The kitchen was very bright this early in the day, not exactly early for morning but early for a Saturday anyway. Darcy made herself at home, rummaging through the cupboard and fridge to start making breakfast.
Last night everyone had enjoyed food and drink until late, more people had arrived gradually through the day until it was verging on party status. Although, probably not party status in Tony Stark's book of course.
"Good morning." She heard a familiar voice call as Steve made his way into the kitchen from the side door. His hair was a little damp but he was barely out of breath and far from the bright red sweaty mess that you would expect someone to be after a run.
"Morning." She greeted him. "Seriously, do you run every morning?"
"Excess of energy." He nodded. "The beach in this area isn't busy most of the time anyway let alone this early, it was too good an opportunity to pass up."
"There are better ways to burn off energy you know?" she smirked. "Do you want breakfast?"
"I could eat." He grinned. "And yes, I am aware that running is not the only way to burn energy Miss Lewis."
"The brunette from last night was cute." She told him slyly. "She definitely seemed interested."
"I…do you think?" he asked. "I'm never really sure, sometimes I think I know what a woman is thinking and then something else happens and I have no clue."
"You'll learn." She assured him. "Trust me, she was interested. As were many other ladies from last night but Lilly definitely seemed more your type."
"What about you and Banner?" he asked, draining a glass of water in a few mouthfuls.
"What about me and Bruce?" she asked avoiding a direct answer.
"You two seem to have been heading in that direction for a while, it's nice, seeing you both so relaxed."
"Yeah well…I'm not holding out hopes for any serious changes in status any time soon." She sighed. She bit her lip for a moment before decided to be honest, after all apparently they were obvious to everyone that knew them. "I want, I'm pretty sure he wants or has at least considered it but…it's complicated, for both of us."
"It's really not that complicated." Another voice spoke up.
"Urm…hi." Darcy said nervously as Natasha Romanoff entered the kitchen in a pair of black shorts and a grey tank top with Sam right behind her.
"Sometimes the only way to deal with fear is to just jump." She continued, taking a seat at the table. "I'll have pancakes too if you're doing them."
"Urm sure." Darcy said. She hadn't had much direct conversation with the Black Widow. Clint she had seen around a lot and got to know, Natasha not so much. She had seen her around and been included in group discussion occasionally when she was about but never really got to know her personally. "I always make enough for me and Jane and Thor minimum so there's plenty…although Steve can give Thor a run for his money."
"When did you arrive Nat? I didn't' see you around last night." Steve asked the red-head.
"I got in late." She replied tonelessly. "Stark told me practically the whole gang would be here by tonight."
"I get the feeling it's turning into a party." Darcy commented, handing Steve his plate and then adding more batter to the pan.
"Sounds like Stark." Steve nodded.
"Good morning everyone." Pepper's voice rang out a few minutes later, as she also joined them. "Natasha, I'm glad you could make it. Darcy! You don't have to make everyone breakfast!" the older woman chided as Darcy handed Natasha a plate.
"It's fine, I'm the pancake master." Darcy waved off. "Besides how much do you think it will annoy Tony when he eventually wakes up to find out that I've made everyone breakfast and he missed it by sleeping until noon?" She was surprised when it was the Black Widow that snorted a laugh.
"Passive aggressive, I like it." She smirked.
It was nearly half an hour later that Bruce entered the kitchen, hair still damp from his shower, to find Pepper and Darcy talking at the breakfast counter. The others had been and gone, heading off to do their own thing for the day.
"Morning." He said, heading straight for the fridge for orange juice.
"Well, I'd best go and check that everything is ready for tonight." Pepper announced almost immediately. Her exit none too subtle, left Darcy and Bruce in a slightly awkward silence.
"Pancakes?" Darcy offered, for lack of something else to say.
"Always." He replied with a smile, relaxing into the easy routine they usually had on a Sunday morning at the tower. Once Bruce had also eaten and Darcy had loaded the dishwasher they headed outside to the courtyard.
"It's so bright here and warm." She sighed, closing her eyes and feeling the warm but still fresh morning. "Not like dusty and hot New Mexico, just…nice relaxing beach weather."
"This close to the coast the storms can be pretty extreme too though." Bruce pointed out.
"I guess. Now that I've been here I'm sort of glad Tony comes with a Malibu mansion as a perk." She grinned.
"Well he had to come with some." He chuckled. "What are you doing today?"
"I think I'm going to explore a bit, this neighborhood is lovely and all but I want to find where the normal people are." She told him. "I'm not going to lie and say I don't sometimes love this kind of thing but…it's just not-"
"You?"
"Exactly." She agreed.
"Me neither. You should see my room at the tower, Tony nearly had a heart attack." he leaning to look over the wall and down at the cliffs and beach below.
"Dr Banner did you just invite me to your room?" she teased, nudging him lightly. He let out a carefree laugh and shook his head. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, not to me." He told her. "I don't have a lot of furniture and I'm pretty sure most of it is buried under books. I don't even have a television."
"Wow, yeah I get why he freaked." She grinned. "I always figured your place would have a lot of books and probably not many personal things…not sure why, that's just how I pictured it."
"Why Miss Lewis, have you been picturing my room?" he teased back.
"I can't answer that Dr Banner; it wouldn't be Ladylike." She replied, putting on a terrible old fashioned accent. "What are you doing today?"
"Tony want's to show me his workshop." He told her. "Being away from the house all day is probably safer for you, he'll probably have us putting out some fire or another by this evening."
