Loki didn't know what he was doing. For a man who was always so sure of himself, this moment was extremely uncomfortable for him. He almost turned around several times before he finally found himself outside her door. Loki had not made an attempt to engage with anyone in a year, yet here he was, outside the door of a woman he worked with. She was lively and lovely, and though he never let her know it, she amused him.
Loki had lived on Midgard for almost a year now. He had been banished by Odin after his attempted impersonation. Odin, burdened by the memory of his wife, did not have it in his heart to swing the axe as Loki had once begged for. Stripped of his magic, Thor brought him to SHIELD, where he was stripped of everything but his name. After a month of interrogation and mild torture, he was given an apartment in Stark Tower and a job consulting with Jane Foster.
On his first day, Loki met Darcy Lewis.
"What the FUCK?" She cried when she saw him in the lab for the first time. "Someone call Fury, Black Widow! Jane, stand back!"
The girl had pulled out a small black box and Loki awoke an hour later on a cot, Tony Stark standing above him laughing and taking a photo.
After their first meeting, Darcy rarely acknowledged Loki. Occasionally, she would have to ask him for numbers for her data entry, but for the most part, she was civil. Loki could not bring himself to hate Darcy. She talked too much and often got in the way of those who were actually working, but she was undeniably beautiful and her quick wit impressed him.
Two months after he began to work with Miss Foster, a terrorist group attacked Stark Tower. A boom rang through the building and down to the basement where Jane's lab was. Loki had been sitting with Miss Lewis, reading off numbers to her doing calculations. When parts of the ceiling had rained down in the blast, Loki had quickly pulled Darcy under the desk. He pushed her under first, and then used his body as a partial shield to keep debris from coming through.
"Loki!" Thor called to him form across the room.
"We're fine!" Darcy responded. Loki could feel her body shaking next to his. She looked up at him, her blue eyes bright and terrified. "What's happening?" She whispered.
"I do not know, but I will keep you safe." He promised.
He did not know why he said it. He had no affections for the girl but her wide eyes and quivering body inspired something within in him. Something in him simply said, 'Protect her.'
Loki and Thor kept the girls safe until the terrorists were dealt with. Loki did not have his magic, but his daggers did the job. That night, once everyone had been bandaged up and the building was deemed safe, Darcy asked Loki to come with her to the lab. It seemed that only the plaster of the ceiling had fallen. The rest of the room was perfectly fine.
"I'm sorry I dragged you down here. I just needed to get my things before they cleaned up and I didn't want to come alone."
Darcy approached her desk and stared at it, unmoving. Loki moved towards her, thinking he might need to do some heavy lifting, but he stopped when he saw the girls cheeks were glistening with tears.
"Miss Lewis…" He started. He reached toward her, initiating the first physical contact he'd had in months. He intended to place a hand on her shoulder but Darcy saw his movement and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Loki didn't move for a moment, but when he heard a quiet sob, he pulled her close and stroked her hair. That was the first time Loki realized just how soft she was and how nice she smelled.
After that night, Darcy was friendly with Loki. She made jokes, would occasionally punch him in a friendly manner, and even have lunch with him. Loki was not sure, but he felt that, at times, Darcy was flirting with him. She would sometimes tell him he looked nice. A few times, Loki caught Darcy staring at him. She would look away quickly but it was not long before he caught her again. Of course, Darcy was not the only one guilty of staring. Loki was pleasantly surprised by the change. Everyone else was just surprised.
"Do you fancy her, Brother?" Thor asked him one evening.
"She's a mortal." Loki responded, not looking up.
"But she is very lovely and is a good friend to you."
"Drop it, Thor." Loki growled. However, that response was exactly what Thor needed to confirm his suspicions.
Mentally kicking himself, Loki knocked on her door.
"Just a sec!" A light voice called.
Realizing that she was actually coming to the door, Loki panicked and was turning to walk away when the door opened. Before him was Darcy Lewis. Her hair, normally tucked under a hat, was piled on her head in a haphazard fashion. She wore a thin, oversized shirt and leggings. Her feet were bare. Loki took in her puzzled expression and immediately knew he'd made a horrible mistake.
"Loki." She said.
"I'm sorry. Ah… Excuse me." He turned on his heel and began to walk away. He could not wait to get out of sight and throw himself down the stairs. Or perhaps out the window as he once did to Stark.
"Wait!" She called. Loki turned slowly. "Do you wanna come in? I just put on a movie and made some popcorn."
"That would ne nice." He said.
Loki followed Darcy into her apartment. I was set up just like his; a small kitchen that was open to the living space, and a door that presumably led to her bedroom and washroom. Around her TV was a huge set of bookshelves. The shelves were loaded with trinkets, photos, and, obviously, books.
"You have quite the collection." He said.
"Oh, yeah. It's just stuff I've collected since college. I wish I could say I've read half of it but I don't remember the last time I actually finished a book. Too distracted, you know?"
Loki said nothing. He walked to the kitchen counter, where Darcy was pouring colored beads into the popcorn. She saw his confused expression and laughed.
