So this takes place after the first Avengers, before any of the events in T:TDW. I have kept some nuances, like Jane smacking Loki when they first meet, little bits like that.

Also Loki is a bit more accepting of Thor in this. He's more emotionally along shall we say, simply because I know I can't write him that well *cries*. I know this whole fic is probably one big cliché, but that's life kiddos.

Warnings are language and adult situations. Do enjoy.

Oh no, did I get too close oh?
Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?

Darcy was breathing loudly next to him. It grated on his skin, a dagger slice to each of his nerves. Why couldn't humans do anything quietly?

"Fuck, this sucks." She muttered, and though he remained silent, he concurred. To be in this little metal contraption, in the dark, for who knew how long...a hellish experience to say the least. So much for the famed riches of Tony Stark. The man couldn't even have properly working technology in a building he himself owned. When Fury had moved the operation into a Stark compound, Loki at least thought the basics would have been guaranteed.

"Where are the fucking lights? God, SHIELD is so useless." Well, he certainly wouldn't be arguing that point with her. He was little more than a prisoner, though without the cage. He tapped his finger lightly on the metal cuff on his leg, under the ankle of his boot. No cage but still kept track of, like an animal in the wild, the illusion of free will dangled in front of him when truthfully he was the star of their twisted little reality show.

"I'm going to kill Jane. I don't care if she loves her work, or how important it is. I don't even like it that much. God, she's dead. Loki, are you listening? She. Is. Dead."

Loki sighed. "Yes Darcy, I, and every other person in the entire two block radius, heard you."

It hadn't been that horrible, to be frank. After his capture, Thor had made the decision for him to stay first on earth and pay for his crimes, rather then sending him directly to Asgard. Fury had given him a bit of slack on the leash, no doubt in an effort to keep on friendly terms with Thor, and he had been authorized to consult Jane on her continuing work for SHIELD. His quarters were on the floor below the lab she was working in, and though he wasn't allowed to go anywhere else in the building and most definitely not outside of it, it made for a welcome change from the glass cage he'd previously been in at Fury's hands.

In the time since then, Thor had been earnest and eager when it came to their relationship. Having time to reflect, Loki had come to the basic conclusion that his anger rested not with Thor- after all, he'd had no true idea of Loki's parentage either- but with Odin. Thor was here, trying to help him, and as his friends were in drastic short supply, Loki was softer in regards to his brother than he usually would have been. Though he wasn't exactly thrilled to admit this, he did take Thor's efforts to rehabilitate him more to heart.

Not that he'd ever truly be "saved", at least not in the pure sense that Thor was after, but there had to be something left in him, if there were people willing to give him a second chance. Perhaps the bad would always outweigh the good, and his past actions were blatantly unforgivable, and perhaps one day Thor would see that. However, he had the chance to live in the now, and he would seize that while he could.

Loki was not fool enough to believe that he could remain here, away from Asgard, forever. No doubt Odin would construct a truly hellish punishment, one where which, in the end, Loki would beg for death. There was not much to look forward to. A sentence on Midgard did not seem so bad in comparison to what awaited him.

He never spoke more than was necessary, and he certainly wasn't on friendly terms with Jane or Darcy. But he had learnt to coexist with them. They were rather entertaining, if truth be told. Well, Darcy was, at least. With her vulgar language that often made Jane blush, her loud music, and her refusal to fall in line with every one of Fury's directives. Still, he had made it clear that he was the monster under the bed and they were to fear him. They weren't to trust him, and though Thor treated him as he had when they were children, he sensed that Jane and Dacry- and the whole of SHIELD- still hadn't put the whole New York fiasco behind them. Well, they could join the line.

Darcy had been somewhat hesitant to get on the elevator, when she realized it would just be the two of them. He still made her uncomfortable. He didn't know if he was glad about that or not, and this confusion alone angered him. She had taken a deep breath, as though steeling herself, and stepped inside, immediately reaching for the hand rail. He wondered why she hadn't opted to take the stairs, but if she were off on an errand, thirty flights of stairs probably wasn't her idea of a good time.

The look on her face as the elevator came to a complete stand still, and the lights began to flicker, was enough to arouse sympathy even in him. She was truly and utterly terrified. Usually, the fear of others elated him. For some reason, he just felt...bad for her. And then, the breathing had started. She'd slid down onto the floor, and unconsciously, he'd joined her. Blindly, in the dark, she'd reached out for him, grabbing his arm (thank the Allfather that's all she could reach).

Gods, it'd been so long since he'd felt somebody touch him, somebody other than his mother or Thor. That somebody on this forsaken planet wasn't repulsed by him, had in fact reached for him, caused a lump to form in his throat.

He cocked his head to the side, eyeing her. Here she was, a mere mortal, a weakling, so puny and small under his metaphorical boot...she was, ah, what was the term? Freaking out. Having a full blown panic attack, and she hadn't tried to hide it from him. The hand that grasped his arm was like a vice.

