This is based off a prompt that cindy-df sent me and it turned into a full fledged oneshot!
The original prompt: Embarrassing holiday family Christmas stories (everyone has at least one)
Warning: I literally wrote this in about 2 hours. I'm sorry about all the mistakes and I'll look over it once I have more time :) I figured since it's Christmas, might as well post it now! Also: Contains high amounts of Confused!Loki and Inlove!Loki
Darcy sighed contently against her boyfriend's chest as they cuddled in front of the fire. His cheek was pressed against her hair, and one of his hands trailed down her arm.
"Mmm, remember our last Christmas?" She asked, pressing her lips to his jawline.
Loki stiffened and his eyes darkened as he let out a cold, "I'd rather not."
Giggling, Darcy turned around so that she was straddling his lap. "Why? I thought it was cute."
"How is what I did defined as cute?" Loki inquired, thoroughly confused, but enjoying the new development as Darcy kissed his nose.
"Because it's like a classic Christmas story. Boy woos girl, girl falls in love, boy and girl get together."
Loki rolled his eyes and trailed his hand down Darcy's spine. No. Last Christmas was a disaster, and he was going to make it up to her this year. Not that she really minded last year's gift (or should he say gifts), but the whole ordeal was utterly humiliating….
One Year Ago
Christmas. The word was foreign on his lips, and it just looked like to be another excuse for Midgardians to spend money. But if there was another thing that Christmas was associated with, it was love. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was in love with none other than the taser wielding brunette, Darcy Lewis.
She crept up on him (quite literally), one day when he was forced to go to Jane's apartment with Thor, and she offered him a spinach puff she made. He accepted it, not wanting to be rude, and since Jane and Thor were off in another room, she struck up a conversation.
They were friends. And odd friendship that consisted of talking at work and benevolent chatter at parties, but nothing more. He didn't understand when it happened, or even how, but his affection for Darcy grew until he was overwhelmed with the desire to declare his love.
He wasn't too popular with the women on Asgard—that bit was left to Thor, and he knew courting rituals were different here. December came, and the whole world was thrown into what was known as "Christmas spirit," making him see less and less of Darcy. She was busy with Christmas shopping for family and friends, and she was repeatedly invited to parties. They exchanged numbers so they texted a few times, but it wasn't the same.
Soon, the agony of not being near her was starting to sink in, and he finally decided to take matters into his own hands. After hearing the '12 Days of Christmas,' on the radio and from frequent observation, it seemed that the tradition during Christmas was to shower your beloved with gifts. It seemed simple and romantic enough; he just wondered how Midgardian men earned enough to have twelve days worth of presents! For Loki, that wasn't a problem since SHIELD gave him and Thor full access credit cards, so he set off to work as soon as he could.
He would make her love him. He had to.
Xxx
December 13th
When Darcy awoke that morning, she did her usual routine. Coffee, watch whatever episode she DVRed the previous night, and go to work. This schedule was interrupted by a strange package at the front of her door as she was heading out, causing her to almost trip.
It was a small rectangular box; no longer than a chocolate bar, so she threw it quickly into her purse wondering who it was from. Probably some relative who she wouldn't be able to see this Christmas.
Stepping into her cubicle, she relieved a sigh as warmth filled her, and she hung her coat on the back of her chair and undid her scarf. Remembering the gift, she withdrew it and placed it on her desk, examining it carefully. The wrapping paper was simple: red with a bow. It didn't say who it was from, just her address neatly printed out in the corner.
Carefully hooking a finger under the neatly done wrapping, she tore it open, and she gave a small yelp.
An iPod? But who…She stood up from her cubicle and looked back and forth for some sort of sign of her secret Santa. But everyone was still filing into work, and no one even spared her a second look.
"Darce?" Jane asked, coming from behind, holding a clipboard. Not expecting Jane, Darcy jumped, almost dropped the iPod from her hands.
Jane gave a low whistle as she gazed at the present in Darcy's hands. "Nice. From your dad?"
"I have no idea!" Darcy exclaimed, giving the box a violent shake as if it would reveal its secrets. "It was on my doorstep this morning. It doesn't have a return address."
"Looks like you've got a secret admirer," Jane sang, inspecting the wrapping paper. "Hey, what's this?" She asked, smoothing down the paper so that the small bit of writing could be seen.
"Day One," Jane read aloud. "I hope this iPod meets your needs. More to come in the future."
"More to come?!" Darcy squeaked, beet red. "What does that mean?! Only a few people know SHIELD took my iPod and I've been saving up for a new one ever since…"
"Well whoever it is, they must be rich," Jane laughed, taking the iPod. "An iPod touch no less."
Swiping it from her hands, Darcy muttered, "As soon as I find out who sent it, I'm sending it back. I can't possibly accept this."
Xxx
December 14th
The next day, Darcy was greeted with two piping hot cups of Starbucks coffee. Two of which were her favorite flavors.
