Well…a little unexpected action at the end of last chapter, but Bruce is still afraid. What will happen next? Just wait…
I continue to be amazed at all the wonderful people that have chimed in on this story. Thank you so much!
And just for those that asked…Hulk's POV (briefly!)
The cold shower was absolute torture. Little icy pricks on his overheated skin did nothing to quiet the green tinged maelstrom surging in his head and whirling through him. Bruce leaned forward so that both hands were braced against the shower stall wall, and tried not to flinch as the cold water pounded down on him.
He could still taste her.
He could still feel the softness of her skin.
One hand clenched involuntarily, cracking tile under it. He needed to forget what happened earlier. It would only serve to agitate him further, and certain areas on his body didn't need to be further agitated. It had been years since this type of physical reaction last happened. Bruce had shut it down, prevented his body from reacting to physical desires. Darcy had broken past that self control in remarkably little time.
He stepped away from the shower stall wall, wincing as the cold water struck the part of him that needed to calm the hell down. It was not in line with his plans, though, and ignored the cold water. Bruce finally tired of torturing himself, and switched the water over to hot. In seconds, steam was surrounding him. The warm water helped relax some of his muscles, but it didn't relax everything.
He needed his body to calm down so he didn't go racing back to Darcy's room and ravish her. She was vulnerable right now, after the scare she'd (he had) had. Being threatened with a gun, being used as a shield while a hand was clamped around her throat…that type of thing could linger. Darcy was tough, but she was a little rattled and trying to hide it. Clinging to someone safe, such as himself, was a side effect. He needed to not take advantage of that fact. But his body had other ideas.
Conceding defeat, Bruce reached for the soap. He'd just help things along then.
Wet. Hulk was wet. Hulk didn't like wet. Stupid metal thing, spitting on him. Broken metal thing now. More spitting. Retreat. No more spitting.
Pretty. Pretty hurt. Pretty okay?
Door. Door keeping Hulk in. Away from Pretty. Broken door now. Find Pretty.
Pretty's door. Pretty angry if door break. Pretty okay?
….. Pretty okay? Pretty angry if door break. Pretty? Okay?
Voice without body. Telling Pretty to open door.
Door open. Pretty! Pretty talking! Pretty so pretty.
"Big Green…what the hell? You're wet. And…ohmigod! You're naked! I did not need to see that."
"Pretty."
"Oh…well, thanks. You're pretty handsome yourself. And buck ass naked. Usually the pants survive for a little. Um…why are you wet, Big Green? Why are you here? Because your calmer self took off not too long ago like I was threatening his virtue or something."
"Stupid."
"Yeah. I'll agree with that. Um…why don't you come in here with me, and I'll get you a blanket."
Pretty, nice.
The first thing Bruce saw when he opened his eyes was Tony Stark's gleeful face, a mere two feet from his face. He groaned and shut his eyes, but when he opened them again, Tony was still there. Apparently, something had happened. And whatever it was had given Tony fodder to use against him for the next twenty years or so, judging by the billionaire's expression.
"What, Tony?"
"Oh nothing," the billionaire replied. "Just totally enjoying the fact that your green self apparently busted out while you were showering and came to visit Darcy."
Bruce flinched, and then looked around. He was in Darcy's living room, on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around his lower half. "How…how do you know I was in the shower?" he asked.
Tony's smirk was really annoying. "Jarvis notified me when you hit the hallways, wet and naked. Plus, oh you know, showerhead broken off the wall in your place, water spewing everywhere, cracked tile. It was classic when we found it."
Bruce scrubbed a hand across his face, trying to remember. He'd been taking a shower. He remembered that. Before that, he'd been with Darcy. There had been kissing! Oh shit. He ran. He ran from her and jumped into the shower. And certain things needed to calm down, but wouldn't, so he decided to help…
Well…even more shit. Apparently, physical relations were still off the market if the Other Guy had chosen that moment to make his appearance. Dammit.
"He was naked?" he asked, resigned to utter mortification from Darcy. Wherever she was.
Tony's grin was cheerful. "Yup. And not bothered by it at all."
"He never is."
"What I wonder," the billionaire mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "Is why you Hulked out in the shower, and came to visit Darcy."
