Weeks passed and each night Loki came to her like smoke through a keyhole - silent and dangerous and intoxicating. In the darkness, he would reach for her and she would meet him halfway. Like the most compelling of addictions, he sent her mind reeling as he overwhelmed each sense in turn.

Morning would find them bickering and bantering, learning each other's quirks. But they never touched upon anything that truly mattered – their pasts, their dreams, their demons. And whenever someone was watching, they were virtual strangers once more.

They both knew they were tempting fate. So neither was truly surprised when the shit hit the fan.


Darcy felt numb. She knew Loki wasn't the kind to make epic self-sacrifices, but she hadn't expected this. She sat on her couch, hunched over and tense, as she waited for Loki to show up. He always did.

"Why do I get the feeling you are angry with me?"

It was a testament to the frequency of their encounters that Darcy no longer jumped when Loki popped up out of nowhere. Well, unless he was deliberately trying to make her jump. But that didn't count.

"Because you're a smart guy."

He sighed, already dreading the conversation that was about to occur.

"Darcy, you are overreacting."

Darcy lurched off the couch as if pulled by invisible strings and stood toe-to-toe with the god before her.

Her voice was livid, "No, I'm really not. You're underreacting. Hell, you're just not reacting. At all. What the hell were you thinking out there?"

Taking a centering breath, he replied, "You do not truly want to know. What did you expect me to do?"

"Something! Anything. Bruce was bleeding all over the place and that guy was about to kill him – and you just stood there. Smirking like it was all some sort of big show put on just for you. Like it was a joke. He was dying – and you didn't do anything."

His smile was patronizing, "Like what? Save him? Is that what you thought I would do?"

She was giving him a look that he had been given many times before – but never by her.

"Yes! Loki, he's my friend. He's our colleague. I don't understand how you could find anything funny about what was happening to him. You could have snapped your fingers and saved him – saved everyone. Why didn't you?"

"He is your colleague, not mine. Just because I no longer fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. does not mean that I fight for them. And simply because I can do something does not mean that I will."

She actually looked hurt, "Loki…you have to go all in, one way or another. You can't just keep straddling the line between hero and villain."

Loki felt his hands clench into fists as a slow-burning fury started building up inside of him. This conversation was transforming from tedious into maddening. He had thought that of anyone in this godsforsaken realm, Darcy understood him. Maybe he was the fool.

He kept his voice carefully neutral, "Hero or villain - are those a man's only two options?"

"A normal man - no. Most people can be a selfish asshole and still be a decent human being. But you? Someone as...scary powerful and dangerous as you? You need to make a choice. I thought you already did when you saved Thor. But if I'm wrong, and you can still just drop the whole reformed thing - tell me now. Go kill kittens or enslave children or whatever you think would make you happy. But if you say you're with us - then be with us."

He couldn't hold in a bitter laugh, "You want me to become the hero, I presume. If you were looking for a hero, Darcy, you should have sought passion elsewhere. That is not who I am. I find it quaint that you do not seem to mind my mercurial nature when you are sitting on my face. But outside the bedroom…"

"This isn't about me."

"If you say so. Find it hard to look in the mirror lately? To see the marks a monster leaves on your skin? The marks you beg him to leave."

She recoiled as if slapped, "Stop! Don't turn this around on me. You almost let a man die! I'm not saying you have to be some big damn hero, but you should have done something."

His smile was cruel, "Heroes are fools, therefore it goes against my very nature to become one."

"But you could. Thor is-"

Her words shattered his control. Why did everyone he cared about try to make him into something he was not nor had any desire to be?

He roared, "I am not my brother!"

Anger coursing through him, he felt his power seep from his skin, making the air around him pulse and crackle. He watched as Darcy took a step back, looking afraid. Afraid of him. He had seen her in various states, but she had never looked truly frightened of him before.

He forced himself to calm, understanding that she was not the true source of his anger and therefore did not deserve the brunt of it. He had not yelled like that since he had confronted his father. Confronted Odin. He knew why Darcy was angry. He supposed she even deserved to be. But he owed her no loyalty – not truly. Nor did he owe loyalty to any of the others in this realm, save Thor. Did she not understand how difficult this was for him?

Still, he shouldn't have scared her.