On one of the cups, it read: Day Two: To warm your heart on a cold morning.
"They must know you well," Jane remarked as Darcy spun into work.
She groaned. "That only makes me more frustrated. I could've been talking to them yesterday and they could be sitting behind their phone cackling at my confusion! It's not you, is it?" Darcy quickly accused, giving Jane a glare.
Jane threw back her head and laughed. "Honey, I can't afford all that stuff even with the paycheck SHIELD pays me."
Darcy grumbled as she sipped the coffee.
Xxx
December 15th
Darcy didn't even bother getting ready before she swung open her door that morning. Three muffins. All in different flavors that were neatly bundled into a gift basket. She was beginning to catch on to what her secret admirer was doing; she just hoped she was wrong.
"Day Three: Something delicious to start your day," she read on the festive card, trying to decipher the handwriting. Unfortunately, it was a preprinted font.
Xxx
December 16th
"You'll have to thank Darcy's secret admirer for the tickets," Jane giggled as they stood on line for The Hobbit. Thor looked absolutely thrilled to be seeing it (he saw the trilogy and asked if Middle Earth existed, and he was severely disappointed that it wasn't) And Jane and Darcy were also fans. The fourth member of their party wasn't as quite excited, but he observed the group with mild amusement.
"I mean, you could see it before the trilogy, technically, but you won't understand why we're freaking out," Darcy said to Loki who shrugged. He was just happy to be invited; to be able to sit near Darcy, especially since she was blissfully unaware that he was the one sending her all the gifts.
She texted him the day she received the iPod, but she didn't even question if it was him.
"What did the card say this time?" Jane asked, grabbing an extra large popcorn for Thor.
"Day Four: Christmas is a time to spend with friends," Darcy recited with the puff of her cheeks.
"Nothing else?"
"Nope. It's always printed out, too. Like I'll figure out their handwriting instantly or something."
"Weird," Loki remarked, as he brushed past her.
Xxx
December 17th
The package Darcy received that morning was much too large to bring to work, so she disdainfully had to leave it home, making her wonder all day with agony.
The first thing she did when she got home was tear the box open, and she gave a scream at the contents. She hoped her neighbors wouldn't be too worried, but she had every right to freak out. Grabbing her phone, she placed it on the ground to call Jane as she hit speakerphone.
"JANE!" Darcy shrieked, tearing open each of the five gifts.
"What's in it?!" Jane asked hurriedly, hearing the rustle of paper in the background.
"Five. Fucking. Pieces. Of. Jewelry."
"By the tone of your voice, it sounds expensive," Jane sighed dreamily.
"Yes! Very! It's Tiffany & Co."
"Sooo what did he get you?"
"A pair of earrings, necklace, two bracelets, and a chunky ring."
"All gold?"
"The ring is silver?" Darcy offered hopefully, but her eyes were still bugging at the sight of the diamond embedded in the necklace. "This has to be a joke. Who the hell spends this much on a Christmas gift, let alone Christmas gifts? This must be thousands of dollars."
"Hopefully he reveals himself by the end of the twelfth day," Jane said, still laughing into the phone.
"You really think it's the twelve days of Christmas?" Darcy groaned.
"It has to be. It makes sense. The gifts started on December 13th. Add twelve, you get 25."
Almost growling into the phone, Darcy said, "This needs to stop. Now."
"Oh, I almost forgot to ask! What does the card say?"
"Day Five: You're beautiful as it is, but hopefully these will compliment your beauty."
"Aw…"
"Shut up."
Xxx
December 18th
Since it was Saturday, Darcy took the opportunity to sleep in, and to her surprise, there was no present at her doorstep. Part of her heart dropped, but another part was relieved. She didn't know how much more she would be able to take of these gifts. The jewelry was carefully stuffed under her bed—she rarely wore flashy jewelry and it just felt wrong to be wearing a gift from a sender she didn't even know.
She spent the next few hours binging on Christmas movies, and it was just getting to her favorite part in Love Actually, when the doorbell rang. Weird. She wasn't expecting visitors. Luckily she was wearing a baggy sweater, so she put the movie on pause and went to answer the door.
"Merry Christmas! Is this the residence of Ms. Lewis?" A cheery man asked, who was reading off a card.
"Uh…Yeah. It is. Who're you guys?" Darcy asked, counting the six men in front of her. Six. Her eyes brightened at the realization.
"We're a caroling sextet, we give carol grams! And you, my dear, are receiving one right now. Alright boys…" The man began, blowing into a pitch pipe.
"I don't want a lot for Christmas, there's just one thing I need…" They began, and Darcy had to keep herself from blushing as she squirmed uncomfortably.
The song was ending, and they faded off into, "All I want for Christmas is you baby…"
Clapping, Darcy thanked each of them and accepted the card. "Wait!" She called, as they were about to leave. "I was wondering if you could tell me who sent this. He's been sending me gifts for the past six days and it's been driving me crazy."
