Day 4 Teachers!AU/Star Trek Crossover Bruce/Darcy Rated T
Day 4
Teachers AU- Star Trek Crossover
Bruce/Darcy
Rated T
Starfleet Medical Academy Campus, Earth 2258.147
When Professor Lewis entered the Organic Chemistry Lab she smelled joy. It was a rather odd sensation to smell an emotion. Her nose identified sunshine, her favorite pair of pajamas, and cherry lip balm, but when those signals reached her brain the dived deeper than any scent ever had before and she felt immense delight trickle down every nerve in her body. Her face stretched into a smile and she felt the tension of her end of semester stress evaporate from her neck and shoulders in an instant.
She took a deep breath and allowed herself to just feel happy for another ten seconds and then she marched over to the only occupied station in the room and slammed down the box she was carrying hard enough to draw the attention of the person occupying it.
“What the hell is that? Why do I feel like I just negotiated a peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingons?”
Dr. Banner flicked his eyes up to her for .2 seconds before returning to his work and the lazy smile he’d been wearing when she entered brightened. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” He continued examining the readout on his hand-held device as he used it to scan over a small sample dish filled with a few drops of a golden liquid.
“Uh, yeah,” she agreed trying to force her usual facetious tone into her voice and mostly succeeding. “But what is it?”
“It’s called Trah’haanna Lo’oge. The literal translation is “The Jubilant Tears of the Goddess Trah’ha”. They were a gift from a student, actually. It’s part of a whole set of Tears of the Goddess.”
She saw his happy smile twist into a smug grin as he gestured to a rather ornate box that looked to be made of wood but probably was made of something far more complicated.
“Nice. Glad to see you’re bringing your A game this time, Banner. It gets rather tedious trouncing you so thoroughly every single year.” She always had to be the one to supply the taunts and smack talk. Dr. Bruce Banner was really too nice and mild mannered for his own good. “So what are they made of? Why does smelling that stuff send me to my happy place?” She asked, partly because she was genuinely curious and partly because she liked it when he talked science to her, all technical and animated. Even if she didn’t understand a tenth of what he said, he was adorable to watch.
“Honestly, I have no idea.” He looked embarrassed to admit it and she had to admit that this was first. Dr. Banner always knew everything.
“Wait! What?” She thought her face might split from her shocked grin. “Come again?”
“There are only a few of the components I’ve been able to identify. One of them bares a faint resemblance to a pheromone like compound found in the urine of bottle-nosed dolphins, and there’s something akin to dihydroxyphenethylamine, but the molecules are bonded with an element I’ve never seen before. It’s totally alien. I’m not even sure how it’s working with our human biology, but somehow- it is. It’s fascinating.”
“First of all, dolphin pee is disgusting. You can’t just talk about it like it’s a normal thing. Secondly, die hydra fennel mining is too big a word for 1800 hours on graduation day. Everyone else is out celebrating, so we should tally up the scores and then go join them.”
Dr. Banner looked stricken. “I can’t go now, I’ve only just started analyzing the unknown elements in the first of these incredible-“
“Uh uh, now way. Every year it’s the same. You always ‘just started analyzing’, or you’re ‘in the middle of a significant discovery’. Your work is always groundbreaking and important. If you never let yourself live beyond your work then that’s all you’ll ever be, and I know you can be more, Doc.”
Dr. Banner actually frowned at her. Which, given the cheerfulness permeating the air, was quite a feat. “Professor Lewis, you know how I feel about this antiquated competition of comparing gifts. Every year I tell you-“
“You tell me you have ‘no desire to carry on this petty feud between the Medical Academy and the rest of Starfleet Acadamy.’ You say that it encourages ‘animosity and discontent’ between the staff. And then I say, ‘But it’s tradition, Doc!’ And then you say it’s illogical of us to continue ‘outdated rituals and traditions that impede progress!’” Darcy had her bunny fingers out and was using them liberally with a large dose of her ‘stuffy scientist’ impersonation.
