May 4th, 2013

Glasses? Check.

Purse? Check.

Confidence? Not so much.

Darcy swept a piece of flyaway hair behind her ear as she assessed herself in front of the mirror. Today was the start of her fourth week in the Big Apple, aka New York City. Her phone call with Jane progressed to an offer of a full-time job as her assistant. Although Jane was supposed to keep hush-hush about working for SHIELD (The higher-ups became interested in her work on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge and offered her their resources and she gladly went on board) She assured Darcy that it was okay since she knew about Thor and Asgard. Jane said that she could really use an assistant, so after a couple phone calls with SHIELD, Darcy had the clearance to move to New York.

So after a tearful and heartfelt goodbye from her parents, Darcy said goodbye New Meico, hello New York! Jane met her at the airport looking pretty as ever in a simple cream dress, with a huge smile on her face. They embraced, and Jane ushered her into a yellow taxi as they sped to Darcy's new apartment. Apparently SHIELD wanted to keep their agents safe (even if said agent was only there to provide coffee and sarcastic comments), so living arrangements came with the job. Darcy had no complaints—house hunting was a chore, and she didn't want to impose on Jane and Thor.

Jane told her how much they've progressed in the past year; they're getting closer and closer every day. And not to mention Tony Stark was chipping in when he wasn't saving the world.

"Can you believe it, Darcy? Tony Stark. Iron Man is interested in my work! He's been such a big help even though astrophysics isn't his thing. And he said if I needed to build anything, his resources are available!"

According to Jane, SHIELD said that she had three weeks to settle in and she could report in on her fourth week. Jane said she'd come by at 10 to pick her up and show her around the headquarters and her new office space.

Brushing down her work clothes again, and triple-checking to make sure there was no lint on her new black pencil-skirt, she breathed out and proceeded out her bathroom. Her phone gave a small ding with a message from Jane telling her that she was here.

It was a sunny day in the city and the concrete streets glistened since it rained last night. Darcy stepped into the lobby of her apartment building, and was greeted by Jane in her business suit. Tucked under her arm was a physics textbook in a black binding.

"Ready?"

"I'm not sure. Working with superheroes and a secret organization is still trying to seep into my brain."

Jane laughed as they walked out of the building, lacing her arm with Darcy's. "You'll get used to it—trust me. It's actually pretty normal, if you take out all the inter-dimensional science and superpowers." Darcy rolled her eyes with a smile forming at her lips. Only Jane would say that working with a God of Thunder is normal. Might as well call it magic. How did Thor's hammer even work? Was Pikachu inside of it so he could summon thunder whenever he wanted?

"…And Thor said you're welcome to talk to him if you're ever feeling uncomfortable." Darcy listened to Jane with an on and off ear, knowing she was rambling to make her feel more at ease.

Jane hailed a cab, but it wasn't a yellow one. It was a sleek black, like the one business people used. Darcy stepped in, and jumped back in alarm to see a man in a suit sitting on the opposite end.

"Hello Miss Lewis. Welcome to your first day at SHIELD." Darcy tentatively slipped in while Jane took the front seat and shut the door.

"You're the guy who stole my iPod!" She blurted out. Probably not the best thing to say on her first day of work, but it slipped out anyway. Agent Coulson showed no emotion other than his eerie calm smile and continued.

"I believe we apologized for that and you're new job should provide for a new one in time." Well, she actually got one as a goodbye present from Jane, but she didn't bother mentioning it.

"Anyway, I believe Miss Foster already told you some basic guide lines for working with us. I'm here to solidify that." He pulled a clipboard from his briefcase and handed it to her. "A copy of these guidelines will be sent to your company email for to look over at any time. Now, if you would please read it over and sign at the bottom."

Darcy scanned it to get the general gist. It pretty much consisted of three things: One, keep it secret. Two, SHIELD has full access to any of her possessions and files to keep everything secure. Three, Any funny business will result in a direct firing and possible memory wipe. Okay, no sweat. How hard could a secretary be anyway? It's not like she'd be directly talking with The Avengers and finding out all their weaknesses and dirty secrets.

