Two days ago it was rachelisafallenangel's birthday. This chapter is dedicated to her, because obviously, she's perfect and even though she deserves better than this, this is all I have to offer. Sadly.

I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I'll try to make it longer next time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Thor.

The mouthful of alcohol in Loki's mouth burns as it goes down his throat, but it's hardly noticable against the rising panic that settles in his gut, twisting his insides and making him feel sick. He wants to get drunk. So drunk he'll forget everything that has happened today (even if getting drunk is what caused him this grief in the first place).

Loki slams his empty glass down, head falling low in shame. A father. He's going to be a father. To an illegitimate child, he might add. How is it that his life has turned upside down in such short time? He's twenty-five for God's sake; he's not ready for a child. Loki calls for another glass miserably, about to keep moping, when he hears a loud, powerful voice.

"Loki!" It's Thor, clearing past drunken men and women with his high, muscled frame, his jaw clenched and the anger showcased plain as day with every powerful stride he takes.

"Thor," Loki mocks dryly, but he's barely said his brother's name when Thor's powerful fist collides with Loki's jaw. The impact of Thor's rough knuckles jerks Loki's head to the side uncomfortably, to which Loki grits his teeth at, while Thor yanks back his arm powerfully.

"Why did you leave?" Thor demands loudly.

"It's nice to see you too, brother," Loki says lightly, rubbing his jaw gingerly.

"Don't attempt to make pleasantries. What the hell was that back there?" Thor asks angrily. "Darcy gave you very important news, and you went running like a frightened animal?"

"So you know this woman," notes Loki.

"Of course. She is Jane's roommate. I know her very well," Thor says.

"Yes, well, I don't," Loki retorts, and he rises from his seat at the bar, leveling his body to Thor's. "Now you attempt to meet a woman and find out she is carrying your child. What would you do?"

"Not run like a coward," Thor snaps, and he's angrier than Loki's ever known him to be. "Do you know what impression you've left? Darcy and Jane think you indifferent to Darcy's pregnant state."

"I wish I were indifferent," mutters Loki.

"You must make amends, Loki," Thor says, ignoring his younger brother's remark.

Loki plunks down in his seat once more. "What good will it do?" he hisses, angrily shoving the filled glass the bartender has set before him away. "This woman must despise me now."

"Would you blame her?" Thor takes a seat beside him. "I advise you to speak to Darcy, brother; there is nothing you have to lose. You have done wrong, but I assure you, I will be with you every step of the way. Provided, of course, that you take on this responsibility."

"You mean raise a child? With...this Darcy?" Loki questions.

"Perhaps. She is the one carrying the child, after all; you must know that if she does not want you to be involved, you will not be. And then there is the question as to whether or not she is going to continue the pregnancy. She, too, is very young; there is no telling what she might do."

"Would she terminate the pregnancy?" Loki asks.

Thor shrugs. "Alas, I do not know that Darcy Lewis that well," he says.

Now, Loki has always been a good (though good might be a bit of a stretch) boy. He's a devout Christian, and has been raised to believe abortion is definitely not an option. Then again, he's also been raised not to engage in sexual relationships before marriage, and look where that has left him.

"For once in your life, Thor, you may be right," Loki says, sighing, for he knows very well that he cannot let Darcy do anything hasty when he is just as much to blame as she is. "Alright. I'll speak to her."

"Good," Thor says, but then pauses. "What do you mean for once in my life?"

Jane looks in Darcy's direction. Again. Which she has been doing for the past hour or so since they got back from the park since they settled down at the kitchen table to eat the pizza they'd gotten ("Pity pizza," Darcy had dubbed it as, while Jane'd rolled her eyes).

"So," Jane starts slowly.

Darcy rolls her eyes, knowing Jane is beating around the bush. "So," she echoes.

"So..." Jane drags out the word carefully, as if it's already offensive.

"Just spit it out, Jane," Darcy says, tired. "I just want to go to sleep."

Jane starts to tap her fingers. "Well," she starts, "that...didn't go as planned."

"Surprise, surprise," Darcy mocks as she chews on a piece of pepperoni.

"Come on, Darcy, be serious," Jane pleads, leaning forward on the chair she's sitting in, assessing Darcy quietly with her brown eyes from her spot across from her. "What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean? We told the guy, didn't we?" Darcy asks. "That's it— we're done. We told him what we needed to, and he went running. Kinda like all the guys I've dated, when you think about it," she muses as she takes another bite of pizza. "Not that I was dating him. Or that I'd want to."

Jane sucks in a breath. "Yeah, but, aren't you pissed he left?" she asks.

"Sure. Maybe. I don't know," says Darcy, shrugging. "I didn't know him, so it's like, no loss, no gain. I'm still me, he's still whoever he is, but of course, now I'm pregnant."

