A/N: Day 7 of Loki/Darcy week. The prompt was 'hands.' Kind of feel like I should have just cut the story off after the second paragraph.

In time, Darcy learned that Loki relied on his body language, especially his hands, to do all the talking. His words were best put to use to prod at the weaknesses of his enemies, but they were no good for him in conveying emotion. He was unsure and hesitant, in a way. Whether it was anger or happiness, that silver tongue often slipped up and blurted out disjointed, prosaic nonsense. She figured that his inability to express himself probably had something to do with some deep-seated issues that lurked in the back of his mind. But she never asked about it, nor did he ever volunteer the information. It was something that Darcy felt that he would eventually explain to her when he felt that he was ready. She could read people easily enough but not that well. It took her a long while to realize that every gesture meant something that he couldn't—or was at least hesitant to—convey in words himself. Darcy came to learn that his hands meant to much more to him than just limbs to perform actions. As a warrior and an enchanter, it is his way of life—his whole identity.

Eventually, Loki is captured. Whether it was a success on the Avengers' part or his own doing, no one is sure. The night before he is captured, he goes to Darcy. He cooks dinner with her, and afterward, they dance together to the music of Jo Stafford and silently mouths the words to her. A subtle smile plays on his lips the entire time, with one arm wrapped around her while the other remains entwined with one of hers. Darcy doesn't think to deeply on it, and she doesn't have to. Loki means everything that he does, and he picked this particular song for a reason: to say to her "You belong to me." After the dancing, they curl up in bed together. His hands are over her, memorizing every detail of her body, the whole time whispering "I love you" like a mantra. His heart is extremely heavy, but he doesn't break his facade because this night, this last night will be the one he wants to remember.

When she hears the news, it felt like her heart jumped up out of her chest, sucker-punched her brain, and fell to the floor, smashing into pieces. Darcy bursts into the room and finds Thor talking quietly to Loki in his holding cell; the rest of the Avengers, plus Agent Coulson and Nick Fury, are standing awkwardly off to the side. Almost everyone looks up at her, surprised. Loki stares at her with an apathetic expression. She instantly rushes over to Thor, drags him to the other side of the room, and asks in a quiet, yet slightly distraught tone, "What are you going to do with him?" He looks at her sadly, places on hand on her shoulder, and replies "I'm taking him back home. To Asgard."

"For what? Punishment?"

He nods solemnly, "Yes. For what he has done here, and—" He pauses, trying to come up with the right words, "Other crimes as well." Darcy opens her mouth to speak but Thor waves his hand at her. "Do not ask me any more questions, Miss Lewis. Please." She frowns at him, then casts her eyes downward, "I just—can I come with you?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Loki suddenly bellows. He struggles against his restraints, "She will not accompany us under any circumstance whatsoever. I will not have that-that mortal bear witness to my trial. It—"

"Cut the crap, Loki." Darcy says, her eyes stinging with tears. She turns to Thor and looks at him sternly, "I'm going." Thor, dumbstruck, simply nods to her. She crosses her arms and heads for the door, ignoring all of the confused faces staring at her. "Yeah, yeah, me and Loki. Together. Dating, living together, bumpin' uglies. The whole nine yards. Now you know. Deal with it."

The three of them don't say a word when they arrive in Asgard, even despite it being Darcy's first time there. Loki's restraints have been removed and he calmly walks side-by-side with Thor, while Darcy nervously trails behind them. Asgardians gather around them, cheering and welcoming both princes home. They merely nod to the citizens and continue on their way to the palace; Darcy is confused by their cheers. They hurriedly walk through the palace doors to the throne room where Odin and Frigga await them. Loki doesn't turn to look at Darcy but whispers, "Kneel next to Thor when the time comes."