Giving her as gentle a look as he could muster in his current state, he explained, "I am not Thor and I never will be."

While the fear had left her face, the light reflected off the tears in her eyes and Loki truly felt like the villain. She was his friend as well as his lover - he had to remember that.

He continued, "But I am trying to overcome my impulses. I will never be able to make a choice without weighing my options. And I will always want to choose the option that works to my advantage. That will too often conflict with the path of the hero."

Her voice was soft, "So make your own path. Weigh your options. Think selfish thoughts. But do the right thing in the end." She tried to smile at him, but he could see the cracks. "I know you're not Thor. I wouldn't want you to be. One God of Thunder is more than enough. I just meant that if Thor could do it, then you obviously could too. Anything."

His smile turned genuine, "Are you trying to goad me into competition with my brother over being the better man?"

Her voice was oddly sincere, "I already think you're the better man."

He laughed hollowly, "In bed, I presume."

"And other places."

What manner of nonsense was she speaking now?

He studied her face as if he'd never seen it before, "Explain."

"Thor's a good guy. He follows his impulses - which just happen to be stupidly heroic. You...aren't a very good guy. But you fight your impulses. I think that's...noble? I don't know. I just think you're a hell of a lot more decent than you think you are. But what do I know, right? You've called me crazy more times than I can count."

Mind whirling, he answered absently, "Seventeen."

"What?"

"I have implied that your mental health may require specialized assistance seventeen times. Though, in all honesty, there have been many more instances where I simply did not voice that opinion – such as at this particular moment. Though, technically, I suppose that now makes eighteen."

She smiled, looking worn, "And yet you're still doing me. What does that say about your mental health?"

"Insanity is contagious."

"Now that I believe."

She fell silent, wrapping her arms around her torso as if to comfort herself. Loki just watched the light play off the contours of her face, suddenly compelled to memorize her features even though he had done so ages ago. The silence stretched out between them for a long moment, until Darcy finally broke it.

Her voice was curious, "Did we just have a fight? I mean, there was yelling and everything - it sure felt like a fight."

He raised his brow, "If we did quarrel, are you certain that we are finished doing so?"

She blinked, "Oh. Well, can we make peace now? They say you should never go to bed angry. And I'm tired. And with my emotions running all high and shit, I really need to…well, there's this mortal custom of having make-up sex after you have a fight."

Loki's smile was strained, "I have no objections. But Darcy, I am not a good man. Though I am endeavoring to become a better one."

She walked toward him and slowly wound her arms around his neck in the closest approximation of a hug they had ever shared.

"Well you strike me as the kind of guy who gets things done once he puts his mind to it. Just...if someone who isn't evil is dying in front of you - even if they're not your brother - save them next time. Ok? Who knows, maybe it'll be like the end of the Grinch and your heart will grow thr-...yeah, nevermind." She looked up at him through her lashes and gave him an impish little grin. "But I still think you would totally make a better hero than Thor."

He allowed himself to relax, bringing his arms around her. It felt strange to be holding each other with their clothes on. He smiled at her words, "That would not be difficult. And now I do believe we have concluded with our disagreement and can move on to the next stage."

She looked hopeful, "Make-up sex?"

A familiar smirk slid across his lips, "Indeed. Now strip for me, mortal. Slowly."

As he watched her flesh become exposed inch by delicious inch, Loki let her words linger in his mind. The better man. She was naïve, but...

The better man.


In the afterglow – well, aftermath seemed more appropriate – Darcy suddenly remembered something she had been meaning to tell Loki before they had their little lovers' spat. It would hopefully lighten the mood.

"So...I deflowered Captain America."

Loki found the rage that filled him at her words both unexpected and staggering.

He wondered just how painful that foolish Captain's death could be while still looking like an accident. Being drawn and quartered obviously required outside intervention. And people didn't just trip and behead themselves...at least not slowly and with a dull blade. But freak garbage disposal accidents were possible, surely. A man could lose a limb or two down one of those strange contraptions and bleed out over the course of several hours - days even - and be unable to get any assistance. That was a possibility.

His voice betrayed none of his internal chaos, "Pardon?"

