Those Who Wander Alone
Chapter 1:
Darcy Lewis steps through the double doors leading out of the cafeteria and to the schools back field, foot holding it part way open while fussing distractedly with her backpack, trying to stuff her history textbook past the partially closed zipper.
A moment later, and the whole thing ends up falling out of her grasp, book splaying open and face down along the pavement, pack lying beside it, contents half spilled out.
She sighs, rolling her eyes.
This is what she gets for being lazy, she guesses. Someone inside the cafeteria shouts out to her, "Klutz!"
Darcy looks back over her shoulder, eyes narrowing in feigned indignation, scowling at Jane, her best friend, as the girl points and laughs good humouredly at her.
"Whatever bitch!" Darcy calls back, and Jane pretends to be offended, pressing her palm against her chest and widening her eyes, mouth agape in shock.
Darcy just laughs, before turning back and gathering the rest of her stuff, standing back up and letting the door swing shut behind her.
She wants to stay and eat lunch with Jane and the rest of her friends, but she failed last night to finish her homework for her next period, and if she doesn't get it done now, she's going to lose credit. It's too damn loud in the cafeteria for her to focus, so she told the gang she was going to have to skip out on them and that she'd be at the track bleachers, finishing up her assignment if they needed her.
Finally getting the book secured in her bag, she looks up, eyes momentarily scanning over the field before her.
No one else is out here, the field empty.
Or at least, that's what it looks like at first glance.
Eyes shifting back where they started, and she suddenly notices, all the way on the other side of the field, under a large Ash tree, is a boy. At least, she thinks it's a boy. It's kind of hard to tell from this distance.
He's sitting there, all by himself.
Darcy frowns, staring at him a long, few seconds, before shrugging and starting to make her way towards the track.
She can't help stealing glances at the kid as she moves, and passing a little closer, she sees he's eating lunch, a brown paper bag crumpled in his lap, it looks like.
Her eyes move up to his face, and she realizes abruptly who it is.
She's seen him around the school a couple times since the school year started, a freshman.
Every time she's seen him, he's been by himself, and now seems to be no exception.
She wonders about that a little.
Doesn't he have any friends?
She doesn't even know the kid, but something about seeing him out here, with no one else around, no one to talk to, eating his little sack of food all alone, makes her feel bad.
Darcy's never been one to overanalyze her own emotions. She acts as she feels. And so she doesn't think twice as she suddenly decides screw the bleachers and her homework, she can always make up for it with extra credit or something, and starts making her way towards the boy under the tree.
He doesn't even notice her until she's about ten feet away, his eyes having been cast to the ground, half eaten sandwich in his hand.
He looks startled as she comes nearer and, she notices, almost… afraid? His eyes are wide and wary, and he looks like he's trying to decide whether he should freeze and not move or get up and run.
Darcy isn't deterred as she comes to a stop about three feet from him and smiles.
"Hi." She says, and he only stares up at her in confusion.
"Aren't you Thor's little brother?" She asks.
Thor, Jane's boyfriend and generally thought of as the hottest guy in school. It doesn't hurt that he's the quarterback for their football team, built like a shit brick house, and retarded handsome.
Looking at the boy before her, (what's his name again?), Darcy has a hard time believing the two of them are actually related.
She can see this kid is tall. Not as tall as Thor, not nearly, but tall. And he's skinny. And where Thor's hair is wheat blonde, with beautiful tanned skin and the bluest eyes she's ever seen, his brother's hair is black as a raven's wing and with skin pale as snow, eyes a vivid green.
He doesn't answer her, and she frowns slightly.
"Um, hello?" She asks, and that seems to snap him out of whatever daze he's in.
He looks away quickly, gathering what's left of his lunch back into the paper sack and starting to stand.
Without a word, he begins to move past her, keeping his eyes fixed down, and without thinking, Darcy reaches out, grabbing his arm and stopping him.
"Hey…" she starts, brow furrowing. "You okay?"
He freezes in her grip, body going rigid. He doesn't look up.
Seconds pass, and then she hears him speak, voice soft and smooth as velvet…
"… Please let me go." He says, and it sounds almost like a question, like he's desperate.
Gradually, Darcy loosens her grip, fingers sliding away and hand falling back to her side.
"Sorry, I…" she begins.
But then he just keeps walking, his ridiculously long legs carrying him quickly away from her.