Why would she do this? Display so much vulnerability to him, of all people? It was unwise to reveal a weakness to an enemy.

"Talk, dammit. Say something." Her voice came out cracked, in between raspy breaths.

He raised an eyebrow. "What would you have me speak about?"

She shook her head, her grip on him tighter, if anything. "Anything. Your voice...it helps."

And that's when it dawned on him.

She didn't think of him as her enemy.

oooo

"Darce!" Jane was waiting with the crew when they pried the doors open, and the workers reached for Darcy first. He watched as Darcy returned Jane's hug before turning, waiting for Loki to climb out.

He did so with as much grace as he could, and when he strode past her, he caught a smile from her. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch, his instinct to return the gesture. Jane watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow, but then Darcy was gone, and Jane turned to follow Loki to the lab.

"So you survived your first Darcy Lewis panic attack, huh?" Jane said, as the guard at the door let them both in.

Loki shrugged once, making no reply.

"Well I just hope you didn't say anything to her." Jane chuckled. "once, Erik tried to talk her down, and she punched him in the face."

Against his will, Loki turned to Jane, his expression interested.

"It's true," Jane nodded, "broke his nose. If he wouldn't have touched her, it probably wouldn't have been so bad. Course, he was just trying to help. Actually I'm surprised that she even took the elevator," Jane mused, opening the top drawer of her desk and searching inside for something, "she hates them."

Loki thought back to when the doors opened and Darcy stood there, that sick look on her face. Had it been the elevator itself, and not him, that she was displeased with? And clearly his voice hadn't brought her to violence (though he was sure Darcy was not the first person to punch Selvig in the face), and though he most certainly hadn't initiated any physical contact, Darcy had held onto him as though he were the only thing keeping her grounded. A conundrum indeed.

"Ah, here we are." Jane held out a Polaroid picture for Loki to take.

It was a picture of Selvig, his nose bent at on odd angle, blood spurting from both his nostrils. Again, against his will, Loki found himself far more intrigued than he should be. He vaguely wondered if Jane smacking him upon their first meeting was because of her friend's influence. Darcy indeed had some fire in her, something he always appreciated.

"She's..." Loki trailed off, and Jane chuckled again, giving a knowing nod. "Yep, one of a kind, our Darce."

Loki couldn't bring himself to disagree.

oooo

Sometimes, Darcy loved everything about herself. She was damn proud of how far she'd come in her life. She'd graduated near the top of her class, her shiny degree proudly displayed on the wall behind her computer at the lab. She'd survived a goddamn alien attack on her planet, she'd met people from another realm, and she even considered herself a close and personal friend of the prince of Asgard.

Well, one of them, anyway. She would have very much liked to say that she and Loki were as close as she and Thor, but that would be a big fat fudging lie. Sure Loki tolerated her, as most people eventually learned to. But that was probably more because of the small amount of freedom Director Fury had given him, and he didn't want to tip the scales too much back out of that favor.

But, he had been cool about the, uh, incident in the elevator. She had no idea why small spaces like that freaked her out. It had been something that hadn't started to really bother her until college, and then it'd gotten a million times worse when she started working for Jane. She really should've taken the stairs, but if she had waited until she'd gotten back from the usual noon coffee run to take the elevator (she was so not tripping up thirty some odd flights of stairs in her new boots and with armful of coffee in the name of science, thanks), it would've been so much worse. So brilliant plan as usual, Darce, she scolded herself as the elevator doors slid open. She was glad that she wasn't in it alone, especially once the piece of shit had gotten stuck. Oh man, she was sending Happy, Tony, Coulson, and Pepper a memo about that now.

And other times, Darcy hated that she had no filter. She'd tried to be better, these past few years, but taking everything so seriously all the time like Nick Fury did, man, she wasn't cut out for that. Life wasn't a party, she knew, but what was the point if you couldn't laugh at yourself- and everybody else? She knew she joked more than she should, and though her work was top-notch, her professionalism was, to say the least, super lacking. But she worked hard, and even if a lot of people didn't think so, she was smart. Had to be. She couldn't just flash a pretty smile in size two jeans and get what she wanted, a truth she'd learned to accept long ago. So she made do in other ways, in her own ways. Often, that led to, simply, disaster. As it had in this case.

Tears stung at her eyes, and she felt like she wanted to punch something. Or someone. Either would do. She hadn't exactly expected to get anywhere with Steve, no, he was too wholesome, and honestly, her advances had mostly been rooted in jokes, but his blatant rejection still made her cringe. Thank god nobody was around to see her humiliation. How would she face him ever again? Well, she couldn't have good ol' Captain America thinking he'd really effected her.