Smiling, she explained, "Some Puckish pervert left my unmentionables in Steve's room. He was being a gentleman and returning them. Because gentlemen return them as opposed to steal them. See the difference?"

While registering her reference to his favorite Shakespearean character, Loki still couldn't find the humor in her words.

"What does that have to do with you fucking him?"

Darcy couldn't remember ever hearing him curse before. It wasn't as sexy as she had imagined it being - she was actually somewhat nervous. And Loki's body was starting to give off a strange chill.

"Um, nothing. Except now all of S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks I'm doing him. Jane thought she figured something out - which was obviously untrue - but she told Thor and you know he can't keep a secret. Took a little while, but I'm pretty sure everyone has heard by now. I'm kinda shocked you haven't."

The words registered - Loki understood now. He refused to call the soft swell of pleasant emotion that ran through him relief.

He simply didn't like to share.

"Ah. Well I have been a bit preoccupied with matters slightly more important than office gossip. But I will assume all are in agreement that it was better for him than it was for you."

She laughed, relaxing now that the weird tension was evaporating, "Yup, they say I rocked his world. Rode him so hard, he'll have to sleep for another 70 years just to recover from the Darcy Lewis Experience."

"Modesty is my favorite of your virtues."

She gave him a saucy wink, "And compassion is my favorite of yours."

He chuckled, "Touché."

He watched as Darcy appeared to get lost in thought. The small smile on her face intrigued him

"What are you thinking about?"

She blinked, looking a bit startled, "Oh! Nothing."

A bit on edge from the madness of the day, Loki brushed against her mind to find the truth. Ah – the talk of virtues had made her think of vices. She was currently tallying which of the Seven Deadly Sins she was guilty of. While her number was quite impressive, he edged her out.

He interrupted her musing, "I feel lust is the most pertinent for the moment. Although sloth is a close second."

She looked at him and Loki got the uncomfortable feeling that they were going to argue yet again that day.

"Are you reading my mind?"

"Yes."

She looked upset, "Stop! You can't do that!"

"I beg to differ. I obviously can do it."

"Thin ice, buddy. Thin fucking ice. Do you mind-rape me often?"

Loki rolled her underneath him, pinning her to the bed, "Rape is a terrible word choice. I skim your thoughts – so it is mind foreplay at most. And I only do so rarely."

"Define rarely." She didn't sound amused despite her body's reaction to their new position.

"I only do so when you are being reticent about explaining yourself and I require clarification. You are mystifying in many ways. I dislike being left in the dark."

She pushed at his shoulders and he allowed himself to fall backwards so that she could pin him to the bed.

Her voice was firm, "If you ever read my mind again, I will castrate you in your sleep. Seriously, I will wait all night until you're completely dead to the world. And then I will go full-on Lorena Bobbitt on you. And I don't care if you can regenerate like a starfish – it will hurt. And even if it only annoys you more than anything else, I'll do it over and over again, until you learn to stay out of my fucking head. We clear?"

Loki tried not to smile. He failed.

"Clear as crystal. In truth, I find it better for my overall mental stability to stay out of your mind. A man could get lost in the chaos in there. But I will not say that I will never use that little ability. Only that I will try to ask permission first. Did you know there are many useful ways to implement telepathy? Secretly mocking others in a crowded room – very amusing. Communicating your carnal desires when your mouth is otherwise occupied – extremely useful. Even in battle – it is good to know exactly when to duck."

"Go back to the second one."

He raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Something about carnal desires. That one had some real possibility." Her position on top of him was shifting from threatening into promising.

He smirked, "In the interest of fairness, I will share with you what has been on my mind."

He then sent her an image that made her blush right down to her navel. He could see her trying to sort out the image in her head.

Dazed, she asked, "Were there two of you?"

"Well, there could be two of you if you would prefer." His voice turned musing, "Now that I have mentioned it, that would be quite agreeable."

Shaking her head, she straddled him properly and sat up with a naughty smile, "One of me is already more than you can handle, lover."

He smirked at her audacity, "Prove it."

She did.

She was certainly…more…than he'd expected. Best not to let that thought linger. She was nothing more than a pleasant diversion.

As she flawlessly executed that little spin move he so enjoyed, Loki had to amend his previous assessment – she was an extremely pleasant diversion.