“Then I say ‘traditions are what keep us grounded as individuals inside our different cultures’ and remind you that ‘without traditions and culture we lose part of what makes us who we are’ and then you argue that you don’t want to be ‘a part of a ritual designed to make a group of people feel inferior’, which I always insist would be a good point if that was really what the ‘gift exchange’ was all about. Which it’s not! Then I note how people that try to separate themselves from their culture on an individual level usually become disconnected from the rest of their people. To which you respond that maybe you just consider yourself ‘part of a different culture and people’. By which I think you mean scientist people, and then I just inform you that the best way to grow and expand your own culture in order to evolve and progress is to share in cultural exchange and gain insight from a different prospective. Then-“
“Then I have to submit to your twisted political science logic and we end up comparing the things we were given by our students, as if that somehow reflected on our ability to connect with our students and excel at imparting to them our knowledge. And every year you always win because my students are more focused on learning and advancing their studies then connecting with me on a personal level and your students are all trying to become ambassadors or officers by learning how to play the political field which means they consider presenting you with a suitable gift basically part of their final assessment. Which means you always win because the competition is already skewed. It is, by its very nature, biased to begin with.”
Darcy continued to smile at him. “The point is, it seems logical to forgo the argument in favor of accepting the inevitable conclusion. In the name of efficiency and time management, we should just get to the show and tell part of the evening, don’t you think?”
He sighed heavily and reached around the corner of the lab station to lift a small box and set it on the table next to her larger one. Darcy laughed and pulled up a stool.
“See, inevitable. Just think of all the time you would save if you just skipped the argument every year and gave in to my indomitable will from the get go.” Her arm brushed his as she reached into her box for the first item.
“And yet, I feel that would cheapen the experience. Somehow the argument has become part of the tradition’s ritual, don’t you think?” he asked, going for stubborn, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.
She bit her lip and shook her head at him. “We’re getting along better already. No animosity here. Although, I suppose that might change after we declare a winner. I’d probably feel the same way if I lost every year, too.” The curve of her lips diffused the sting of her words and she held up a small statuette. “I’ll go first, shall I?”
“By all means,” he said, giving her a half bow and gesturing with one hand for her to continue.
“Okay, so, I got the typical assortment of jewelry, alcohol, and rare books. Then there’s this beauty. The kid who gave me this Andorian fertility totem is a total perv, but this is actually a pretty amazing piece, so I’ve chosen to ignore the fact that he stared at my breasts practically every day.”
Dr. Banner cleared his throat awkwardly and looked anywhere but at her.
“Three coffee mugs, an Enaran musical instrument, and one Asguardian timepiece bring the grant total from both my Intergalactic Politics and Basic Computer Science classes to 14 gifts,” she announced as she finished counting the items in the box. “Your turn!”
Bruce glanced into his box with a considering glance and then at the box of Tears on the table. “Are we counting each vial of tears as its own gift, or the collection as one? Because I could defiantly make an argument for each one being its own gift.”
“Alright, let’s hear it then.” She sat back on her stool and crossed her legs.
“What?”
“Let’s hear your argument.”
“Oh, right, well-“ He reached for the small, square box and pulled it closer, carefully releasing the latch and easing back the lid. Inside there was a thick velvet looking pad with ten holes spaced equal distance apart in two parallel lines. Each hole contained a delicate little vial with lids that twisted and curled in ten uniquely different patterns. He reached in and removed the first one. The liquid inside was a shimmering gold, similar to the drops in the sample dish on the table.
“Each vial contains a distinctly different substance, though there may be some universal similarities, and from what I can tell by the translations guide that came with it, each one is named for a different kind of tear, which, in turn, can inspire a different type of emotion to anyone who partakes of it. The student who gave it to me assured me that they were safe for human consumption, but warned me to use in only the smallest of doses.”
“Wait, you’re supposed to drink them?” Darcy’s surprise was immediate and real. “But just smelling it is already so incredible!”