It only causes Darcy to redouble her efforts, her interest now fully piqued.
"Hey, wait a second!" She calls, jogging to catch up to him. "I'm trying to talk to you!"
Abruptly he stops, turning and staring down at her.
And damn, he is tall.
He would be intimidating if he weren't so thin, she realizes.
"Would you leave me alone?" He asks, voice a sharp hiss. "Just leave me alone."
Darcy stares up at him, confusion etched across her features.
"I was only…" she starts, but he cuts her off again.
"Your friends sent you out here. Right? Because it's funny. Go talk to the weird kid, see what he does."
Darcy's brow creases.
"What? No, I…"
"Only it isn't funny to me." he talks over her once more. "I've been through this a few times too many and I'm afraid it's long since lost its appeal. So if you'll excuse me…"
He turns and again starts walking away.
For a moment, Darcy finds herself stunned, just watching him, wondering what the heck that was all about, before she comes back to herself and runs after him again.
"Hey, wait a second! Nobody sent me out here!" She calls, catching up to him once more and grabbing at his wrist.
Again, he freezes at the contact, but she doesn't let go, determined.
"I came over here 'cause you looked lonely and, I dunno, I felt bad. I always see you around the school and you're always by yourself. I just thought maybe you'd want someone to talk to or something."
For a moment, he doesn't move, staring ahead, silent.
And then, finally, he glances back down at her, eyes suspicious, and with that same hint of fear she'd first seen.
He tugs at the grip she has on his wrist.
"Please just let me go." He says.
She keeps her hold a long instant more, before at last she relents.
And this time, when he walks away, she doesn't chase after him.
/
The next time she sees Loki, she got his name from Thor during their fifth period algebra 2 class, is that same day, after school lets out, and she's hanging out with Jane and Tony in the student parking lot, waiting for Steve to show up and drive them all home. Convenient they all live in the same neighborhood.
She spots him walking across the space alongside Thor.
Thor is talking and laughing loudly, his muscled are swung and draped across his younger brothers thin shoulders. Loki has his gaze fixed to the ground, clutching a book to his chest with one arm, the other carrying his bag. He doesn't seem to respond to anything Thor is saying, but Thor keeps on talking anyway.
Darcy smirks. Typical Thor. Couldn't ask for a nicer guy, but damn, if he isn't self-absorbed sometimes.
She's still somewhat confused by her earlier encounter with the younger Odinson.
Loki had acted so afraid. And then that whole thing with him thinking her friends had sent her out there to, what, make fun of him or something? It was totally bizarre.
Seeing him next to Thor now, the contrast between them is even more stark, and Darcy once more finds herself having a hard time believing they're actually brothers.
But everyone knows they are.
Darcy's never actually seen it, but there's all kinds of gossip around the school about Thor kicking the crap out of anyone dumb enough to bully Loki while he's around. Apparently, Thor's been given after school detention so many times, he's set some kind of record.
Thor had acted suspicious of her when she'd asked him about Loki earlier, wanting to know why she was asking, and that had only caused Darcy to grow more curious about the younger sibling. Apparently, neither brother thought is plausible someone could actually be interested in Loki sincerely, and that just depressed Darcy.
She continues to watch as Thor and Loki reach Thor's truck, and the elder opens the passenger side door for his brother, waiting for Loki to get comfortably inside the cab.
He leans in a moment later, saying something to the smaller boy, and Darcy sees him reach up, pushing Loki's black hair gently back behind his ear, the action full of affection and kindness.
Loki just seems to bow his head. If he says anything back to Thor, Darcy can't make it out. And then Thor is closing the door and moving around to the drivers side, climbing in.
She sees him reach over and check Loki's seat belt, and feels her brow furrow slightly at the care and attention Thor seems to pay his little brother. She's heard of protective older siblings, but this seems extreme, in a way.
Satisfied, Thor starts the engine, and a moment later, they've taken off, disappearing out of sight shortly after.
"Darcy, are you even listening to me?" She hears Jane beside her suddenly, and she turns. Jane is glaring at her, exasperated.
"You were staring at Thor." She snaps. "You better not be thinking of making moves on my boyfriend." She sticks a finger in her face, waving it with mock hostility.
Darcy grins goofily.
"Actually, I was kinda checking out Loki."
For a moment, Jane looks confused.
"Loki? Thor's brother?"
Darcy nods.