"That's against policy, sorry!" One of them said, winking as they waved goodbye.
Day Six: I believe the song says it all.
Xxx
December 24th
For the next five days, the gifts kept coming, and Christmas was getting closer. Darcy was trying to pinpoint who it could be, but her guess was still up in the air even though she got more people involved.
Currently, she was at Tony Stark's Christmas Eve party, and dressed to the nines hoping that her mystery man would be here. She had on all the jewelry he sent, plus the killer dress (accompanied by other articles of clothing), and a pair of stilettos.
"Can't your godly super powers see into people's minds?" Darcy asked, tugging at Loki's sleeve as she scanned the large room. They were at the top of the staircase, leaning against the rail, and Darcy was fervently trying to see if anyone was looking at her.
"If anyone's looking at you, it's because you look stunning," Loki said, trying to prevent her from falling off the rail. "And no, I can't see into people's minds. Besides, what would be the fun in that?"
"It's so frustrating!" Darcy exclaimed, taking two fistfuls of her hair, temporarily forgetting that it was curled and done up. "You try living in torture for eleven—almost twelve-days! I'm going to find who it is and send it all back."
"But you're wearing it tonight," Loki observed.
"That's only to get a reaction. I can't exactly spit up all the food, but I can pay him back!"
"It seems like he really likes you, though. Isn't this what true love's do for each other during Christmas time? Albeit, they probably know the receiver but—"
"What?!" Darcy cried, breaking out into laughter. "Where did you hear that from? Was Tony screwing around with you again?"
"What about the song '12 Days of Christmas'?" Loki asked carefully, dread slowly creeping up. It was quite possible he made himself into a bigger fool than he intended. Yes, he fully expected to be laughed at by the end of everything, but it seems like he got the concept entirely wrong.
"It's just a song! If everyone gave each other that much stuff, we'd all be broke. Hmm. I wonder if it's Tony. But that'd be weird, he's with Pepper. He's the only one I know well who can afford all this stuff… Maybe he's knows someone else in his rich-circle of friends. Oh, there he is! I'll be right back, okay?" And so Darcy sped off, carefully trying to maneuver herself in her stilettos.
Loki sighed. Only he would manage to screw Christmas up. It would be day twelve tomorrow. He went this far already, might as well finish what he started.
Xxx
December 25th
Darcy yawned. Even though Tony's party proved to be unsuccessful in finding her gift-giving culprit, it was a lot of fun, and she took the opportunity to sleep in on Christmas.
Putting a boiling pot of milk on the stove for hot chocolate, she danced around her kitchen in her fuzzy robe, singing to Christmas music. Her phone beeped a few times; text messages from friends wishing her a Merry Christmas, and she was reminded that today was the last day.
The twelfth day. She stared hesitantly at her door, wondering what there would be twelve of. Yesterday (thankfully) were eleven pieces of Godiva chocolate.
Tiptoeing to the door, she cracked it open slightly to see if there was a package waiting for her. Nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, she closed the door. Maybe they'll reveal themselves in person.
Darcy threw on a blouse and did her makeup in preparation for her family get together. When she finally sat down on the couch, her phone began to ring. Without looking at the caller, she answered with a "Hello?"
"Darcy?"
"Loki?" Darcy asked in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was wondering if you're home."
"Uh…Yeah. I'm going out in a half an hour, but I'm home. Why? Are you my secret admirer?" She joked, but he already hung up. Looking at her phone in puzzlement, she was about to call him again when the doorbell rang.
Bolting from her seat, she answered it, and she stepped back in shock at the sight before her. "…Loki?" She exclaimed, looking at the twelve Loki's in front of her doorstep, each holding the same card.
"Day Twelve," They said at once. "I'm in love with you. Merry Christmas, Darcy Lewis."
Mouthing forming into an 'o' shape, Darcy held her hand in front of her lips, trying to find what words to say.
In an instant, the apparitions vanished, leaving the original Loki standing in front of her. He handed her the card, giving her a sad smile. "I'm sorry that I did Christmas wrong…It seems I am not quite yet familiar with Midgardian customs. If I've caused you any embarrassment on my behalf, I truly am sorry. Know that all my feelings are real, though and if you want to return anything—"
It seemed as if the world stopped in that moment. Darcy launched herself into his arms, and he immediately reacted by catching her around the waist. She pressed her lips to his and said in between kisses, "You. Stupid. Idiot."
Cradling her face, Loki broke into a huge grin. "I'm confused again," he admitted. "You're okay with this?"
"Of course I am," she said, nuzzling into his chest, guiding them into her house. "You did all of this for me," she breathed in a small voice. "Not once did it cross my mind that it was you. But I'm glad it is."
"Really?"
"Truly," she affirmed, kissing him again. "Merry Christmas, Loki."
Happy Holidays, everyone :)