Later that evening, when Darcy and Clint emerged, he had at some point showered and changed and she was in the hoodie he had entered the building wearing. Tony said nothing because he couldn't, grinding his teeth as he was.

"So. Human." Clint leveled a look at Loki, who glared under the archer's gaze at Darcy for imparting the information of his recent creed. She stuck her tongue out at him, completely unafraid. "Welcome to the club, pal."

"I am not a pal." Loki said through his teeth.

"How 'bout I reintroduce you to the Lewis Headlock?" Darcy shot back. "You're my pal. And it's only 'cuz you're my pal that Clint isn't going all Mission Impossible on your skinny ass, so you're welcome."

A beat.

"Pal."

Loki removed himself from the immediate vicinity of the room in quick strides, Thor following at his heels, mouth in an unhappy line.

Clint turned and offered Darcy the crook of his arm - Steve blinked at it, and at her, confused. She accepted the elbow, giggling behind her hand.

"Naw, shucks." she eyed the door where Loki had exited. "That went better than I expected."

"Hmph." he dragged her under his arm. "I told you I'd play nice, didn't I?"

"You did." she ducked out from under his arm, and skipped over to the kitchen, weaving between the immobile Tony and pinched-mouth Pepper. "Buuuuut, that doesn't mean you were gonna. Or that I'd hate you if you didn't. Hiya, Steve."

"I, uh..." he pulled her glasses from his pocket, showing her how he had popped the lens back into place. "You walked out pretty fast, earlier."

"Oh, that's where they went. Thanks!" she took them, placing them back on her nose. "These have been mine for like five years. I think it's about time I upgraded. Steve, has someone given you poptarts, yet?"

"Uh-" he straightened. "No, ma'am."

"Well, I'll have to rectify that instantly."

"I take my coffee black." Clint reminded her, pulling a chair out and perching his backside on the very edge.

"You'll take it how I give it to you." she retorted.

"Two sugars."

"I know how you like it, old man." she teased, and shut a cupboard with a strategic swing of her hip. "Strong and sweet."

"Like my ladies." He swept his eyes over the faces - Tony and Pepper in the kitchen, Steve watching Darcy from under his eye lashes, and Natasha, quietly curled up on the couch, doing much the same as he was. He winked at her, but she didn't return it.

It was mostly quiet, which was strange - he took note of the fact that Tony was rigid but twitchy, fingers drumming. Pepper was trying to drink her coffee but kept stealing glances at him. The mistake she made was trading her looks at him to looks at a happily poptart munching Darcy.

Clint snorted.

"Here ya go." said intern put poptarts on a plate and flopped gracelessly over the bench to present it to the super solider. His hoodie kept the Captain from getting an eyeful.

"Thank you." he smiled at her and accepted the plate. "What are these, exactly?"

"They're pastries with nectar from the gods in the middle." she bit into her own, humming happily. "Mmm. And frosting. Sugar over load."

"Oh. Thanks." he inspected it a little bit, then lifted it and took a bite. He chewed and Darcy watched, hopeful, until he swallowed an smiled. "Thank you, Darcy. These are nice." his next bite was significantly bigger, and although he tried to avoid looking at the strip of skin of her stomach as she stood back. He glanced at Clint with wide eyes.

The archer snorted louder.

"Yeah yeah, I'm gettin' your coffee, keep your pants on."

Captain America valiantly fought choking to death.

"What?" the young intern shot him a look. "What did you do?"

"They think we're fucking." he said with a raunchy grin. "They think we've just come back from-"

"Agent Bar-ton." Steve said loudly, still hitting his chest with his fist to try and dislodge the crumbs he'd inhaled.

The agent just continued to smirk.

"I like how you all think I've got enough game to pick up Darcy, though, that's nice."

"Eugh." Was all the comment Natasha made.

"But you-?" Steve cocked his head. "You and him aren't...?"

"What? Ew. No."