"Who knows why the Other Guy does what he does?" Bruce tried to play it off, so that Tony didn't make any connections, but he was a freaking genius, and he connected events too quickly.
"Oh my, Bruce Banner," he said with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed look of astonishment. "Were you…touching yourself in the shower?"
Bruce flushed. "Tony, I really don't want to discuss this right now."
"You were!" the billionaire crowed triumphantly. "Little Kick Ass got your boxers all in a bunch!"
"Tony, I need you to shut up now," Bruce warned. His eyes darted back and forth, seeking Darcy's location. She couldn't be too happy with him. He'd fled and then the Other Guy had shown up.
"She's taking a shower," Tony assured in a softer tone. "And while I would love to see the expression on her face if I told her that you Hulked out while touching yourself in the shower, I kinda think you might smash me."
"You're right. I would," Bruce growled.
"Why are you so cranky?"
Hmm…it seemed Tony couldn't connect all the dots. "I'm cranky, Tony, because…because I couldn't…I couldn't finish without the Other Guy making an appearance."
"Oh." The billionaire was silent for almost a minute, which was probably a record for him. "That kinda puts a damper on your love life, doesn't it?"
"Why am I friends with you?" Bruce asked in complete exasperation.
Tony shrugged. "Because I challenge you to break out of your box. Because I'm one of the few people that you can have a conversation with. Because I'm extremely supportive of your anger management issues?"
Bruce buried his face in his hands. "You're not helping right now, Tony."
"Well, you took me by surprise with your little revelation there." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "So you can't…?"
"No," Bruce growled again.
"Geez big guy, no wonder you're so tense."
"Tony, I swear…"
The billionaire held his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry. It's habit, okay? I'm an insensitive ass. Just ask Pepper."
Bruce heaved a sigh and stood up, grabbing for the blanket wrapped around his waist to make sure it didn't fall. "I need to go."
"Uh, no. Not a good idea. You need to be here when Darcy finishes her shower." He folded his arms across his chest and paced.
Bruce clenched his jaw until it ached, fighting the urge to punch his friend. "Tony, she's not gonna want to see me right now. I sort of kissed her earlier, and then, um, ran away. Sort of."
He watched Tony's eyebrows climb. "You kissed her? You kissed her? Way to go, big man! That's progress!"
"I can't follow through with anything, Tony. Remember? A little green problem?"
The billionaire titled his head to one side with a frown. "Do you think that's the only interest Darcy has in you? Kinda shallow, Bruce."
Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation. "I'm going, Tony."
"I'd prefer if you didn't run away from me for the second time in one day," another voice called softly.
Bruce turned slowly. Darcy was leaning against a door frame, obviously the bathroom judging by the steam coming out of it. Her hair hung in damp tangles, and she was wearing an oversized tee shirt with loose shorts. Her body language was not confident. She had folded her arms across her chest, but she was leaning back, away from the two men. Bruce's stomach clenched at the idea that he had caused her to doubt herself.
"I really should go," he tried, feet itching to just run away from this confrontation. But, she deserved to have her moment of tearing him apart. He owed her that much.
"If you head for that door, Banner, tasing will be the least painful thing I do to you," she warned, voice still deceptively soft.
He gulped, and didn't move. When Darcy pointed one finger at the sofa, he sat. Then they both looked at Tony.
"What?" the billionaire asked, with a smirk. "Oh wait. Can I make popcorn before the show starts?"
"Tony…out." For such a little thing, she packed a lot of threat into those two words.
Bruce thought it was probably the smartest decision in Tony's Stark's life to date that he closed his mouth over whatever he wanted to say, and hurried out the door. As soon as it latched behind him, Darcy straightened away from the door frame and walked toward the sofa. Bruce watched her approaching with a great deal of trepidation, not sure what was going to happen.
Her sitting down beside him and reaching out to take one of his hands was not what he expected. Bruce stared down at their hands, and then looked back up at her. Darcy's expression was a little wary, but also a lot more sympathetic than he had expected.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
"About what?" he countered, because he honestly wasn't sure where she wanted to start. The muscles in his shoulders and neck were tightening in anticipation.
She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment, then released his hand, and scrambled up to sit on the back of the sofa. Bruce tried to turn to face her, but she situated herself directly behind him, and placed warm hands on his shoulders. He tensed even more for a second before she began a soft massage.