"He's actually kinda cute, if you take the time to notice."
Jane's face scrunches up, like she's about to disagree.
But then the expression fades, and she shrugs.
"Ehe, I guess he's alright. But Darcy, I'm telling you, he's got the personality of a viper. Every time I've been over to Thor's house, his brother barely says a word to me, and he always just goes and hides in his room, like he can't stand the sight of me or something. It's no wonder he doesn't have any friends, if he acts like that."
Darcy frowns, looking back the way Thor and Loki had driven off.
"… Well maybe he's just shy." She muses quietly.
She hears Jane sigh.
"Darcy, I hope you aren't developing some kind of interest. First off, Thor's, like, UBER protective of him. I mean it. I was a little bit snide to him once, and I thought Thor was going to break up with me for it. He got so mad, giving me some lecture about how his brother is all sensitive and I shouldn't ever be mean to him. But Christ, he was mean to me first! And second of all, you start hanging out with Loki, that's like, social SUIDICE! Seriously, nobody likes him."
Darcy gives her a look.
"What?" Jane asks.
"Like I've ever cared what anyone thinks." Darcy replies simply. "And how can nobody like him when no ones ever given him a chance? That's just stupid."
And that, Jane considers, is definitely food for thought.
She sighs.
"Look, I'm just telling you, Loki's a weird kid. There's something… I dunno, wrong with him I think. Thor tells me he's got issues with depression or something and… well, you ever take a look at his wrists?"
Darcy looks at her confusedly.
Jane makes a slashing motion across the backs of her wrists, nodding as understanding lights in Darcy's eyes.
"Yup. Apparently he's tried to kill himself more than a couple times. Thor told me once, but he doesn't like to talk about it."
"Is that why he's so careful with him?" Darcy wonders absently, gazing back down the road.
"Huh?" She hears Jane ask.
"The way he handles him." Darcy explains, turning back to her. "Thor. He was handling his brother like he was some kinda china doll or something."
Jane shrugs.
"I dunno. Probably. I'm just saying, it's dangerous territory Darc. That kid's not okay. I know I'm being harsh, but I'm just looking out for you. I don't want you getting hurt."
"What are you two blabbing about?" Tony suddenly interjects, coming up behind them.
He'd run a minute ago to one of the vending machines to grab a soda.
"Nothing." Jane says, rolling her eyes at their unrealistically obnoxious friend.
"You were talking about Thor's kid brother, weren't you?" Tony accuses with a smirk.
"Maybe." Jane replies.
"Oh, he's a sweet kid." Tony replies, and both Jane and Darcy give him a surprised look.
Tony's grin widens and he nods.
"Yup. I ran into him in the bathroom a couple weeks ago. Eyes all red and puffy like he'd been crying." Tony gestures around his own face to indicate. "So I ask him if he's alright, and he tells me to go fuck myself before storming out. Like I said, sweet kid."
Jane sighs, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
"You know he's only twelve too, right Darcy?" She says.
"What? No way!" Darcy turns back to her. "How's he even in high school?"
"Smart kid too." Tony offers. "Apparently he skipped a few grades. I could've skipped a few grades too, but I woulda missed hanging out with my girls then!"
Jane shoves him against the shoulder, and Darcy smirks.
A moment later, Steve shows up, and they all end up piling into his car, idle chatter leading them onto other topics of conversation.
But Darcy's mind is still on Thor's little brother.
Only twelve? She never would've guessed to look at him. He was already several inches taller than her. But he did have that awkward, in the middle of a growth spurt look to him, and he was awfully skinny.
Her mind keeps wandering back to what Jane said though, about him trying to kill himself.
Twelve years old? And he's tried to commit suicide? And then there was his almost terrified reaction to her earlier on the back field, and Thor's suspicious reaction to her asking about him. The way Thor had touched Loki so gently, and handled him with such extreme attention and care.
And Darcy begins to wonder what the hell is going on.
She begins to wonder what, exactly, this kid's been through in his life.
Maybe Jane's right. Maybe it's a bad idea.
But Darcy can't help but feel the urge to talk to Loki again, somehow.
She doesn't know why.
Only that a moment later, she determines to do just that.
/
AN: So, I don't think this is going to turn into a romance between Loki and Darcy or anything. Probably just a friendship thing. But we'll see how it develops. Let me know what you guys thought, and thanks so much for reading!