She took the dangling pen attached to the clipboard and signed a messy Darcy Lewis at the bottom and handed the clipboard back to Coulson.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I believe Miss Foster will take it from here. If you have any questions on the guidelines, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Yes sir," She said as they unloaded from the car. A serious looking black building stood in front of her with three steel doors at the front, guarded by two security guards.

Agent Coulson signaled to them that she was with him and Jane so they let her get in without a fancy key card. She noticed that they both put on their badges as they walked into the steel doors.

The interior was frighteningly normal as Jane put it. At the front was a desk that looked like a visitor's information station with several couches and coffee tables on the opposite side. The ceiling held modern light fixtures that were held by a steel cable and then a lamp. In the center were two large elevators and behind was a glass staircase. Overall, it was quite posh and breathed efficiency.

"We're the 7th floor down," Jane said as she slid in her key-card and pushed a button. "As soon as I show you to your office, we'll get your official documents so you can at least use the bathroom!"

"We need a card to use the bathroom? What's someone going to do, rig the pipes so it explodes on the next person?"

"That would be an excellent suggestion, but for perhaps something less…Distasteful?" The doors opened up and a dark-haired man in a business suit stepped onto the elevator with them. Dark hair. Pale skin. Green eyes. No…It couldn't be. His hair was definitely shorter than on the news…But…

"Loki! Good morning!" Jane smiled and handed him the physics book that she was carrying. "I was going to stop by the lab and give it to you then, but might as well."

"Thank you, Jane. Hopefully this will help me understand more so we can speed the process along."

"Oh please, you're plenty smart! We just have to find a way to harness enough energy into a capacitor to…."

Did she just step into the Twilight zone? Was this not the evil horned dude who tried to take over their world a year ago? Did he have a good twin or something? She didn't recall Thor mentioning a third brother…And why the hell was Jane so friendly with the guy who tried to kill Thor.

"I was actually on my way to your lab; I had some papers to deliver to Mr. Selvig and I wanted to discuss some variations in the blueprints you finished the other day."

Darcy was pretty sure she was doing a good imitation of a fish right about now as she looked back between Jane and Loki.

"Sure. Hopefully Erik can keep you entertained long enough; I have to get Darcy comfortable first. Oh! Sorry Darc, this is Loki. I'm sure you've err…Seen him on the news. Darcy, this is Loki, Thor's brother. Loki, this is Darcy Lewis, my new assistant. We worked together in New Mexico."

"Yeah. I was actually there when you sent that Destroyer thing on Thor and blew our town up." She knew she was being rude, but seriously. He sent an army of aliens on them. Jane looked sheepish at this point, not knowing whether to defend Loki or let him take the beating.

Loki looked unflappable; he's probably gotten this before. However, his eye brows knit in concern realizing that she was there for his first attempt to harm Earth. "I apologize for…Causing you and your world distress. I know it's hard to wrap your head around, but I am here with no hostility intended." He extended his hand and Darcy warily shook once and let go.

The elevator dinged, signaling that they reached their destination. Loki stepped out swiftly and turned to face Darcy and Jane. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Miss Lewis. Perhaps we'll see each other again."

"Uh, you too." She replied, still unsure what to make of the situation. Jane went in the opposite direction, and Darcy followed.

The floor was similar to the lobby; elegant, but the ceiling was lower. The main floor had a spread of cubicles as officer workers typed on their laptops or made calls. Jane gestured to the back of the room, where Darcy assumed this was her office. JANE FOSTER was written across in strict black writing on the maple door.

"I'm sorry you can't have an office of your own, but your cubicle is right across from mine so we can exchange notes easily." Darcy waved her off.