"Oh," he groaned. That felt really good.
"So, Doc Moppy…I didn't peg you for the kiss and run type." Her voice was soothing, as soothing as her hands, gently massaging.
It had been years since anyone had touched him like this. So trusting;y, as if he couldn't explode right out of the confines of his body and crush them. So caringly, seeing that he was tense and tight and moving to fix that. So warmly, as if he hadn't run away after kissing her earlier.
"It was safer for you if I left."
"Ah yes. Protect against a possible threat. Hmm…didn't see one, Bruce. What I did see was the back side of a man afraid of the possibility of happiness."
He flinched. Daggers might have been less painful, or tasing. But those painfully true words tore through layers.
"I have a problem," he heard his choked voice tell her. And no, he didn't have any intention of confessing to this problem, but his voice seemed to have a different idea.
She dug into a knot at the base of his neck with both hands, and Bruce hissed. "Does it have anything to do with why you came back big, green, naked and wet?"
"It does," he admitted. "It also has to do with why I left in such a hurry."
Her attack on the muscle knot softened a little. "I'm listening."
Bruce was slowly slumping back into her touch. "Do you know why the Other Guy comes out?"
"Hmm…when you're in danger or hurt. When you get really angry. When you decide to let him out."
"If I get too excited, he comes out too. Adrenalin is a trigger."
He could hear her thoughtful humming as she thought about it, never once ceasing her gentle massage of his tense muscles. "So…any excitement?" she asked finally.
"Yes," he admitted softly. "Like when I'm kissing the hell out of a beautiful, brave woman who's holding onto me like she doesn't care that I sometimes turn into a monster."
One hand pinched his shoulder, hard. "I don't consider Big Green to be a monster," she warned. "He's big, he's green, and he's frequently misunderstood."
"Darcy." Why didn't she understand that he could hurt her?
"Bruce," she mocked. "I've never been in danger from Big Green since that first time, when he was all full of rage because someone tried to shoot you. As soon as I shot him with the taser, I moved into the category of protected."
"But you can't count on that, Darcy."
"He adores me, Bruce. His affections are freely given, without all this angst and bullshit. And…this is ridiculous. He's part of you. He is you, so why are we talking about him like he isn't?"
He tried to pull away, but Darcy's legs looped around his torso from behind and held him where he was. He could get away from her easily, but Bruce didn't want to. He didn't want to.
"Do you really want to be with someone that you can't be with…you know?" He fisted his hands on top of his thighs.
A hand ran through his hair, surprising him. "Are you saying you want to be with me, Bruce? Are you saying that we could have for-now sex-free dating?"
He flushed a little at her bluntness. "Darcy, who wouldn't want to be with you? You're beautiful. You're smart. You're one of the bravest people I've ever met."
"Flattery will eventually get you everywhere, Doc." She tugged on his hair. "Just so we're clear, is that a yes?"
He sighed. He couldn't fight it or her. She was too magnetic. Too full of life to deny. "Of course it's a yes, Darcy. Although it just might kill one or both of us in the future."
She petted his hair. "We'll figure it out, Bruce. We will." He could hear the hope in her voice, and it wanted to settle into him as well.
"We could always ask Tony for help," his rebel mouth opened up again and suggested.
The hand petting his hair paused. "If anyone could help to figure it out, it would be Tony," she said finally. "Does he know about this…problem?"
Bruce wilted. "He does now. He kinda figured out why the Other Guy made an appearance and then came straight for you."
She gave a throaty laugh, and then tugged his hair again. "If you were going for tension relief, Bruce, I would have preferred if you stayed here."
"And wrecked your space? The Other Guy totaled my shower, apparently."
Her hands moved back down to his back, kneading softly. "Serves you right for running. I'm tired of chasing after you, Bruce. I don't want to be staring at your retreating back all the time. It's hell on a girl's confidence."
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I just…I don't want to put you in danger."
"My choice," she said fiercely.
He sighed and slumped back against her legs. Even to his own ears it sounded like a surrender. But how could he say no to someone who, by all reports, had the Other Guy eating out of her hand (and delivering truckfuls of Pop Tarts). She had an advantage over every other woman in the world that way.