“Right?” Dr. Banner agreed. “Just a few drops was enough to permeate the room. Imagine experiencing the side effects times a hundred, or a thousand. I haven’t had a chance to experience the others yet, or analyze them in depth. I was planning on working on that this evening, but someone is insisting I go and do social things instead.” His exasperation was pointed, and Darcy shot him a look that said “Sorry, not sorry.”
“And there’s ten of them? What do the other ones do?” She reached out and deftly removed one of the little vials and held it up to the light. The liquid inside was a noxious green.
“Be careful with that!” the Doc almost shouted, and reached out to take the little bottle from her gingerly. “That one is Trah’haanna Wa’ron, uh- Tears of Rage, essentially.”
“Whoa,” Darcy said, leaning away and placing her hands firmly in her lap. “Why would anyone want to feel rage on purpose?”
He shrugged and placed Rage back in its protected slot. “From what I could gather, the inhabitants of Planet Ruul, where these came from, believe that no emotion or feeling is bad and each should be experienced fully and in its purest state. Something about the intensity of opposition, I didn’t really understand. That’s more your area of expertise.”
“Sounds fascinating,” Darcy sighed wistfully, “if a bit extreme.” She leaned forward again and eyed the contents of the box speculatively. “We should sample another one. For Science. What else is in there?”
“Well, there’s Joy, Grief, Rage, Compassion, Shame, Pride, Fear, Trust, Disgust, and Admiration.”
“Ooh, Compassion sounds good, or Admiration. That would help inspire the comradery that we’re looking for out of our healthy competition, right?”
He gave her a shy little half smile and lifted the vial with a bright red liquid between two fingers. “Trah’haanna Ly’hao,” he said and reached for the lid.
“You’re sure these are safe?” Darcy queried with a sudden hesitation.
Dr. Banner nodded. “I’m about 92 percent sure there will be no adverse side effects.”
She laughed and reached into her box for two of the coffee mugs. “Good enough for me. Any contraindications for use with alcohol?”
He gave a little chuckle. “I think that’s the preferred medium for consumption, actually. From what Cadet Laufeyson implied.”
“Perfect,” Darcy grinned and pulled a bottle of tequila out of her box. She cracked the seal and pour a couple of fingers into each mug then slid them over in front of him. She watched with anticipation as he used a very complicated syringe like device to first remove two drops from the vial and then apply one drop to each mug. The lid was only removed for half a dozen seconds, but the smell coming from the bottle had the warmth of admiration blooming in Darcy’s chest.
Bruce looked so precise and gallant as he graciously passed one of the mugs over to her. The side read WARNING: Prone to Lengthy Outbursts of Political Ranting, making her smile again. His nice full lips curved up in response and he lifted his own mug, (Carpe Caffeine), with his big, masculine hands.
“To science!” Darcy said and lifted her mug to toast.
“To tradition,” Bruce countered and clinked their beverages together.
When the shot of tequila slid past her lips and into her mouth she tasted the sharp sweet sting of the alcohol, but beneath it there was a deeper, fuller burn, like Habanero wildfire that flashed against her tongue and then, as she swallowed, seeped into her chest and stomach and dropped to a low simmer that curled throughout her body.
“Whoa,” she gasped as she set the mug down and blinked slowly, languidly. “That feels…”
She turned to Bruce and the words died in her throat. He seemed almost to glow before her eyes. His thick locks, sprinkled with a very distinguished salt and pepper at his temples, were calling to her, almost demanding she run her fingers through the silky looking curls. His molten chocolate brown eyes were fixed on her mouth as he sat breathing deeply in and out.
“…Hot,” Bruce whispered and his gaze continued to travel down over her uniform clad figure.
“Um-“ she panted as she notice the way his Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed. His own uniform was contoured to the lines of his shoulders and chest until they disappeared beneath the folds of his buttoned up lab coat. “I think it’s working.”