The cocktail party was just a gathering of, you know, earth's finest heroes and those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep their world safe. All of the Avengers were there, and she'd met them on several occasions, even chatted with them. Dare she say she considered some of them her friends? So her off the collar remark about whether the rest of Cap was as solid as his shield, well, it didn't hit the hilarity mark as much as she hoped it would.

Steve had taken her aside and told her, very clearly, that he wasn't interested in her like that. He was nice about it, of course, as if he'd be anything else. He was her friend, but just that, and she shouldn't be worrying about that anyway, not with the important work Jane was doing. That's where her focus should be. Ah, Jane. Of course. It was always Jane, wasn't it? Or, at the very least, Jane's work. She'd left him before he could start in on a lecture about patriotism and helping others, or what the hell ever he felt he needed to hop on his soap box for.

She sighed. This was so not the life she pictured for herself when Jane had begged her to come along to SHIELD. Her poli-sci degree had proved useless so far, but working with Jane had brought her a sense of fulfillment, that maybe somehow she was contributing to the cause.

Now she wasn't even sure what that cause was. Aliens, gods, superheros, Nick Fury and his security paranoia (not that she could really blame him). She didn't think her inputting Jane's data, doing coffee runs, and basically just being Jane's shoulder to cry on while Thor was away, was doing much good for the world. But she stayed because Jane was her family, and working for SHIELD was better than going back to Butthole, New Mexico to listen to her parents gripe about how she should've either become a doctor or married one.

She'd found a quiet alcove, so when Jane interrogated her later about disappearing, she could at least say she'd still been at the party, just out of the way. Jane typically knew when Darcy was lying, so she did her best to keep to the truth enough that Jane wouldn't worry too much. If Jane knew how humiliated Darcy was, she'd march off and slap Steve Rogers herself, although Darcy sure as hell wouldn't mind seeing that!

"Jane will be looking for you." He shook her out of her reverie, approaching her so quietly that she hadn't heard him until he was right in front of her.

Ever princely, Loki had worn a pair of soft, leather pants, boots to his knees, and a deep emerald tunic with gold embroidery. His long hair was tucked behind his ears, brushing his collar. She had to admit that damn, they knew how to make them in Asgard. Or Jotunheim, in this case.

"Nah, she's two glasses of wine in and probably draped over her boy toy at this point."

Loki's grimace told her she was right; ha! Did she know her friends or what?

"Well, one must wonder what the usual life of the party is doing on her own."

Darcy shrugged. "I just...needed some air. And I'm not, you know. Not really. I don't actually like parties all that much."

"You?" Loki raised an eyebrow.

"It's true! Although I am hilarious and who wouldn't want to get down with this?" But her voice lacked any real conviction. It was this that caused Loki to hesitate for only a second before taking a seat next to her.

"Well, perhaps the rest of this, ah, crew, will be alright for a few moments. Miss Potts and Jane seemed to be giving a valiant effort at crowd control."

"If only we could all be Janes or Peppers instead of lowly, insignificant Darcys." Darcy rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but Loki sensed some underlying bitterness to her words. He gave her a long look, noting that her eyes seemed rather wet, and that her pallor was flushed. He jolted himself; why did he care so much? If nobody else was bothered about her, why in Valhalla should he be?

"I know that sounds so mature. And I should be happy to be here, right?" She turned to him, awed, as always, by his height. She had to look over and up to meet his eyes, surprised by what she saw there. He was actually listening to her. Not mocking her, not regarding her like a spoiled kid. She saw no pity, of course, but there was permission. Permission to talk, permission to feel.

"Jane picked me, you know? I mean, out of everybody and anybody she could have wanted to work with her, she picked me! It's flattering. And I love her, we totally have that sisters vibe going on. But this place, with all these people who aren't just people, you know what I mean? I don't think it's my scene at all."

"That," Loki said, giving her his trademark mischievous smirk, "is not a bad thing." Darcy held his green stare for a moment, trying to swallow down the butterflies that unexpectedly fluttered against her rib cage. Not a good train of thought, Darce...

"God I sound so pathetic! Yuck. I'd better get a drink or something. Or a pizza. Yes, pizza."

"Well I don't think Tony Stark (Darcy noted this name came out dripping with sarcasm, and it made her smile, just a little) would serve pizza at one of his famed cocktail parties, but I believe I did see a table of hors d'ourves just around the corner."

"Ugh, that involves walking." Darcy indicated the high heels she was wearing. Loki averted his eyes, trying not to follow the length of her pale leg up to the short hem of her dress. She looked...different, more made-up, then she did in a daily basis in the lab. Of course she did, it was a party, after all. All of them were far more formal than usual. It was odd, but he sort of missed her glasses and preferred knit head wear.

