After their walk in the park, Darcy and Loki decided to head off to one of the numerous breakfast diners around town. 'SAL'S DINER' flashed above their heads in neon red lighting.
Darcy and Loki sat down across from each other in the booth. Loki's eyes were focused upon Darcy the entire time, staring intently.
"Two coffees and two breakfast platters, please" Darcy said.
The waitress took both of their orders and then left them alone. The diner was fairly empty, with only pockets of people sitting alone or in pairs within the booths and stools.
After a moment of silence, Loki took one of Darcy's hands, resting hers on top of his and inspected her small, fragile hands.
"What am I going to do with you?", Darcy said teasingly.
"What do you mean?", Loki replied.
"The angry Norse God that tried to destroy my home planet...twice, is now sitting with me in some city diner. Holding my hand", Darcy added with a smile.
"As I told you before, my dear. You certainly intrigue me."
"But why? I just...I just don't understand. Why me?" Darcy's hold on Loki's hand tightened.
Loki paused for a second. "You're different from any of the other women I have ever met- God or otherwise. Your unparalleled wit. Your unique beauty. And most of all, your great compassion and understanding. What others would turn away from, you somehow embrace."
Darcy's cheeks slowly turned more and more red as Loki spoke. "It's just that...you know...you're a God and everything..."
Loki smiled. "I realize that, Darcy. Yet I can't seem to stay away from a certain mortal."
The waitress returned with two steaming cups of coffee and left to retrieve the breakfast platters.
Darcy grinned and she looked down at their intertwined hands. "You're pretty special too, Mr. Mischief."
Two full breakfast platters were placed in front of each of them and Darcy suddenly realized how hungry she really was. As Darcy dug in to her meal, she looked up at Loki. He had already eaten a huge portion off his plate and was looking curiously at the contents in his mug.
Growing Gods certainly have healthy appetites, Darcy thought to herself.
Loki slowly brought the hot mug to his nose and sniffed it gingerly.
"It's coffee. Have you never had it before?" Darcy asked.
"Coff-ee... what an odd scent this beverage has..." Loki wondered to himself.
"Try some!" Darcy urged. She laughed to herself. "Thor certainly liked it!" Darcy said as she recalled her memory of Thor's reaction to his first cup of coffee. "And no smashing cups allowed here!" she added hastily.
Loki brought the cup to his lips and slowly took a healthy drink of his coffee. As he brought the cup down, Darcy saw Loki's eyes slowly close as he savoured the taste. His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed the drink.
Darcy leaned in, "So...how is it?"
Loki opened his green eyes, looked back into Darcy's chocolate eyes, and then looked down at his coffee cup.
"This coffee...is delicious!" Loki exclaimed. He drank the remainder of his coffee in one swift motion. "I shall order another one, Darcy!" Loki said excitedly.
Suddenly, he brought the empty cup over his head and Darcy jumped up and screamed, "NO, LOKI!"
Darcy stood, arms outstretched in front of Loki. Loki froze in his position, his one arm raised with the mug poised above his head. Everybody in the diner stopped and stared at the scene between Darcy and Loki. The waitress stood with two dirty dishes in her hands, her mouth gaping open.
Loki took in Darcy's shocked face and smiled apologetically.
"No smashing cups on Midgard?" he asked timidly.
Darcy looked around the diner. She slowly relaxed her arms and brought herself to sit back in the booth.
"No smashing cups on Midgard" she confirmed.
The door unlocked with a faint 'click!' and Darcy stepped inside the apartment. She could feel Loki's invisible hand on her lower back, guiding her gently through the door.
"Darcy!" Jane looked up from her book in surprise. She was still wearing her pyjamas, taking the length of the couch. "I thought you were still asleep!"
Darcy casually commented, "Yeah, I woke up early so I thought I would go for a walk."
"Darcy." Jane closed her book softly. "Did you have trouble sleeping again?'
"No! No, no. I just...woke up early. I guess with the excitement with Thor and everything..."
"Are you sure, Darcy? I mean, if interacting with Loki before he left brought on some sort of flashbacks, you can tell me Darcy, I'm-"
"No! It's nothing Jane! I just went out for a walk that's all" Darcy emphasized strongly.
Loki's brought a comforting hand on one shoulder while the other rested on her waist. Darcy felt a tinge of guilt for Jane, and dread for Loki. He would definitely be questioning her later.
Jane looked at her with shock. A flicker of hurt ran across Jane's face.
"Of course" Jane simply replied.
Darcy took a deep breath and looked at Jane. "I'm sorry Jane, I didn't mean it like that." She walked up to Jane on the couch and hugged her shoulders while Jane lightly patted Darcy's forearms.
"You've really been with me through a lot" Darcy said. "Thank you."
Jane smiled back at Darcy.
"I had a really good night's sleep" Darcy added as she toed lightly back to her bedroom.
Jane's confused gaze followed Darcy as she retreated.
"You're welcome!" Jane called out, smiling, as Darcy closed her bedroom door.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Thank you for all the kind reviews as well! During the week I really look forward to reading them. This was a shorter chapter, but who knows...their time together on Earth may be running out soon! Cheers!