Thor leads Darcy to the throne steps and they both kneel there, while Loki kneels before Odin. The Allfather clears his throat, his voice cracked with emotion and his remaining eye on the verge of tears, "Loki Odinson. You have been charged with high treason committed against me, the Allfather, and the realm of Asgard. You have also been charged with numerous, malicious crimes against the realm Midgard." Loki nods to his father, his expression completely solemn. Odin stands up and shakily walks down the steps to Loki. "Your punishment is banishment from this realm. And—" He hesitates, tears now streaming from his eye. Clearing his throat, he continues, "And I strip you of your powers." He produces a crystal orb with a silver snake wrapped around it from his robes. An expression of extreme pain passes over Loki's face as a silvery light emanates from his body and is sucked into the orb. Thor has his eyes downcast, unable to watch the events that are unfolding, while Darcy cannot look away. Tears are freely spilling from her eyes and she has to keep her hand pressed to her mouth to stay silent.

Odin places the sphere on the floor in front of Loki, then pulls out a needle and thick black thread from his robes. He holds the items out to Loki, and Loki has to fight back a look of shock when he sees them. His hands shaking, he takes the needle and thread from Odin; even without his magic, Loki can tell that the objects are heavy with enchantments. Odin clears his throat once more and says, "In addition, you must sew your own mouth shut with the needle and thread that I have given you. It will stay for three months, only disappearing to allow you to drink and eat." He turns away from Loki to walk back up the steps to sit down on the throne. Frigga buries her face in her hands and openly weeps. Hearing Frigga's cries causes Darcy to lose all restraint and she audibly sobs as well; Loki visibly flinches when he hears them both. Thor walks down to Loki and places a bowl at Loki's feet. He leans down and touches his forehead to Loki's, cupping the back of his brother's head with his right hand. "For the blood, brother… I love you."

Loki gives Thor a slight nod, then begins to thread the needle. He whispers to Thor, "Take Darcy away. I don't want her to see this." Thor goes back to lead Darcy out of the room while Loki begins his punishment. She fights against Thor's arms, shouting obscenities at him, and pleads, "Let me stay!"

"No, Darcy." Loki says in a stern tone, gently raveling some of the thread around his fingers. "Leave." He winces in pain as he presses the tip of the needle into the skin near the left corner of his mouth. His agony comes out in whimpers as he begins to weave a cross-cross pattern at the corner of his mouth. Thick droplets of blood flow from the wound, and their color changes from red to black. They drip down onto his clothes and make a hissing sound, feeling like acid when they eat through the material and touch his skin. Hearing Darcy's begging and crying, Thor doesn't have the heart to keep her at bay any longer. His grip on her relaxes and she pushes past him to kneel by Loki's side.

By then, Loki is barely a quarter of the way through his punishment, and the lost blood has burned large holes through his clothes. Darcy grabs the bowl and holds it beneath his chin to collect the blood. She is surprised when it hisses in the bowl but doesn't eat through it. His mouth twitches to speak, but she shakes her head, and says in a sorrowful tone, "Let me stay. I want to be here with you." Loki merely nods once at her and continues sewing his mouth shut. She freely cries for him the entire time, holding the bowl to collect his blood and wiping away both of their tears with the sleeve of her shirt. His hands are shaking terribly and his eyes are streaming with tears but he continues on with his torture without hesitation. He wants to cry out in pain, but he knows that if he mustered any more than a grunt or a whimper, the threads will stretch and make his pain even worse. Because of this, he suffers in silence, but he is grateful that he is not alone.

Two hours pass when Loki finishes with the sewing. He knots the end, and the remaining enchanted thread cuts itself away and falls to the floor. Thor, Frigga, and Odin immediately come down the throne steps. His mother places a kiss on his forehead, and his father gently presses one hand to Loki's cheek. "There is always a chance for redemption, my son. Remember that." Odin leaves the room with Frigga without another word. Thor leans down to Loki and they touch foreheads once more, and he pulls his brother into a tight hug before leaving the room as well.

Loki's hands reflexively reach up to touch his mouth, but Darcy slaps his hands away. Her cries have lessened to quiet sobs, her face and eyes reddened by the whole ordeal. She sniffs, wiping her runny nose on her sleeve, then carefully pulls him into a hug and cradles his head with one hand, her fingers stroking through his hair. "You're done. It's over now." she whispers. He leans back, reaching up to cup her face in his hands, and gazes into her eyes longingly. Darcy somehow instantly knows by his gestures that he's saying, 'Thank you. I love you.'