He wondered what Darcy could see in Jane and Pepper that would ever be better than herself, as was clear from her own words. Certainly they were different in their shapes, Darcy shorter in stature and more voluptuous than either Jane or Potts. Her midriff, as he'd seen on more than one occasion as she reached to a high cupboard or filling cabinet, was not entirely flat under the waist of her usual jeans, and her chest was far more ample than either woman. He wondered if this was what she was referring to, and if she would ever consider those negative things. Did she not know how truly lovely she was?

And just when, exactly, had he begun to think so? His lip curled and he crossed his arms over his chest. Ha! Him, thinking anything of the sort about a Midgardian? Honestly, this entire planet was affecting his sense of reason.

"Maybe if-" Darcy began but Loki shook his head curtly, already knowing where her train of thought was going.

"I will not carry you."

Darcy mock glared at him. "Party pooper." She muttered under her breath, before slipping her heels off and carrying them in one hand. "See if I bring you any pigs in a blanket."

The born and bred gentleman inside him (yes, it was still there, just under the thirst for ultimate power, for battle) was just about to rise and offer to get the food for her when she turned back, giving him a slow smile over her shoulder. Her eyes were clear, now, her full lips a feast for his eyes.

For the first time since he came to Midgard, Loki grinned back.

oooo

Though he would admit (grudgingly, and not without the assistance of an air sick bag) that Jane and Thor were probably the closest definition to soul mates in any of the realms, he thought the Jane Fosters of this world- and any other- were too...easy. Of course she was beautiful. One looking at her could not help but notice that. She had made a lasting name for herself in the intellectual community, and was loyal, and a host of other things that Loki, even with all his distaste towards her race, could recognize.

But she was no challenge, no puzzle. There were no layers to Jane Foster, and perhaps that was something Thor liked about her. His brother was open like that; what you see is what you get. It stood to reason that the woman he loved would be the same. Pepper was perhaps more a mystery than Jane, but clearly much more inclined to psychosis. Only somebody severely deranged (and he was an expert on the matter, he liked to think) could be in love with Tony Stark. Pepper was undoubtedly a very powerful woman, running nearly the entirety of a conglomerate and doing so brilliantly (though he would never admit that to her face). Loki was one to respect (behind closed doors, obviously) power.

So, even though Darcy was right where Jane and Pepper's significance were concerned, she was most certainly wrong about her own worth. Darcy was no Jane, no Pepper, no anybody but herself, and therein lied the most important thing Loki needed, and was more, wanted, to know about her.

He was not sure where his clearly misplaced instinct to comfort her had come from. Perhaps it was because he saw something of himself in her- not truly belonging to the world you were thrust in. He knew it was foolish; she was not his to comfort and out of comfort came the desire to protect. Him, protect her? Protect anything? That was Thor's game, he and his Avengers. Loki did not protect. He brought destruction.

Everybody looked at him as some kind of monster, and he would readily agree with their assessments. However, very few stopped to think that possibly he himself had been manipulated and controlled. That Thanos had held a knife against his throat, just as he'd done to Earth's. Never mind that Barton himself had killed plenty, under the same noose that Loki was. No, it was much simpler for them to paint him as a truly evil mastermind, the plain-as-day enemy.

Except, Darcy did not feel that way, did she? Not only had she trusted him in a moment of fear, she had in fact sought his comfort. Their typical work days were not so unpleasant, and though she spoke the most out of anybody he had ever met, the chatter was not unwelcome. Jane's attempts at conversation were well and good, but one did not want to hear about Midgardian science the whole day.

If he had to deduce it, to place a label to it, Darcy Lewis was worth more than any other human he'd met so far.

oooo

Ugh, she was so stupid. Darcy Lewis, fuck up extraordinaire. Not only had she completely embarrassed herself and ruined what could have been a nice friendship with Steve, but now she'd practically sobbed on Loki's shoulder!

Which was worse? she mused, as she got out of the private car Tony had placed at her disposal. The driver held the door open and watched as she got safely inside the lobby of her apartment building. All SHIELD employees lived within a five mile radius of the office, and though Fury would prefer everybody to live on-site, Darcy just couldn't stand being cooped up in the place she worked 24/7. As a compromise, Fury had security on her building around the clock, but she wasn't really complaining. Couldn't be too careful these days.

It struck her that one of the villains they were all so scared of, so worried about, well, she might just have developed the teensiest, tinieist, crush on. Loki had listened to her, had actually found her at the party, which was more than she could say for any of her other friends. Thor and Jane were understandably wrapped up in each other, but Happy and Maria were people she considered to be close with. She'd often got caught up talking with Dr. Cho as well, when they ran into each other near the coffee pot or vending machines. She thought, once more, of Loki's green eyes and cunning smirk, and of the genuine smile he'd given her as she went to get food for herself. In all the months he'd been on earth, in all the days she'd seen him, he'd never smiled that like.

Yeah. Teeniest crush.

Ugh, she was so stupid.

lyrics used are from Unconditionally by Katy Perry.