree, with a large 'A' where the star was supposed to be.
So please just fall in love with me this Christmas
There's nothing else that you will need this Christmas
Won't be wrapped under a tree
I want something that lasts forever
So kiss me on this cold December night
Author's Note: So this is a two-fer song one. Because it Darcy and Bruce have different takes on Christmas. Hope you guys liked this one! I kind of ship Darcy with everyone so...this is my brief take on Bruce/Darcy. Hopefully everyone is in character.
Let me know what you think!