"It's fine, bosslady. I'm just glad I have a job!" Jane laughed and told her that she could put her belongings down. Darcy noticed that SHIELD had issued her a new laptop and her name was written on a nameplate that sat upon her desk. Nice. The walls of the cubicle had a corkboard and a small lamp sat in the corner of the desk. The desk came equipped with several drawers. And Darcy's favorite, of course, were the brightly colored post-its in the main drawer.

"Alright, let's get your keycard and ID badge."

They took the elevator back up to the main floor where the (as Darcy liked to call it) Welcome Desk stood. On their way up, Darcy couldn't help but mention the elephant in the room (or elevator?)

"So…Loki." She began, unsure of where to go from there.

"I know it's weird, but he's really trying." Jane shrugged. "Thor trusts him, and he worries about him a lot, so I'm polite. Apparently he got punished in Asgard and Thor doesn't like to talk about it, but he says that he paid well for his crimes. He wants to help Earth out by working for SHIELD."

"What does he do?" She asked, still ambiguous.

"I'm not sure, actually," Jane laughed but looked embarrassed. "He's been helping me out with the Bridge, and he's been so helpful. Thor knows things, but Loki really knows things. He explained to me the different realms and their cultures," She paused, and a smile graced her features. "He and Thor tried to explain magic to me and how it correlates with science. I don't understand much, but he tries to offer his insight when he can. And he's interested in physics, so I lend him some books." Of course, Darcy thought. If there was any way to Jane's heart it was science. She wondered how much of Loki's interest was actually in physics or whether he was trying to be friendly to his brother's girlfriend.

"Just give him a chance. He's really polite."

"I noticed." Darcy thought back to the elevator. He was such a gentleman, though so was Thor when he arrived on Earth. She remembered how he bowed to her and Erik, and he kissed Jane's hand. Must be an Asgardian thing.

"All of SHIELD was on the edge when he first came, but The Avengers warmed up to him. Most people don't even want to talk to him and avoid him as much as possible. Our department has been getting better after seeing him work."

Darcy pursed her lips. Hopefully she wouldn't be encountering him too often; He wasn't called the God of Mischief and Lies for nothing, she assumed. Jane pulled her into an office to get her picture taken and she was given a badge and card. Her badge read 'Level One.'

"So, uh, I can at least go to the bathroom with this, right?" Jane giggled and said yes and told her to go back to her cubicle—There was work to be done. Darcy smiled and swiped the elevator with her new card and pressed 7.

"Darcy! I'm heading out now. Can you finish transcribing these last few things?"

"No problem. Have a nice night, Jane!" Jane waved and left in a flurry. It was 7:30 and she was on the cusp of finishing her first day of work. Although it was rather dull, she liked the underlying buzz of excitement even though not many liked to acknowledge it.

She saw Erik earlier, and he was glad to see her, saying "No one prepares coffee quite like you did!" She knew he was just being nice, but he was like a father figure to her during her internship.

Finishing the last of her notes, she shut the laptop down and gathered her papers into a manila folder. Checking her surroundings to make sure she didn't forget anything, she closed the lamp and stepped from her cubicle and made a beeline for the elevator. Her stomach ached since she didn't have anything to eat other than a scone and she was going to reward herself with a nice sushi dinner. It was a pat on the back for herself to say, "You made it! Now keep going!"

She didn't see the tall figure in front of her, so she made contact with the floor with a groaning "Owwww."

Finding her glasses, she fixed them back onto her face and saw a hand being extended towards her. Oh great, it was Loki. She still didn't know what to make of him.

"I'm deeply sorry," He said in some quasi British accent and lifted her up.

"Don't worry 'bout it. Entirely my fault." Sheepish, and slightly frightened at being alone with a former— possibly in the process reformed—bad guy, she looked awkwardly to the floor.

"I'm headed out to dinner right now to congratulate myself for actually getting a job. Know any good sushi places?" Oh god, was she actually asking him for food recommendations?

"I have never actually had sushi. Though I hear many people say the restaurant on 48th Street is nice." Well then. Hopefully it was in her budget.