"I'm quite a bit older than you," he pointed out, eyes drifting closed as she continued to loosen muscles with her hands.
"Good, because guys my age suck."
Her tone was sassy, but Bruce wasn't reassured. "It could be dangerous for you or the hot, young stud you leave me for." He tried for a joking tone, but heard it fall flat.
Her hand briefly turned from kneading to stroking. "Nah. Me and the big guy will still be dating."
"Wha-what?" Bruce spluttered, and then heard her laughter.
"You already agreed Bruce. It's too late to chase me away."
He blindly reached one hand over his shoulder. Darcy caught it and slid her palm in against his, lacing their fingers together. It was foolhardy on her part, certainly, with the danger he brought with him. But as she had pointed out, being present at Thor's landing had already put a target on her back, and the Other Guy adored her. He was scared for her, but he didn't want to be alone any more, and he couldn't deny his own feelings. She confused the hell out of him, but she also excited him with her sheer zest for life. The world was a brighter place when she smiled. Or snarked.
If someone would have told him where the progression of events after dinner would lead, he wouldn't have believed them. But then, nothing had really been the same since Natasha tracked him down and shamed him into returning to the world he knew. In the past two months, everything had been fantastical and unbelievable.
"How have you dealt with the madness that your life has become?" he asked softly.
He could feel the shrug through her legs. "I went through my freak out after Thor left New Mexico to bitch-slap his brother. That was last year. Loki sent a giant robot to kill Thor, and I was at ground zero for that. After Thor left, and suddenly Jane is sort of working for S.H.I.E.L.D, I had a week before school started up that I just hid in my bedroom. It's really hard to process this shit, that we're not alone in the universe and what we know of what's out there is that they're a lot stronger, and they mostly look down on us."
Bruce chuckled a little. "I imagine they might have a slightly different opinion of us since Loki's invasion."
Her free hand ran through his hair again. "I heard that Big Green went medieval all over his Asgardian ass."
"You could say that."
Bruce couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so at ease that he could drift off to sleep with someone else around him. But the gentle soothing of Darcy's fingers had eased the usual edge he constantly felt.
"I should leave before I fall asleep," he told her.
"You don't have to."
"I think that, for now, it would be better if I go. Saturday is in two days. Let's pretend we're normal people, and do something together outside the Tower."
Her soft gasp was music to his ears. "Bruce Banner…are you asking me out on a date?"
He would give anything, do anything to keep that tone in her voice. So hopeful, and happy. So full of light to combat his darkness. "I am. Can you handle it?"
She snorted. "I was born to handle it. You're not getting out of this now. Jarvis?"
"Yes Ms. Lewis?"
"You heard Dr. Banner, right?"
"Yes Ms. Lewis. Dr. Banner has asked you out on a date. Congratulations."
"Please tell Tony about this right away," she continued. "He won't let Bruce back out."
Bruce groaned softly. "You're as bad as Tony is. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't intend to go through with it."
She released his hand so she could squeeze his shoulders, and then wrapped her arms around them. "Good. Now go, or I'll be tempted to pull your blanket off and ask you to stay."
Bruce practically melted from her warm embrace on his bare skin. "Shouldn't you ask me to stay before you pull the blanket off?"
He felt the point of her chin come to rest on his shoulder. "Nah. You'd probably be more willing to stay after the blanket is off."
Bruce had to force himself to get up before he asked her to take the blanket off. He ran a hand over her arms, loving the shiver he could feel from behind him, and then slowly sat forward. Darcy released him, and was smiling at him when he finally stood and turned.
"You are yummy," she told him, eyes running over his frame.
Bruce flushed, and clutched his blanket tighter. "I need to go."
Her eyes sparkled, and she bit her lip like she was about to bring out her inner hell child, but then she just nodded. "Okay. I'd ask if I get another kiss, but I think that's probably not the best idea right now."
Definitely not. Bruce walked backward toward the door. "I don't deserve you," he told her.
She grinned. "Look at it this way. After all the things that you feel you have to atone for, you probably do deserve me."
Hmm…she might have a point. "Goodnight, Darcy."
Her voice wrapped around him like a warm blanket. "Goodnight Bruce."
