Ahh…the morning and day after. An assortment of reactions from others, and an unexpected concern.

You guys continue to be fantastic, thank you!

Incessant knocking woke them. Darcy pulled her face off of Bruce's bare chest, winced when she saw the drool puddle, and blinked sleepily. Bruce's own eyes flickered open seconds later, and his smile when he saw her put the sun to shame. Darcy bit her lip, and squeezed his torso. It was very good to see Bruce look happy, at ease. And that smile! Brighter than the sun. Wait…

Oh shit! The sun shouldn't be that bright.

"Crap," she murmured, sitting up. "I think we overslept."

Bruce shrugged, folding his arms behind his head. "I think we deserved to," he pointed out.

Darcy stared down at him, biting her lip. Dr. Banner looked a little wanton all sprawled out on his bed naked, with only a sheet draped scandalously low over his hips. "Aside from the drool puddle, you could totally be a centerfold," she told him.

He raised one eyebrow. "The Avengers – Out of Costume?"

Oh yeah, she liked this playful new Bruce. "I like it. I'd totally buy it. Well…I wouldn't need to buy it, would I?"

He grinned. "Nope. You can have it whenever you want it."

She bit her lip. "I like that idea. A lot. Sorry about the drool."

Bruce lifted his head far enough to see the drool trail on his chest. "It's fine, Darcy. Sorry about the uh…the hickies." He flushed a little, which was completely adorable, and dragged a hand through his hair. "Why did we wake up?"

She was distracted briefly, remembering how enthusiastically he had used his mouth and wondering how bad the hickies were. There were some bruised looking love bites on her chest, she had already noticed, and on his neck. Unless they took some drastic cover up precautions, everyone would know what they had been up to. Then she remembered her early morning conversation with Jarvis, and figured they already did.

"Somebody is knocking," she realized.

Bruce's eyes widened. "Tony," he guessed, sitting up abruptly.

With the frequency and persistence of the knocking, Darcy agreed. Anyone else would have departed by now. But Stark was persistent. He sort of reminded her of the character of Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory. Too smart for his own good, and socially awkward. He probably wanted to gloat. He would keep knocking until they opened the door. Although why he didn't ask Jarvis to open the door…

Bruce swung out of bed, wrapping a sheet around his waist. Darcy pulled the remaining sheet in snugly around herself and admired the view as Bruce padded out of the bedroom. His pert little butt was flexing under the sheet, and she could totally appreciate the play of muscle in his back and shoulders. Now that she had very intimate experience with that body, she was free to oogle it without feeling guilty. Touching it had been very nice too.

"Stop staring at my butt," he called over his shoulder.

Darcy grinned. "It's a nice butt," she returned saucily as he left the bedroom.

She heard Tony Stark as soon as the door opened. "C'mon Banner. You don't get to play hooky from the lab just because you went all big green and crazy yesterday. Thanks for saving my butt, by the way. Seriously man, it's almost noon and you're just rolling out of bed? You getting lazy now that you don't have to live on the run anymore?"

Darcy was confused. Jarvis hadn't told Tony? That was…odd. She heard Bruce try to make some sort of coherent reply to Tony's apparent energetic one.

"No Brucey, I don't wanna hear your justification for being a lazy butt. Why don't you get some clothes on so we can go be geeky together, huh? And clean yourself up man. You're still dirty. Wait. Wait a minute. That's not dirt on your neck. That's…holy shit, Banner! That's a love bite! Oh Brucey! She figured it out, didn't she? She figured out how to keep the Hulk from busting out while you got some, didn't she? Look at you! I don't think I've ever seen you look so relaxed! See what being backed up does to ya?"

His mouth kept running and it was drawing closer. Darcy rolled her eyes, but propped herself up on her elbows, making sure the sheet was securely tucked in around her.

Stark peeked in the door, and he looked absolutely delighted when he saw her. "Kick Ass!" he greeted. "It looks like you totally mauled Dr. Banner. He has a silly little smile on his face. I guess I would too if I'd been backed up for years. I can't see how he survived, honestly. But no wonder he was still in bed. Did you two marathon sex all night?"

Darcy took in the wide, bright eyes, the eager expression, and hated to disappoint him, but really? "Tony? You need to leave now. Bruce and I would like to continue having alone time."

He grinned. "You did have marathon sex all night! That's awesome. You used protection, right? Don't know what effect Bruce's gamma irradiated sperm might have on you."