"You've never had sushi? And you've been living here for what…A year? Dude, you're seriously missing out." He gave her a blank look, contemplating what to say. "I hope they have sake," She added as an afterthought, daring to look him in the eye.

She noticed that his hair was a bit frazzled than the gelled state it was in this morning and his tie was a pulled loosely away from his neck only making his disheveled appearance more attractive. His green eyes looked tired from the dark circles beginning to form, but they were as lost in thought as ever. Warning bells went off in her head; she should not be thinking of a potential bad guy like that. But she was a female with eyes. Sue her.

She would probably regret her next few words, but to hell with it. He looked like he could use some fun and maybe she should take Jane's advice and give him a chance. If Jane's comments were correct, he didn't have many people he could call friends besides his brother and possibly some of the Avengers.

"You wanna come with me? You'd have to pay for yourself, but I'm sure you can manage." Jesus. Did she just ask him out on a date? They were paying separately. But how much did he know about mortal customs?

Darcy did what she normally did in awkward situations: Babble. "It's okay if you say no. I know we're total strangers, and our introduction was rude on my part. It's just that you tried to take over my world and I know that you probably don't care because Asgard is supposed to be super cool, but I care a lot and I was looking forward to graduating—I mean I did, obviously, and now I'm here and I'm probably going to—"

"Yes." Former super villain say what?

"Yes?" She managed to splutter out.

He gave her an odd look, wondering if he was phrasing himself correctly. "I accept your invitation to dinner."

Oh. "Great!" Making a motion towards the elevator, she pressed the 'up' button and waited in an awkward silence. Sneaking another glance at him, she noticed he was re-adjusting his tie and attempting to fix his hair. Even gods have bad hair days; she mused and resisted the urge to giggle as the elevator arrived.

"You said 48th street?" She asked, pulling out her phone.

"I believe that's what they said," He replied in his smooth voice.

"Found it. Cool, let's go get a cab."

Ever since Loki agreed to go back to Midgard with Thor, Loki had been on the receiving end of several insults. It was amazing how many ways mortals could find to say he's an awful person. Some were more creative while others preferred the mindless ease of "cursing him out," as Tony Stark liked to put it. He didn't mind; he knew he deserved every single one of them. So when the mortal called Darcy Lewis said that she was there for his first endeavor to cause mayhem on Earth, it caught him a little off guard. Most people knew him as the man who summoned an alien army and destroyed most of New York City. Apologizing like the gentleman he was trying to be, the girl didn't really say much but more confused on him and Miss Foster's amiable state. In all honesty, he got along with her more for Thor's sake than his own personal interest. However, he found their conversations interesting; she was certainly smarter than most mortals on Midgard and he often wondered what she sees in Thor.

So when he ran into Darcy later that day, (or rather, she ran into him) he was taken back by her sudden invitation for dinner. She looked as weary as he felt, but something in him wanted to go. Maybe for some fun, or maybe a chance to see what her true impression of him is. She had spent some time with Thor, so he wondered what Thor had told her about him and how much she knew of Asgard. Most of the SHIELD workers kept close to their work and even the one's working on Jane's bridge had a scarce knowledge of what really lay outside their realm.

She began to ramble off nonsensical words, so he quickly said yes to make her stop, which she clearly didn't expect. Well, she offered, didn't she?

Now they were at the sushi place called Hatsuhana, situated at the bar and Darcy was gobbling down her rolls in a non-lady like manner.

"Eat up," She said, wagging her chopsticks at him. "This is seriously the best sushi I've had."

He stared at the Dragon roll (It was a terrible attempt to capture a dragon's likeness in his opinion, but he didn't comment) and picked up his chopsticks. He had seen other humans use it while eating Chinese food. Carefully looking at Darcy, and hoping she wouldn't notice, he imitated her position and quickly scooped the roll into his mouth.