"Gee, thanks, cupcake." Clint said with a short roll of his eyes.

"No- you're like - my father figure, man. 'Sides." she flipped her hair, sent him a flirtatious wink. "I'm waaaay out of your league."

"So," Steve was confused. "You two aren't-? Together?"

"No." Darcy smiled at him. "We're friends. That's all."

Tony relaxed significantly, then inflated.

"So now, you're kind of expected to explain how you two know each other."

"Uh, no." the girl put her poptat on the plate and put her thumb on top of it, strolling in between both Tony and Pepper.

"Hang on." Tony sort of, skipped up to her, stood before her, stopping her quick exit. "Why not?"

"Because it's none of your business?"

"You do remember who I am, right? That my superpowers involve manipulating technology? I'll find out." he was only half kidding, a fact which was dully noted by the entire room.

"Go ahead and try." Clint shrugged, kicking one leg up over the other. "I've covered my bases."

"My lips-" Darcy made a locking motion and threw the key behind her. "-Are sealed. You don't need to know." she picked up a poptart and took a big bite.

"But-"

"Get over it, Tony." the demand cut through like a knife, and the fact she had a mouthful of food didn't soften it. "I'm not telling you."

There was a intense pause, where Tony tried to read the hard lines in her face as if it'd open up to something he could understand, like a series of 1's and 0's.

"C'mon, Darce." Clint had taken an empty cup and put his arm over her shoulders, gently steering her. "We can go watch 16 and Pregnant, or something."

"...So you just double click this little icon, okay?"

"With the mouse."

"Yup. You got it. Then gently - gently - tap the keys and spell out the word. And if nothing happens, what do you do?"

"I click the search bar."

"And if you get stuck?"

"I ask you."

"And if I'm not around?"

"I ask JARVIS."

"Huh. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. What'll you Google first?"

There was a long pause - a moment of hesitant tapping. Then:

"Really? 'What does Google mean'? Hey, no, fair enough. Actually, I don't know what it is either. Hey, this is what the internet is for - any questions you have are answered indiscriminately and in haste."

"This is... Really helpful, actually."

"No worries." she chose then to look up, to catch a flash of green and pale skin. "Oh, hey Loki."

Steve's head snapped around, and he flew up out of his chair into standing. Loki was lock-jawed, with his shoulders hunched. Against Barton, he'd have his hand-to-hand combat, but Steven Rogers was a strong opponent even for him in his god's body.

Darcy looked at his green t-shirt and dark jeans, and thought that she would have to take him shopping, seeing as none of his clothes fit, hanging from him loosely, in unflattering bags.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, putting her glasses up into her hair.

He was hungry, actually. He'd stayed well away from dinner, well away from Barton. He'd thought perhaps he could steal a few lonely moments by himself in the kitchen, maybe try his hand at the toaster he'd seen Jane use more than once. How hard could it be, to master the human cooking magic?

"I... was hungry." he looked down at his bare feet. The Captain's eyes scorched him like miniature suns.

"Oh, here. I'll help." she turned toward the kitchen.

"I'd really rather-" what had started out as a sharp demand cut itself short. He swallowed, lifted his head, and went on in a much easier tone. "Might I try myself, and have you... observe? In the event I..."

"Set the kitchen on fire? Yeah, sure." she pulled herself up onto the kitchen counter, turning to address Steve with a bright smile.

He meandered over to the cook wear, selecting a blue box and flavor of biscuit that his brother and Darcy seemed to eat religiously. After separating it from the silver packet, he put them in the metal cook-box, and waited patiently for something to happen.

"Uh, Loki?" she had pulled herself up on the bench next to him. Steve was rigid, watching pointedly. "You've gotta push that lever down to get things going."

He made a discontented noise and did as she bade; the machine made a click noise, and the insides glowed red. He mumbled his thanks to which she replied a chirpy welcome, and started swinging her legs.