"Tony!" she yelped. "I am not discussing this with you. Go!"

His laugh lingered as the billionaire scooted away from the bedroom (and apparently Bruce's swat). The thump of the door closing reassured her that he was gone. "Thanks for not telling him, Jarvis. I think."

The AI's tone was slightly embarrassed. "If I had, he would have been here much earlier."

"Then it's definitely appreciated," Bruce decided, walking back into the bedroom. "He'll be impossible from now on."

Darcy bit her lip as he dropped his sheet. "I can live with that." She made grabby hands at him. "Come here, Dr. Banner. I want to exhaust you a little more."

Bruce's answering grin was priceless.

Much later, after a tussle, a shower (dripping wet naked Bruce was so hot it blew her mind) and food, Darcy felt ready to finally go to work. She looped her arm through Bruce's, and they headed for the lab.

Bruce couldn't stop smiling as they rode the elevator. "I look like an idiot, don't I?" he asked when Darcy grinned at him. "I look like an idiot because I'm smiling like I just smoked the huge bag of weed that Tony always accuses me of hiding somewhere. The one that allows me to put up with him without the Other Guy making an appearance."

She laughed. "Oh Bruce. That is such an image. I'll have to remember that one. Dr. Banner and his huge bag of weed. Like the love affair in the Harold and Kumar movies." She could tell from his blank look that he didn't know what she was talking about, so Darcy put watching those movies on a list of things to do with him. "Tony probably believes that's the only way you can put up with him." She laughed again. "Now he'll claim it's because you're not backed up anymore."

Bruce flushed, but couldn't stop smiling. "He would probably be right if he did. I…" he ducked his head. "I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now."

She squeezed his arm. "Say it when you feel you can." She rose onto her toes to whisper in his ear. "Besides, I got a good idea of how you felt based on all those lovely noises you made. Along with the swearing. I totally didn't picture you as having a dirty mouth during sex, Doc Moppy. It was hot."

He laughed. "I'm full of surprises."

Jane knew immediately, when Darcy finally walked into the lab. The astrophysicist paused, taking in Darcy's smile and the love bites on her neck, and just shook her head.

"I'm happy for you," she said. "Is everything…okay?"

Darcy smirked. "Everything is fine. More than fine, really. Life is good."

The rest of her day passed in a pleasant haze. Every movement made Darcy's muscles ping and reminded her of the bliss filled night she had shared with Bruce. It had been…amazing. Watching Bruce Banner, who was like the poster-child of self control, come undone had wrecked her on multiple levels. Darcy had found herself so close to tears of wonder during the night that she had to express herself loudly, to explain away any incidental moisture in her eyes.

Bruce hadn't complained.

Her mind, which never really rested, was worrying over what happened now. Would Bruce still be able to Hulk at will? He had explained that he was always angry, that was his secret to control. Would he still have that core of never-ending anger? Then again, the anger pre-dated the creation of the Hulk, or so Bruce had hinted at. He hadn't had a happy childhood. Whenever parents were mentioned, he flinched, and Darcy could only wonder what kind of childhood he'd had. She suspected it had been very bad. Something had happened to create the core of repressed rage that had finally found an outlet when Bruce had been hit with an overwhelmingly lethal dose of gamma radiation. Instead of dying, his inner rage beast had suddenly found a way to claw its way free of his iron control.

What if she'd inadvertently revoked Bruce's membership on the team? If he couldn't Hulk, he couldn't go out to fight the battles when they were needed. It would crush his spirit, she knew. Bruce had found a home here, had found a family that accepted all of him. To be denied that kinship…

Those thoughts kept spinning around in her head until Darcy yelled in frustration, and pounded her fists on the nearest table.

That caught Jane's attention, and her boss bustled over. "That's more the reaction of someone who hadn't spent the night wrestling with a hot scientist/super hero. What's wrong?"

Darcy met Jane's eyes, her own full of vulnerability and worry. "What if I broke him?" she whispered. "What if he can't Hulk anymore?"

Jane blinked. "I…I didn't realize that was a concern." She pulled a chair over and sat down.

"Maybe only in my head. But what if…what if he can't do it on command anymore? What if…" Darcy buried her head in her hands. "My usual worries after sleeping with someone don't seem to apply here. Instead, my worries are much bigger. And green. My concerns are big and green, Jane. I…Big Green trusts me, and I convinced him to not come busting out. What if…what if he goes away? Then Bruce is just Bruce and he can't go out and fight bad guys. And he needs that."