"Without support," adds Jane.

"I thought you were my support," says Darcy teasingly.

"Of course, but I mean without his support," Jane says, and she rubs her temple, poking at a slice of pizza with her finger tentatively. "This is horrible. I knew he was an asshole, but this—" She breathes in sharply. "This is a new level of asshole. He didn't even offer money or talk to you about it. He just...left."

"I'm sensing you're more upset about this than I am," Darcy interjects.

"Well I am upset. But...more than you?" Jane asks, looking disappointed.

Darcy laughs a little. "I'm okay, Jane, honest. I never needed him."

"Of course you didn't, but for him to just leave like that was inexcusable. He's got just as much blame as you do; he can't just expect you to be the sole caregiver of the child," Jane says, starting to look angry now (Darcy blames the science teacher part of her). "That's a low move!"

"Well, it might've been a low one, but it was his," Darcy says. "And really, I'm fine. I don't need him, or his money, or his anything. I can do this on my own."

Jane looks at her carefully. "So you're going to do this?" she asks softly.

"Might as well," Darcy says, trying to smile, but suspecting it to look like a grimace.

Jane bites her lip, leaning back in her chair. "Well, I'm here for you," she reminds her.

"Like I'd forget that," Darcy teases, grinning. "Best friends are for that, aren't they?"

Jane sees the look on her face and immediately begins to backtrack. "Oh no, do not get into that," she groans. "I know you're going to use that against me someday."

Darcy continues to grin. "Of course. Who do you think I am?"

Jane cracks a smile at that. "You're taking this better than I thought you would."

"Yeah, well, I have to," says Darcy pointedly. "You're freaking out, Thor's freaking out, Loki is freaking out— as in literally out— and my parents are a matter we haven't touched. I have to be the sane one sometimes."

"Oh my God, your parents," Jane says, and her mouth falls open in realization.

"Yeah." Darcy purposely grimaces this time. "And then, Tony."

Jane immediately makes a sympathetic face. "Oh yeah, Tony."

"Right?" says Darcy with a sigh before she asks hopefully, "So, does calling work for this?"

Jane gives Darcy her famous bitch-do-you-even-have-to-ask-face.

"...Point taken."

Tony Stark is on fucking cloud nine. No, wait, he's higher than cloud nine. He's like on cloud five hundred— pun intended— because of all things Darcy Lewis can come and tell him, it's that Five Hundred Bucks (aka mystery guy that screwed Darcy) is now the father of her baby.

"No," Tony says gleefully, looking at the way Darcy avoids his eyes after she's delivered the big news. "You're kidding. Five Hundred Bucks is your baby daddy?"

"Get that stupid grin of your face," Darcy huffs. "So what if he is?"

Tony tries not to laugh, but the sound slips out anyway. "That's fucking awesome," he says, chuckling. "Like, rom-com shit, this-only-happens-in-fucking-movies awesome."

Pepper, being the (not) supportive girlfriend that she is, rolls her eyes. "Ignore him, Darcy," she says, shooting Tony a look (that he ignores, because hey, he's right about this).

"Been doing it my whole life," Darcy jokes.

Tony places a hand to his chest, huffing indignantly. "She came to see me, Pepper, not you," he tells his girlfriend childishly before turning back to Darcy. "This is real, then? You found Five Hundred Bucks and told him he's your baby daddy? How'd he take it?"

"He, uh...ran," Darcy admits sheepishly.

"Understandable," jokes Tony, which earns him an elbow in the ribs. "Ow! Pepper!"

"Whatever, Tony," Darcy grumbles.

Tony rubs his side and pointedly moves away from Pepper, looking instead to Darcy (who hasn't hit him yet). "Fine. So you're pregnant," he says. "What do you want from me? Advice?"

"No. You're the worst person to ever get advice from," Darcy answers easily (a little too easily, might Tony add, which is probably just as hurtful as Pepper's elbow).

"Excuse you, you're forgetting who you're talking to," Tony negates. "I'm awesome."

Darcy just looks to Pepper. "I thought I'd tell you guys first, besides Jane," she explains. "I actually thought Tony would've made a lot more fun about this, though, so you two were the get-it-out-of-the-way couple. Oh well."

"You've got another couple to tell?" Pepper asks.

"Yeah— my parents."

Tony feels the smirk pulling on his lips before Pepper can even send him a disapproving look. "Your parents," he echoes teasingly. "The ones who are all religious and crazy?"

"That about sums them up," Darcy says with a sigh. "And yeah, I do."

Pepper speaks up. "I'm sure you'll be fine," she says. "All parents dream about the day they become grandparents, don't they? I'm sure they'll welcome a baby into their family. If you're keeping it, of course, I didn't want to assume—"

"Back up, Salty, you've got a point," Darcy says, chewing on her lip.