It was quite good for a Midgardian food, he determined, as he finished it up. Darcy rocked her legs back and forth on the swivel chair and she ordered a beverage called sake.

"Can gods get drunk?" She asked, a smile playing at her lips.

"They can, but it's very difficult. Our bodies metabolize things quickly and while eating is not a necessity for us to live, it is to avoid discomfort."

"Must be nice," She took a sip.

"Quite. And the ale on Asgard is incomparable to this," He gestured towards her drink "Sake."

"I'm sure, but this stuff is pretty awesome too. Want some?" The bottle was in her one had while the other held a cup that was empty.

He nodded and allowed her to pour for him as he took a sip. Good, but again, Asgardian ale was better. He told her this and she puffed out her cheeks.

"Oh come on. I need to try some of this ale one day. I wonder if Thor likes the drinks here." At Thor's name, the smirk on his lips fell a bit.

"Hey, don't be Mr. Grumpy Gills. Are you and Thor cool now? Last time I saw, you were beating the crap out of each other on top of Stark Tower and then before you sent a metal robot of doom on him. Something must've been up." He couldn't tell if she was brave because of the amount of alcohol she was drinking or whether she was simply gusty. Either way, the question discomforted him, but she looked at him with her eager blue eyes.

"We are…Better," He said, playing it safe. She jerked an eyebrow up and shrugged as she poured herself another cup of sake.

"That's good."

"Indeed. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why are you here?" He didn't mean to sound so blunt, but she intrigued him nonetheless.

"Oh. That." She laughed as if it were some inside joke to her. And she began to explain to him her circumstance before she arrived in New York and how she felt useless since she couldn't get a job anywhere with a degree in Political Science.

Loki checked his phone, noting the time. He really should be getting back home since he had a huge day tomorrow and needed to rest, but she continued to ramble on, taking drinks of sake in between sentences. He noticed that they finished their second bottle and she was on her way to finishing the third by herself.

Her words began to become slurred and her motions were slow as if she couldn't see well. "Miss Lewis, I believe you are drunk." He said, half amused and half worried.

"Nuh uh." She stuck a playful tongue out on him as the bar man dropped off both their checks.

"Ohhhh snap. $200 dollars? I'm going to have to work my ass off!" She fumbled in her purse for a credit card, but Loki stopped her with his hand.

"Allow me." He put money into both of their checks and gave it to the bar man. Darcy looked at him with wonder, cheeks red.

"It's no trouble. SHIELD has provided me with more money than I need."

Darcy stood up to leave, but found she nearly toppled over and used him for support. They were planning on taking separate cabs home, but Loki decided against it since she could barely walk on her own.

"You really dun hafta to do that…" Darcy muttered as he helped her into the car.

"I don't think Miss Foster would appreciate me leaving her assistant alone and drunk in the city."

Rolling her eyes, she held onto his jacket sleeve and rested her head on his shoulder as they sped into the night. To the cab driver, they probably looked like an ordinary couple, not a god or a new SHIELD agent. And for that, Loki felt content. While perturbed at the contact between them, he didn't entirely mind it. He noted that her hair, although tussled, framed her features quite nicely. Her red lips were closed (for once) and her eyes closed as she became sleepy from the soft jostle of the car. The white shirt she was wearing was unbuttoned the first couple notches, giving him a generous view of her frontal area. He suppressed looking, but it was too late by the time his eyes darted to the window.

The cab came to a stop and Loki paid the driver and nudged Darcy awake. Still bleary eyed and not quite stable, he helped her up the stairs to her apartment. Shuffling for her keys, Loki stood, wondering if he should just simply magic the door open for her.

After finding her key, she invited him inside with a hand wave. It was nearly 2 am and he was supposed to meet Fury at 7, but he stepped in anyway.

"Will you be okay?"

"Yeah…Juss fine," Darcy flung her purse onto the kitchen table and disappeared into her bathroom. Loki contemplated on leaving and was about to, but she reappeared in a pink silk robe and threw herself onto the bed with a flop.

