+1. And One Time He Took It

When Bruce came down with the flu, the others were surprised. The serum that had created the Hulk certainly had its positive side effects, but avoiding sickness altogether wasn't one of them.

"I assume," he had explained, "based on, uh, previous experience, that I could never die from something terminal, but it doesn't exactly stop me from getting the common cold."

"Or flu, apparently," Tony had said.

The physicist spent the morning in bed, battling a fever and unable to keep any form of breakfast down. The rest of the team was out on a mission, having reluctantly left Bruce behind. He waved them on, however—he was of no use in his condition, and the world, as usual, needed saving.

Sometime in the early afternoon, Jarvis informed Bruce that he had visitors. The physicist grunted in response, and he had almost fallen asleep again when there was a soft knock at his bedroom door.

"Hey," Darcy greeted a moment later as she pushed open the door. "We heard you were ill."

Behind her, Jane gave Bruce a small wave. The pair of them had their hands full with boxes, bottles, and bags as they walked across the carpet. Over the past few months, Jane and Darcy had become near permanent fixtures at the Tower, and Bruce figured it was only a matter of time before Tony convinced them to move in.

"No," Bruce mumbled hazily. "Don't come in—I'll only infect you, too." He attempted a weak smile, which probably came off more of a grimace.

"We'll take the risk," Darcy insisted.

"We're here to help you feel better," Jane added.

"I'm okay, really—I'm fine to be alone." He coughed and moaned.

Darcy chuckled and rolled her eyes.

Jane pointedly ignored his vague, mumbled protests. "You know, it's okay to let yourself be helped sometimes."

"Yeah," Darcy nodded. "We're here to take care of you in your time of need. What's family for, right?" She winked at him and continued, "Besides, I happen to be an expert in taking care of sick people, and Jane is an expert at being sick. Every time she stops sleeping, eating, and functioning like a human—"

"Hey!" Jane objected.

"She gets a cold—Jane, don't deny it."

The scientist still had her mouth open to complain, but then shrugged. "Okay, she might have a point."

Darcy smiled triumphantly. "So, we're good at this. Or at least I am. Now sit back, and let us do the taking-care-of. That is an order," she added fiercely, tossing him another good-natured wink.

Bruce felt a smile of his own creep over his tired features.

The younger girl set down her armful of supplies one at a time on the bedside table: Kleenex with lotion, a bottle of apple juice, packages of meds, a box of crackers, two books, five DVDs, and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Jane followed with the basket of baked goods she was carrying and a six-pack of ginger ale.

"I didn't make them," she said hastily, gesturing to the muffins and croissants poking out from under a blue cloth. "Pepper ordered them. I'm just—we're delivering." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"They're good," Darcy smiled.

Jane ducked her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, we…sort of sampled them on the way here."

Bruce felt a laugh rumble in his chest, and, after so many hours of being cooped up and utterly miserable, it felt good. And, despite his earlier remarks when they'd arrived, he was already glad for their company.

Darcy and Jane pulled a pair of chairs from the living room into Bruce's bedroom and set up on either side of his bed. Jane made sure to keep a cool cloth at the ready for his burning forehead, while Darcy kept Netflix and the DVDs she'd brought going on the TV. Bruce drifted in and out of sleep, and, by early evening, the girls had him sitting up and sipping chicken noodle soup.

Sometime later, the team returned home, each looking a bit worse for the wear. They quietly checked in on Bruce; his fever had broken by then, and he was dozing comfortably.

"How's he doing?" Steve whispered. Natasha, Clint, Tony, and Thor crowding past the doorway behind him.

Darcy gave them a thumbs-up and pushed play on the next episode of Mythbusters. To Bruce's sleeping form, she whispered, "See, I told you. We're good at taking care of people."

-end-

A/n: Thanks for reading! Any and all feedback appreciated. :)