"So, how's the castle of cards going?"

"It isn't."

"Why not?"

"...I ran out of cards."

"Oh, okay. We can get some more."

"...If you wouldn't mind. It would give me something to do."

"Yeah, I bet it would. Actually - you're a prankster, right?"

He rose a brow, turned his head to look at her.

"Notoriously." he drawled, and she grinned.

"I think that maybe I could show you something to pass the time. They're called videos on a site called YouTube, and it's basically mimicking real life on a screen."

"Like... Television. Movies."

"Yes! Exactly. The box plays." she popped down from the bench, gathering her own laptop from beside Steve. "You know what, Steve? You'd probably get some use out of YouTube as well. A lot of documentaries and stuff are on there. I'll teach you how to use it next."

"Okay." he said, and watched her go over to where Loki stood, setting up her computer.

She typed in 'Prank vs Prank', and gave a minor explanation while she found a video.

"So, there's this couple. And they prank each other all the time, film the reactions, and post them for everyone to see. Have a look at this one."

The premise of the video was that the male pretended to cut off part of the female's hair - the reaction she gave was priceless, and though Loki was very aware of Steve's watchful eye, he chuckled and couldn't help himself.

"How do I navigate this?" he tapped the pad he'd observed her using, but it did nothing.

"I'll show you. Put your finger on it and steer the little white icon around... then tap. Find a video you like." she watched him do so, and he startled when the screen changed and another video played. "There. Easy. The suggested videos are mostly others from the same channel, but some are similar from different people. Your poptarts are popped."

He hadn't even heard them. Human hearing was selective.

"Oh." he eyed them, the faint curl of smoke from behind the pastry. "Thank you."

"Welcome." she said again, brightly. "So, yeah, you use that-" she nodded to her laptop. "And just give it back whenever, okay? I'll see if maybe Tony could lend you one permanently."

"I already accept his hospitality." Loki said quietly, running his finger along the edge of the screen. "I do not think I could ask for anything more when I have nothing to offer in return."

"Well... Maybe I could make you one." she thought about that. "I've never tried, but I mean, I made the stuff Jane used to search the stars, so I don't think it could be that hard."

Loki studied her face. He tried to make sense of why she would go to such lengths.

"That would be..." he swallowed, tilting his head slightly to one side. "I wouldn't mind ... If you would like. If it were not a trouble."

"Nah, don't worry about it." she shrugged, patted his arm. "Your poptarts are getting cold." then she returned to Steve, pulling him down to sitting by the hand. Steve's eyes were lingering on the ex-villain, brow slightly drawn. He gave him a single head nod before returning his gaze to the computer, however, his attention was not completely absorbed by it.

Loki took his poptarts and his borrowed laptop, and exited the room.

The screen had gone black. The faint whirring noise inside the machine had sputtered and stopped. There were no lights, and no amount of tapping the mouse pad made the computer want to work. Loki had been in the middle of a miniature story - a 'movie trailer', that was the equivalent of a written blurb about an upcoming movie involving the Midgardian shark in what appeared to be a violent swirl of air.

He had only touched it lightly, not enough to break it. But perhaps it had died of more natural means. He would have to break the news to Darcy, and she would undoubtedly hate him.

He had the laptop in one hand as he knocked on her door, eyes on the contraption in the event it flickered and came back to life.

"Lady Darcy, I regret to inform you..." he looked at her, then. She was mussed from sleep - her glasses were crooked upon her face. Her shirt's collar tucked under one cup of her bra and the gratuitous spillage over the foam slice that kept her breast in place. She wore naught but that single white t-shirt and a pair of tiny shorts in the color of bottle green. He gaped.

"Oh, it died." she mumbled. "Here." she took it from him and put it somewhere inside her room - his human eyes could not perceive where it had been deposited.

He saw only the shape of her pale legs, the curve of her backside in those sinfully tiny pants. He managed to maintain his composure by the time she came back, shirt righted around her breast. She was scrubbing her eyes with her knuckles, however.