Jane patted her arm. "Have you talked to Bruce about this worry? I mean, wouldn't he be the one to put it to rest?"

Darcy lowered her hands and looked up at her friend. "I can't talk to Bruce about it. If he starts doubting himself, then it's even more likely to happen. It's like an erection, Jane. If you doubt you're capable of it, then you probably won't be. I don't want to be the reason for Bruce's Hulk impotence."

Jane blinked again. "I can't believe we're comparing Bruce's ability to unleash the Hulk to Bruce's ability to have an erection."

Darcy shook her head. "Just in general, Foster. Not Bruce's ability to have an erection. He had no problems. And I don't foresee any problems in that department in the future. But I am worried about his ability to let Big Green bust out. He just started getting it under control, to where he could choose when to let Big Green out. I don't want him to lose that ability. What if…what if he needs to keep feeling alone, and repressed in order to maintain that ability?" Darcy heaved a big sigh. "I mean, that would totally suck and everything, but I don't want to be the reason he can't be on the team anymore."

She squirmed a little uncomfortably under Jane's staring gaze. "What?"

"Why are you fretting about something when you don't even know if it's a problem?"

Darcy twisted her hands together, not sure if she could explain it. "Because it didn't matter before. I never dated anyone who did anything important, so if I screwed anything up, it wouldn't affect the world as we know it. But Bruce…he's a big deal, Jane. I just…I don't want to be the mistress that destroys the politician's career, okay? That bit of fun that comes back to bite ass in a big way."

Jane's lips compressed into that thin line that said she was angry. "Darcy Lewis. How can you even think of yourself that way? You are not a dirty little secret. You are openly dating a wonderful guy who just happens to be a superhero. Yes, the thought is a little overwhelming at first. Trust me! I had my own moments of feeling not worthy, but they chose us."

"Fury doesn't like the idea."

One elegant eyebrow arched toward Jane's hairline. "Fury doesn't like a lot of ideas. He doesn't like anything that isn't under his control. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Has anyone other than S.H.I.E.L.D expressed the thought that this is a bad idea – you and Bruce?"

"Well…no."

Jane folded her arms across her chest. "And there you have it. Besides, Thor thinks it's a great idea, and he's the God of Thunder so he can't be wrong."

That startled a laugh out of Darcy and made her feel a little better. It was just, well, like she'd told Jane – Bruce was a big deal. She didn't want to be responsible for messing anything up because it could have serious effects.

Jane unbent enough to reach out and pat her shoulder again. "Have faith, Darcy. Believe."

She wanted to.

The reality of living and working in a tower controlled and monitored by a flighty genius and his self made nanny was brought to Darcy's attention near the end of the work day when Tony strolled into the lab and informed Jane that he had to 'borrow' Darcy for an important discussion. Jane just rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.

Darcy was more than a little nervous when Tony directed her out of the lab, down the hall, and into a small little conference room. He paced with his usual frenetic energy while she sat down and watched him.

"What, Tony?" she finally asked.

He stopped pacing and stared down at her. "You think this will interfere with Bruce's ability to Hulk on command?"

Darcy gaped at him. "How do you know that?"

The billionaire shrugged. "Jarvis told me. He keeps me up to date with important information."

She was offended. "That's creepy, Stark. Creepy." A shudder ran through her at the thought of being watched over that closely. Even though Jarvis had promised not to watch (or record) in her room. But what about the other rooms? What about in Bruce's room?

A finger tapped on her forehead "Hello? Bruce? Hulk failure?" Tony did look concerned, which meant she wasn't entirely crazy for thinking of the idea.

Darcy swatted his finger away and sighed. "It's just a concern, Tony. I don't want Bruce to even hear about this." She glared at him, and Tony softened a little.

"Agreed. The whole erection failure discussion. I get that." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "We'll work something out. A test! We can test your ability to de-Hulk Bruce. We'll ask him to Hulk, and then you can talk him down, see if it works."

Darcy had to smile. "That sounds…plausible."

He grinned. "Of course. I think work has just finished on the Hulk proof basement level, so we can do it there."

Darcy raised a questioning eyebrow. "Does Bruce know you put in a Hulk proof level?"