"Salty? That's not even clever," Tony says. "Tell her it isn't clever, Pepper."

"What do you mean?" questions Pepper (to Darcy, not Tony).

"If I don't keep it they'd never find out. That'd— that'd work, wouldn't it?" Darcy asks.

Pepper blinks, surprised. "Well, it's your decision," she says.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa— abortion?" Tony cuts in. "You're into that, Lewis?"

"I'm a political science student. Of course I'm into the whole every-woman-owns-her-body-and-can-do-whatever-they-want with it," says Darcy, looking offended he hadn't assumed it already. "But I'd already told Jane I'd do it. Fuck it, I don't know. I have no idea what to do. This is dumb. I shouldn't do this. But unless I do..."

Tony whistles lowly in amusement. "Well, make up your mind," he tells her. "I have to know whether or not we have to celebrate, ergo, whether or not I throw you a bangin' party—"

"We are not going to celebrate," Pepper informs Tony immediately.

"But she's welcoming a bundle of screaming, pooping joy into her life. Or she might. What do ya say, Darce? Should we hang up streamers and break out the wine?" asks Tony, looking two seconds away from doing just that.

"She can't drink wine," Pepper reminds him.

"What? Since when?"

Darcy ignores him, much to Tony's annoyance. "Maybe I'll hold off on telling my parents," she says, finally. "I'll have to talk this over with Jane. I told her I'd do it, but, I don't know now. Maybe it's better if I think about it."

"Yes, that sounds good," Pepper says, grateful Darcy hadn't been listening to Tony. "And you know, whatever you decide, Tony and I are here for you."

"Hey, speak for yourself," Tony starts, but when Pepper elbows him again, he yelps in pain. "Ow! Okay, okay, you got it, Darce— whatever path you take, we're going down it with ya. Unless it's long and boring, like this conversation, which we should really spice up, so, who wants some vodka?"

"She can't drink that either, Tony," says Pepper patiently.

"What? Since when?"

Kids are insane.

Darcy wrinkles her nose in disgust when she walks by the park, seeing a little boy shoving pebbles into his nose. Ugh, and his mom wasn't even paying attention to him; it disgusted Darcy even further. Darcy would've never gone for a walk to clear her head if she knew she'd have seen this.

Then again, maybe it's her pregnancy that's making her see these things. If Darcy had gone walking by the park a week earlier, she never would've given a single glance to any kids; she would've been too focused on earbuds in her ears, a good rock song playing, and recalling the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Now, however, all she can notice are kids. Kids crying, kids laughing, kids playing...

"Moooom! He took my car!" screams one kid.

His brother or something denies it. "No I didn't! He's a liar!" he shrieks, pushing the first kid to the floor and making him begin to wail as a harried mother rushes to deal with them.

Darcy must've been making a face, because as the mother passed her, the woman gave Darcy a nasty look. Whatever, like Darcy cares; she just walks on, reaching the abandoned park swings and sitting down in one of them. She glances to the sky and feels a pent-up sigh release. Everything is so fucked up. Her life is so fucked up. She doesn't know what the hell she's going to do anymore.

Kids are too much. Darcy could never take care of a kid; she's too loud-mouthed, too scatter-minded, too Darcy. And not to mention the fact that she's in college, of course. She works at a coffee shop to make money; she can barely support herself, let alone a kid. Pepper's comment made her realize that, yeah, maybe her parents would like a grandchild, but Darcy knows for sure they'd never accept any kid of hers unless she is married and lives in the suburbs or some shit.

Maybe abortion's too much, though. Like it or not, Darcy knows she's got a baby in her stomach that has potential to live, to grow, to be loved, no matter if it's ugly as fuck right now and probably can't feel. Can babies even feel in the womb? Darcy doesn't even know two shits about what it is to be pregnant; she'd have to research, and try to get another job to get money...

Adoption, maybe? Darcy blows her hair out of her face, exasperated, because she can't make up her mind. This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen to her. Why does it HAVE to be her? Couldn't the universe have chosen some other stupid girl who'd had a drunken one-night stand? Couldn't she just—

"Excuse me...Ms. Lewis?"

Darcy looks away from the sky, her eyes dizzily refocusing as they fall on the tall man— Loki, Darcy realizes murderously— that has seemingly come out of nowhere, hands stuck in his pockets and a quiet, pensive look on his face...and a giant bruise on his jaw.

"Jesus Christ," Darcy blurts out. "What happened to you?"

Loki ruefully touches his jaw. "Thor," he answers simply. "I reckon I deserved it."

"You did," Darcy assures him.

