Stark had always been infuriating, but somehow, he had become even worse since relocating to New York. Now he was a constant, incessant presence, demanding constant attention and resources Loki was sick of giving. Overcharging the man for services rendered had even begun to lose its shine.
Loki wanted to forget about Stark. He wanted to forget about everybody, and just lock himself away to brood for a few days. But as he stood on the sidewalk outside his building, he could look up and see lights that he hadn't left on. Sighing, Loki let himself into the building and trudged to the elevator, ready to just be done with the day. He leaned against the shiny, cold wall of the elevator, watching as the numbers ticked all the way up to his floor. When the door finally dinged open, it took him a few seconds to finally get moving, walking those last few steps as though walking to his death.
"What are you doing here?" he asked as he opened his door. He didn't even care who it was. He just wanted them gone.
"I am returning your DVDs, and helping myself to your secret snack stash," Darcy said from the kitchen.
Loki sighed. So much for getting rid of the intruder. He tossed his keys down onto the table and wandered over to the sofa, falling down onto it hard enough to make the frame crack ominously.
"Don't touch my ice cream," Loki muttered loudly.
"There are at least twenty gallons in there. You won't miss it," Darcy called back.
He heard the door slam shut, and then the clatter of dishes being pulled down from the shelf as Darcy helped herself to his food. A few moments later, she made her way out to the front room, but Loki continued to ignore her, assuming she'd be a sensible person and sit down in one of the chairs, or else go away entirely. Instead, she walked right up to the sofa and stood next to him, expectantly.
"Move," she said.
"No," Loki said back.
"Fine."
He expected her to try to move his feet out of the way, but instead she sat down right on his back. His spine cracked and popped under her weight, startling him more than anything. He tried to shove her off of him as he twisted out from under her until she finally got up. Accepting defeat, Loki sat up and let her sit down next to him.
"Here," Darcy said, handing him a plate, rather than the bowl he expected. The second plate, she kept for herself.
"This wasn't in the freezer," he said, looking down at the slice of marbled chocolate cheesecake.
"Nope. It was in the fridge. Take it," Darcy said.
Loki shook his head and pushed it away. "I don't want it," he said.
"Cheesecake always solves a crappy day," Darcy insisted, still holding the plate out for hhim to take.
"No," Loki said, leaning away to make it abundantly clear that he didn't want it.
"Seriously?" Darcy asked.
"I don't want it!" Loki shouted.
Darcy leaned away, her eyes wide behind her spectacles. "Okay," she said slowly. She put the plate down on the table and got up slowly. "Your DVDs are on the shelf. I'll bring your plate back when you're in a better mood."
She took her own slice of cheesecake away, leaving the apartment silently. Loki watched her go, both glad she was finally gone, and wondering why he had forced her out like that. He sat in a fuming silence, arms crossed over his chest as he hunched in on himself. The television remote was only a few feet away, but he couldn't even be bothered to grab it. He just sat in the oppressive silence he'd created for himself, staring at a blank television screen as Stark's nagging voice continued to echo in his ears.
Finally, hoping to drown him out entirely, Loki sat up and reached for the remote. As he turned on the television to whatever channel it had been left on, he sighed and grabbed the plate of cheesecake as well.