"Is that all?" she smothered a yawn behind her hand. "Got an eyeful?"

"I-..." he bit the inside of his cheek. "I did. That is no fault of mine. I am a man, and you are-... Curvaceous."

"Yeah, you're only just realizing."

"Hardly." he scoffed, and she smirked, leaning against the doorway.

"Good to know you're not totally about your good graces." she said mildly, folding arms under her bust. "It just needs a charge. You can have it in the morning. Go to sleep."

"Alright." he nodded. "I can-... Yes. It's late."

"Early." she corrected. "I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Certainly. Good night..."

"Night." she said, and shut the door. He stared at it, blinking stupidly, for a minute, his brain registering her beautiful skin and curves. She would see him later, she wasn't angry, and the laptop was not dead in totality. Strangely, the weight that lifted off his shoulders was tremendous.

"Hey, Jack Frost. What're you doing?"

Loki turned, though he already knew Tony Stark's voice. He was in his daily wear - he had not yet gone to bed. Beside him, a little robotic creature made a squeaking noise, and hid behind Tony's calves.

"I was returning to Darcy her computer device." he said slowly, raising a brow.

"At three in the morning?"

"I did not notice the time."

"Yeah, well, you should've thought about that." he folded rather thick forearms across his middle, mouth in a thin line. "I don't like you and her alone together. Wait, let me rephrase. I don't like you."

"If you feel the need to make me verbally aware of this, perhaps you should think about how it is you've been treating me during my stay." he was the embodiment of polite, and it irritated Stark, even if he struggled to present himself as nonplussed. "I am not dull of mind, only of body."

"Yeah? Get in line, 'cuz neither am I. And you can have your cheekbones all you like, but they aren't going to last you forever." he eyed the vent above his head. "I'd be surprised if they lasted the night."

A cold coil formed in Loki's stomach, and he too, lifted his gaze to the ventilation system.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means stay away from Darcy when she isn't awake and around people who can shishkabob you if you get handsy."

"I would not." he leveled a glare at the significantly shorter man.

"Yeah, right. JARVIS said you were looking."

"I was. That does not equal my touching of her, however. She presented to me in nothing but underwear and a t-shirt twisted about her torso. Had she presented to you in such a manner, I very much doubt weather you would've been so noble-"

"I would not." Tony said through his teeth. There was a moment went Loki thought it was his honor for Pepper that made him rise to bait so quickly, but he did not think it completely true. "Darcy is a kid. She doesn't need to be screwed over by the likes of you."

"Perhaps not." Loki drawled. "Perhaps she only needs to be screwed under the likes of - "

The blow to the top of his head made his teeth clamp shut with a snap, nicking the inside of his lip enough to draw blood. He half bent, but had no time to recuperate - he was thrown into a wall, braced by a strong forearm across his throat.

Clint had always been of smaller description, but strong and fast. His eyes were bright with the heart Loki had chosen him for, teeth bared in a feral snarl.

"You speak another word about Darcy, I'll break your neck." he shoved his weight up, lifting Loki clear off the floor. Tony just arched a brow, the little robot behind him spinning around in nervous circles. "That's after I pull your jaw out of your socket, after I dislocate every single finger you have, and after I cut your dick off so you can't even think about her like that, ever again."

"Touch-y." he grinned down at him with blood painting his teeth. The hold against his throat tightened to the point where he lost the ability to breathe.

Clint snapped his fist in and under Loki's diaphragm before dropping him into a heap on the floor, still silent and unable to draw breath. He was curled, one hand bracing the ground, when the robot skidded over the tips of his fingers to add insult to injury.

"You leave Darcy alone." Clint told the back of his head, setting a booted foot on an already bruised skull. "Or you die."

He pulled up into the vent again, and Tony patted his head on his way past.

"Good talk."