He came to her bedside, unsure if she was asleep since both her eyes were closed. "I should be going now. Thank you for the lovely night." And it was the truth. Although most of the talking had been on her part, he genuinely enjoyed her company and her strange quirks. She tended to babble about things he was unaware of, but it amused him. Her hand flew up and pulled at his suit jacket.

"Why don't you stay the night?" She mumbled, though fully comprehendible.

He raised an eyebrow. "I may not be fully aware of mortal customs, but if you're implying that we should sleep together—"

"No, you idiot," He breathed out in relief, but wondered at what she was actually implying.

"Just…stay for a bit. Please?"

All-Father help him, he thought as he magicked himself into more comfortable clothes that consisted of dark green t-shirt and pants. He pulled back the covers and lied awkwardly on his side, away from Darcy. Shutting off the lights, Darcy cuddled up next to him, which made him freeze.

"You know…You're not too bad." He chuckled and let sleep overtake him. For his last night on Midgard, this was pretty good.

Darcy awoke to a weight being lifted from her bed, causing her to shift positions. Eyes shooting open, she realized that Loki stood at the end of her bed in a full suit, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was 6:00.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…I mean, we didn't, but…I'm such an idiot," She finished lamely as memories from last night came back to her.

"It's fine, Miss Lewis. I didn't take you for a cuddler." He was making a joke, but her face heated up.

"If I remember correctly, you even paid for my dinner," She groaned as she flopped back into her bed.

"How much do I owe you? I'm really really sorry. I don't usually get drunk, I just got a bit excited; I haven't had an incredible meal with a good-looking guy in such a long time." Oh great. She just called him good-looking too. At this rate, he probably wouldn't speak to her ever again. It'd be one of those memories that you lock up inside of you and not tell anyone, but awkwardly share as you both make eye contact at a company party or something like that. Did SHIELD even have parties? Besides the point, she told herself, and looked back up at Loki who was laughing.

"It really is fine, Miss Lewis. Don't trouble yourself. Yesterday was my last day on Midgard, and you made it quite enjoyable."

"Darcy."

"Pardon?"

"I mean, you can call me Darcy. I know you're super polite, but Darcy is okay. We did sleep together anyway," She joked. Realizing what he said, "Wait. Yesterday was your last day on Earth? Did you do something wrong?"

"Quite the contrary, actually. I have a meeting with Fury in an hour and then I'm off."

"Oh, I get it. SHIELD business." He nodded and came to her side.

"We can be friends, though. I will not be on leave forever and I think it would be…Nice."

Friends? Darcy looked absolutely gob smacked realizing that the God of Mischief suggested that they should be friends. She expected it to happen gradually if it weren't for the whole getting drunk part. After all, she did kinda pour her heart out to him at dinner but she didn't expect such a forward move from him.

She extended a hand. "Friends would nice." They shook, leaving Darcy in a smile.

"I must go now. Goodbye, Darcy."

"Bye, Loki. Good luck with whatever you're doing." He gave a half smirk and opened her door.

"Wait!" She shouted, stopping him. "How will we keep in touch? I don't think cell phones work inter-dimensional yet."

"I'll find a way," He replied shutting the door with an affirmed click. Darcy lied back into her bed, wondering what the hell just happened. Somehow, through all his sincerity, she wondered if he was just toying with her, but she was pretty sure he meant everything he said. He even paid her silly request to stay the night even though she was drunk.

Rolling onto her side to fall back asleep, she realized that his scent was still on her pillow.

A/N Whew, first chapter completed! A note about the date on the top: For those that are unaware, One Day showcases the lives of two people for one day each year. I'll be doing the same with Darcy and Loki. In the book, the author picks St. Swithin's day for symbolic purposes. I picked May 4th since that's the day The Avengers came out. For the restaurant Hatsuhana: it is real and I have eaten there :) Reviews are love.