It wasn’t that she was feeling things she’d never felt before, that wasn’t it at all. She’d always admired Bruce. She admired his mind, his passion for knowledge, his subtle yet biting wit that lurked just beneath his calm and collected surface, his deep, knowing eyes and his full, perfect lips which curled lopsidedly over his straight, white teeth when he smiled…
She had always admired him. It was sometime hard to repress that admiration because he was a colleague and quite a few years older than her, and she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.
Now, however, that admiration wasn’t going to be repressed or ignored. She was just beginning to realize what an awful idea this had been. She’d acted totally irresponsibly and now…
“Christ, you are so beautiful,” he whispered, and her eyes jerked to his where she met his own admiration filled gaze.
She laughed nervously and felt heat move up her neck and down into her belly. “That’s just the tears talking,” she said, pained and delighted all at the same time. She wanted to look away, maybe to run away.
“No!” he objected, rather vehemently then looked surprised at his own outburst. “I mean, not totally, it’s not. I’ve always thought so, but it’s just so clearly obvious to me now that it seemed wrong not to tell you I thought so.”
“Oh,” she blushed even harder and tried to pull her eyes from him. They locked onto his hands gripping the mug, his hands were so great, large and well formed, with fingers that she wanted to feel against her skin more than anything. “Your hands are amazing,” she sighed, unable to contain the words, “I wish you would touch me.”
“Really?” he asked leaning towards her almost involuntarily and then stepped back. “This stuff is really potent. I don’t know if you’re saying that because you really want it, or because your emotions are being amplified by the Tears.”
Darcy swallowed painfully at the distressed look on his face. The fact that he looked about to bolt made her chest clench in panic. “I want it, I do. I have, always. It’s why I come back every year for our little ritual even though it is kind of unfair and stupid. It’s why I am always looking for any excuse to come over to the Medical Campus, why I offered to do all those computer maintenance jobs for the labs last year. I just never thought…”
“Never thought what?” Bruce insisted, stepping closer.
“Never thought you’d actually look at me like anything other than an obnoxious junior staff member,” she admitted as her eyes took in the way his chest was heaving and his hands were clenching.
“Oh, Darcy,” he sighed and then reached for her.
His hands were on her waist and his lips were pressed urgently to hers. It was everything she’d ever dreamed and more. It was all the clichés and all the cheesiest metaphors. She finally got her hands in his hair and around his back and on his ass. He kissed her with an urgency that made her ache with wanting to give him more, give him everything. As his teeth caught her bottom lip he pressed between her legs, and she began to hope he would sweep clear a desk top and take her then and there.
Then she remembered that they were in the middle of a lab on a campus still swarming with staff and graduates and their families. So, as tantalizing as the idea was, it probably wasn’t the professional thing to do.
When they were finally forced to come up for air she held him back, her hands fisted in the front of his lab coat. “All in favor of declaring a winner and heading back to my place so we can continue to admire each other in private, say aye.”
“Aye,” He chuckled and brushed his fingers over her neck and down her arms, like he couldn’t stop touching her, now that he’d started.
“Great, I think you are the winner then, by virtue of having received the best gift ever.” Darcy used her grip on him to steady her as she slid down off the stool. “Now, let’s go.”
“Wait,” he said, pulling her back as she tried to move away, “We’ve always gone with quantity over quality before.”
She tilted her head up to him and shook it at him slowly. “I just told you that you won. Are you really going to argue with me over this?”
His lip twisted into a half smirk that made the flames in her belly lick at things slightly lower. “Why not? Arguing with you has always been the best part of my year.”
“Awe,” she crooned, “That is both sweet and sad. I promise when we get back to my place we can do something even better.”
Bruce’s face went sort of dazed with lust and she worried for a second that maybe she’d broken him. “You're right. Let’s go. Leave the stuff.” He said finally and grabbed her hand, pulling her along behind him.
Darcy tipped her head back and laughed as they ran through the halls. She spared enough time to hope that this wasn’t a mistake, and that neither of them would regret it in the morning, and then she forgot all about her concerns as she noticed even more to admire about Bruce Banner. There were enough things she figured that he would probably keep her busy for quite a while.