Loki nods, looking down at the ground once before fixing his eyes on hers. He opens his mouth, then shuts it, and his jaw twitches nervously before he finally says, "I apologize for leaving as hastily as I did. May I...sit?" He eyes the swing beside hers sort of distastefully.

"Be my guest," Darcy says, shrugging, "though just a warning— I should hate you."

"I would not blame you if you did," Loki says, and he takes a seat. He looks hilarious on the swing, because he's much taller than Darcy and looks very uncomfortable to be sitting there, so that makes Darcy feel a little better. "May I call you Darcy?"

"Beats Ms. Lewis, so sure," Darcy says.

"Thank you," says Loki quietly, and he exhales deeply before speaking again. "You must know that what I did with you...the whole 'one-night' notion...well, it's nothing I'd ever done before. I had felt horrible after that night, and upon finding out that you were with child...well, I couldn't help but panic and leave as fast as I could to the nearest bar."

Darcy snorts at that. "Well, that's nice for you," she says snippily, letting her anger vibrate in each word. "I couldn't go to a bar when I found out. I still can't."

"Perhaps you are not understanding me—"

"No, I understand you fine. You found out you were gonna be a dad and you felt the need to go running— I get that. You tried to drown your feelings with alcohol. Been there, done that. Point is, it's whatever. You don't have to come and apologize," Darcy says, kicking her legs a little to start swinging slightly.

Loki sighs a little more forcefully than he needs to. "I understand you're upset—"

"Upset doesn't cover it, okay?" Darcy snaps, finally, twisting her head to angrily speak. "It was bad enough to wake up and realized I'd slept with someone, because I don't do one-night stands, but then I had to meet you and you just embarrassed me in front of Jane and Thor by leaving. I get it! No one wants to be involved with me! But you could've at least said—"

"Would you stop talking?" Loki interrupts.

"Hey, I'm ranting," Darcy complains. "You can't just—"

"I want to be involved," Loki cuts her off.

Darcy blinks. "Um...repeat that?"

Loki places a hand over his lips, eyes rolling in exasperation. "I...I want to be involved," he repeats, removing his hand. "If you...well, if you've planned to keep the child."

"Uh...I haven't...thought about it. No, no, I have. I've thought about keeping it, and about...other measures, but I haven't decided anything yet. I've been thinking of cons and trying to imagine what it'd be like, because I have zero experience with kids. Like, I'm an only child, and I was a fucking weird kid— wait, where was I going with this?"

"Just say you will not terminate your pregnancy," Loki says. "Please."

"Wait...you want this?" Darcy asks before she quickly backtracks. "Not that I'm calling the kid in me a thing, but, you seriously want to go through with this? You...want me to birth this thing? Dammit, now I called it a thing..."

"Yes," Loki says, ignoring her ramblings. "I want to be involved in this. All of this. In your pregnancy, in our child's life...I don't want you to terminate the pregnancy. I can pay for anything you'd like me to. Doctor's appointments, baby things, anything. Just...please."

"Oh. Um, okay," Darcy says, surprised. "I'd planned on thinking about it more, but, what the hell— if you're in, I guess I kinda have to be in too. Now, how exactly are we going to—"

"Marry me."

Darcy's mouth falls open. "Uh, excuse me?"

"Marry me," Loki repeats, his eyebrows knit together in surprise, as if he'd expected her to start swooning and dropping to his feet, thanking him for his oh-so-gracious proposal.

"Dude, what the fuck?!" Darcy exclaims. "No!"

Loki looks extremely surprised now. "No?" he echoes disbelievingly.

"No!" Darcy cries. "I'm twenty-three. I don't want— no, I don't need— to be married. I—I don't even know you. Why the fuck would I marry you?"

Loki's jaw tightens, and he looks very tired all of a sudden. "I am aware that we don't know each other very well," he says. "The thing is, my parents are very religious. They would frown upon our having a child, unless, well..."

"We were married," Darcy finishes.

"Yes," Loki breathes out, relieved that she has caught on (and also looking a little embarrassed). "Trust me, I'd never have proposed otherwise; I'm not as old-fashioned as that."

"I get that, strangely. My own parents are weird like that, too," Darcy muses.

"So you'll do it." Asshole doesn't even ask.

"Hey, just because my parents are like that doesn't mean I'll—" Darcy pauses when her cell phone buzzes in her pocket. Glancing at the screen— a single text message from her mother that reads "Your friend Tony sent me a text. Didn't know you were pregnant"— she groans into her hand, peeks over her fingers to see Loki staring at her questioningly, and says, "So. Us getting married. How soon can that happen, exactly?"

I love (in the most un-creepy way possible) the following people:

FloraIrmaTylee

microsophie

JigokuShoujosRevenge

Nolesr1

Arianne1

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