"It's chocolate. Here." She plucked on of the beads out of the popcorn and handed it to him. Loki ate it slowly.
"That is very strange." He finally said.
"They're best when the heat from the popcorn melts them. You can dig one out from the bottom when we get situated and you'll see!"
Darcy took the bowl of popcorn and plopped down on the couch.
"Well come on!" She called.
Loki sat on the opposite end.
"You're not gunna be able to reach the bowl from there, weirdo." Darcy smirked.
Loki considered jumping out the window again. Instead, he scooted down but kept a healthy distance. He made a show of reaching for the popcorn. She shrugged and started the movie.
"We're watching Clue. It's like, the best cult film of all time. People always say that Rocky Horror is better, but Clue is just… ugh, perfect."
Loki watched as a colorful group of people arrived at an old mansion one by one.
"It's funny because the movie is based on a game. I don't have it but I bet Tony would get it if I suggested game night! He's always looking for a reason to have a party. Hopefully game night will make him happy."
"What kind of game is it?" Loki asked. He had always been good at riddles, but when it came to game of agility, Thor had always bested him.
"It's a murder mystery board game. You play on a painted piece of cardboard and you take turns collecting clue cards and then guessing who the murder is." Darcy explained.
"That's barbaric, killing someone for sport." Loki gasped.
"Ok, Mr. Patricide." Darcy started with an eye roll. Before Loki could interject, she continued her explanation. "It's not real. You don't actually kill someone. It's just a story. You use logic to solve the murder."
Loki mulled this idea over and decided that he would be good at Clue. Still thinking about the game, Loki reached for the popcorn. His hand brushed Darcy's and he pulled away quickly.
"Loki," Darcy said slowly, "I'm not going to bite." She reached for his hand and snatched it up in hers. "See?"
Loki looked at her in astonishment. Without a thought, she was holding his hand in hers. It seemed she didn't think anything of it because she had returned her attention to the movie. Loki, stunned that Darcy was still clinging to him, wrenched his hand away and stood.
"I'm sorry. I… I don't know why I came. Goodnight, Miss Lewis." Loki was at the door when a small hand wrapped around his wrist.
"Wait."
Loki bowed his head, sighed and turned to face Darcy.
"What's wrong? I'm sorry I touched you. I know you don't really like contact but I just wanted to show you that it could be ok. You don't need to shy away from people, Loki. I know you're super cautious around others but I'm your friend, and, well, I liked holding your hand."
Darcy was blushing brightly and the flush went from her cheeks to her chest. Looking down at her hand, which was still on his wrist, Darcy slid her fingers down to intertwine them with Loki's.
"See? It can be nice." She murmured. Darcy kept her focus on their hands, refusing to meet Loki's eyes. Loki could only look at her beautifully pink skin. When she finally looked up, Loki was reminded of that moment, all those months ago, when a quivering Darcy had looked at him with those same, wide eyes.
"Do you remember when the terrorists came and the ceiling fell in?" Loki asked.
"Yeah. You saved me. I thought… I don't know, I thought you were the last thing I was ever going to see. You looked just as scared as I felt but I looked in your eyes and I realized that you meant what you said."
Loki took his free hand and lifted her chin lightly.
"I will keep you safe, Darcy. From anything that might hurt you."
Darcy did not hesitate when she kissed him. Her lips were soft and gentle. Loki responded by placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to him. He could feel her smile into the kiss and Loki could not help but smile himself. Darcy pulled away with a giggle.
"God, I've wanted to kiss you for ages." She said with a smile.
"There is no need to address me so formally, Darcy."
"Mmm," She purred, "Say my name again."
"There is witchcraft in your lips, Darcy." Loki said, his voice low. He was rewarded with a kiss that was deeper than the first.
"I've wanted this for so long, Darcy."
He was rewarded with a trail of kisses dotted down his neck.
"Darcy," He warned, "I do not trust myself to stop should you take this further."
Darcy responded by moving her lips back up his neck, leaving a more kisses. He bit gently on his ear. With a growl, Loki picked Darcy up and put her on the kitchen counter. He kissed her roughly while his fingers worked their way under her shirt and up to her ribs. Darcy did not hold back either. One of her hands was tangled in his hair while the other was pulling him close. Loki pulled away from Darcy's lips and moved to her neck. She sighed into his ear and a string of chills ran up Loki's spine. Darcy hummed in triumph once she got his shirt untucked and was able to trail her hand along his hard stomach.
"Damn, you're cut." She said.
Loki was unsure of what she meant, but he assumed it was good, because she continued to trail her hand along the hem of his pants. When Darcy dipped a few fingers below the belt, Loki gasped. His nails scratched down Darcy's back, which made her gasp as well. Loki panted into her neck for a moment before he pulled back to look at her.
Darcy's neck and chest were flushed with pink and her pupils were large.
"Bedroom. Now."
Loki picked up Darcy again and the two tumbled onto her bed.
Later, Loki awoke to find that Darcy was still asleep next to him. One of her legs was thrown over his and her hand was rested on his chest. Loki took her hand in his and thought I could get used to this.