Tony Stark smirked. "Not yet. It'll be a multi-test. See how well the Hulk proofing holds up, and see if he has any issues performing."

Darcy reached out and swatted him. "I haven't forgiven you for being creepy and all Big Brother-ish, but sometimes you surprise me, Tony Stark. You hide it well, but underneath the outer abrasive layers, you're a good man."

He fell quiet for a bit, and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'll deny that to the press, if you try to tell anyone else."

Darcy mimed zipping her lips. "Not a word. I'll pretend I still think you're an ass to anyone who asks."

Stark's lips quirked in a grin. "Good girl. I hope that not having blue balls anymore doesn't affect Bruce's playtime in the lab with me. Cuz we have fun, you know?"

Darcy bit back the first three things she wanted to say, but then figured what the hell? "That sounds totally slash, Tony. What are you doing with my man when you two are in the lab?"

The billionaire spluttered a bit, eyes wide open in astonishment. "Geez kid. That's just wrong."

Darcy shrugged. "Don't say stuff like that, then. Did you even hear what you said? 'I hope that not having blue balls anymore doesn't affect Bruce's playtime in the lab with me. Cuz we have fun, you know?' Really?"

Tony had the good grace to wince.

He calmly advised her that he'd take care of the testing, and let her know when it was. Then he took off, practically bouncing with nervous energy. Darcy relaxed minutely. It was very nice to know that someone else was going to worry about things for her. She knew Tony would be thorough in his testing.

She wandered back to the lab, somewhat bemused. Jane only shook her head and grinned.

What was left of the day passed agonizingly slowly. Bruce wanted to cook dinner for her, which set off all kinds of tingles in Darcy's extremities. She'd never dated anyone who could cook, much less had the desire to and wanted to do it for her. It made her feel very special.

When Thor arrived to pull Jane away from her work for the day, he was beaming with that golden smile and Darcy figured that gossip had spread quickly. That was confirmed when Thor came to her and enveloped her in a hug.

"Congratulations on your successful campaign, Darcy. Dr. Banner looks most pleased."

"Ohmigod, Thor," she murmured into his chest, trying to pull away. "That's like Asgardian for 'way to get laid', right?"

The God of Thunder released her and took a step back with an eye crinkling smile. "I am happy for you, Darcy."

She pondered several snappy comebacks, but then replied simply. "Thank you, Thor." She didn't doubt that he was. Thor tended to say what he felt, and that made dealing with him remarkably easy. "Still holding out hope that Hulk won't pound on you?"

Thor heaved a huge sigh. "Perhaps. Dr. Banner's inner beast may yet come to accept me as a warrior in arms."

Darcy reached out to pat him on the arm. "Someday, Thor. Someday."

Bruce arrived right after Thor finally pulled Jane away from her work. Darcy heard the God of Thunder's boisterous greeting outside the lab, and smiled to herself. She couldn't stop herself from walking closer to the door so she could overhear their conversation a little better.

"Darcy is very dear to me, Banner. Know that I will be very angered if you are to hurt her in any way."

Darcy face palmed. She really didn't need an Asgardian older brother. Bruce's reply was so soft that she only caught bits and pieces of it. He mentioned keeping her safe and happy, and her being the most amazing woman. It made her blush.

It seemed the reply was enough to soothe Thor's concerns. "Very well. I am pleased that she has been able to tame the savage beast within you. Your inner rage deserves to be soothed by her ample charms."

A strangled "Thor!" told Darcy that Jane couldn't listen to anymore, and she heard Thor's shouted goodbye fading into the distance. She slapped her hands over her mouth to hold in the giggles, and that's how Bruce found her as he came into the lab. His eyes darted from her position near the door to the retreating back of his teammate, visible through the closing door, and then back again. He looked torn for a moment, as if he might blush and stutter something, but then he just started to laugh softly.

"I can't believe this is my life now," he said after his chuckles tapered off. "Surrounded by nosy busybodies who seem to be very invested in my personal life."

Darcy finally removed the hands from her mouth. "Don't forget the secret government agency too."

He sighed. "Yeah. Them too."

She bit her lip. "Regrets, Dr. Banner?"

His expression nearly undid her. "Only that I waited so long and tried to push you away. I can be stubborn like that." He held one hand out. "Ready to go?"

Darcy slid her hand into his. "For you, Bruce? Always."