Once the party became full of more people Bruce didn't know than ones he did, he made himself scarce and headed through the house to the balcony on the opposite side. The sounds of the party in the background blended in with the sounds of the water below, allowing the tension to bleed out from his muscles. He enjoyed the peace, away from louder and more enthusiastic company but he shouldn't have been surprised that he wasn't alone for long.
"Did it get a bit much for you over there?"
He turned to see sliding the glass door closed again behind her, as she stepped out onto the balcony.
"A bit." He admitted. "After yesterday and then today, I just needed to find some quiet."
"I can go, if you need me to." She offered. He liked that she didn't sound put out or offended when she said it.
"No, please, sit."
She ignored his offer for a moment in favor of leaning against the railing and staring down at the water.
"Wow, it's like being at the edge of the world." She sighed. "Incredible."
"I'm guessing now isn't the time to point out that they already proved that the Earth isn't flat, so you won't fall off the edge of the world." He murmured.
"You know? I think I actually heard that somewhere." She laughed.
"Still, I'll agree that it's an incredible view." He nodded.
Darcy moved to sit on the large swinging seat, relaxing back into the cushions and staring back at him, swinging herself back and forth with a big grin on her face. They stayed like that in silence for a while as the sky grew orange and then gradually dark.
"You look cold." Bruce suddenly noticed, realizing that Darcy had tucked her feet under her and folded her arms across her chest. "You don't have to keep me company out here if you're cold."
"I'm not that bad, it's just the breeze." She assured him.
"Here." He offered, lifting his jacket from where he had tossed it on the wall earlier. She took the jacket and slipped it on with a murmured thanks and he moved to sit beside her on the swing.
"So, home tomorrow then?" she sighed. "Bet you can't wait." She laughed when he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Science calls huh?"
"I think this has been more socializing that I usually manage in months." He chuckled.
"Tony's parties are something else." She nodded.
"I can handle Tony's parties relatively well now actually but they're just one night. This weekend went from a small group weekend in the sun to a never ending party." He pointed out.
"I'm glad you came though."
Darcy leant against his shoulder and adjusted her feet from under her before they started to grow numb. Bruce shifted himself to wrap an arm around her, drawing her tighter and more comfortably against him.
"Mmm…you're warm." She mumbled, nuzzling herself into his body.
"Well I'm glad I'm good for something." He chuckled.
"You Dr Banner, are good for so many things. A year ago…I would've thought this was impossible." She whispered. "I had no family and the only friends I had were Jane and Erik. Now I have you and Jane and Thor, people I can actually…" she trailed off, nuzzling into him again to empathize her point. "And I have Tony."
"Most of that was all you Darcy." He told her, reaching to squeeze her hand in his. "The only person that has been fighting your fear is you."
Darcy winced and turned her head away from the light and into her pillow. Then the pillow moved. Her eyes snapped open and she realized that she had been asleep on a person, a person that was no longer asleep.
"Uh morning." Bruce mumbled sleepily, covering his eyes with his hand as the light hit them.
"Morning." She replied awkwardly. She took in their positions, now sprawled across the swing, still on the balcony, legs entangled and Bruce's arm around her to prevent her falling off. "Well…this is embarrassing."
"I guess we fell asleep."
"Don't freak out." She blurted out.
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you." He chuckled, eying the way she was held against his front.
"I'm not freaking out." She whispered, tilting her face up towards his.
"Stark however is freaking out." A new voice spoke. They pair sat up guiltily. "Sorry to interrupt but Pepper is delaying Tony who has noticed that Bruce never made it to his bed last night."
"In which case thanks for interrupting." Darcy told the red head. She turned to Bruce. "I'm going to go get some coffee in me before the interrogation begins."
"I think I'm just going to hide out here." Bruce sighed.
"You know I'd feel an awful lot better about Tony freaking out if there was actually something for him to freak out over." Darcy muttered, following Natasha inside. The spy smirked but said nothing.
"I heard that." Bruce called after them.
It was only about fifteen minutes later that Tony found her in the kitchen. He took a seat next to her at the counter and took the cup of coffee that she passed him.
"My opinion isn't going to matter much is it?" He spoke after a few moments of silence.
"Not in this." She agreed. "You like Bruce Tony, you brought him to the tower in the first place."
"I know." He nodded. "I know the big guy wouldn't hurt you, I know that. I'm more worried about Bruce hurting you. He has a habit of pushing people away for their own good, of running away from things and he's good at it."
"I know." She sighed.
"Then you've gotta explain this one to me Darce."
"You don't get to choose." She told him quietly. "I didn't choose to feel this way, I just do and whether or not he ever admits it, I think he does too. Doesn't he deserve it? Don't I deserve it? Having someone who cares about me, crazy and all?"
"Of course you do." He sighed, pushing his mostly empty mug away and putting an arm around her shoulders. "You deserve everything you want, I'm just not sure Bruce can give it. I'm not saying he doesn't want to, anyone would be an idiot not to want to give you the world Darce…I'm just not sure he can."
"I'm not sure I can either." She admitted. "But…and don't get me wrong because I know you care and I am so glad you are a part of my life, when it comes to my love life or lack of then you need to back off unless I ask for your input because I'm an adult, not a teenager. You have to let Bruce and I figure out what we can and can't be for ourselves. You can gloat if I end up crying to you." Finally, after another moment of silence Tony nodded.
"OK," he agreed. "But for what it's worth, as much as I love being right; in this case I hope I'm not."