It took Darcy a few weeks before she realized Loki only used little terms of endearment on her. She'd never really socialized with him around people other than Jane, and he'd always called her 'my love' or something. So, when he started calling Darcy 'darling' or 'sweetheart' (her personal favorite), she just assumed he was one of those guys who gave women pet names. She thought it could even be a British thing (apparently he was sorta British, having moved to the US when he was twelve).
But, after living with him for almost a month, she realized that the little names were a Darcy-thing and not a Loki-thing. They often went out together, shopping and seeing movies and such, and so occasionally they ran into acquaintances. He always referred to other people by their name, no matter how close they seemed to be. In fact, not once did he ever use a nickname on someone other than her. Darcy knew it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't. But she couldn't quite convince her stomach that it wasn't. Every time he called her sweetheart, it clenched up just a bit. Someone less self-aware than Darcy would have just ignored her own reaction, but Darcy was not one to be oblivious unless she wanted to be.
So, ok – she had a crush on her roommate (or was he her landlord?). Whatever, it didn't matter. It was just a crush. He was handsome and considerate and paid her more attention than anybody ever had before. It was only natural that she start developing lusty feelings.
Of course, it didn't help that there had been a spider in her room one night and when she screamed – scary little fucker came out of nowhere - Loki came running into her room wearing nothing but boxer-briefs (people really wore those?). After he dispatched the eight-legged menace in a non-PETA approved manner, she still couldn't catch her breath. She let him think it was due to lingering fear and not her ability to see the contours of his surprisingly impressive package. And she might have played up the fear angle to the point where he gave her a hug – a bare-chested, really nice-smelling hug. And she valiantly tried not to stare at his ass when he walked away. She failed. Thank god he never looked back because she was pretty sure her face resembled that of a drunken bachelorette at a Chippendale club – bow chicka wow wow. Whatever, she was twenty-two and female and hadn't been laid in an embarrassingly long amount of time. It was just a crush. Seriously.
She was lounging on the couch, musing about how trivial her attraction to Loki was (and possibly convincing herself that she wasn't in love with him – she wasn't – at all…oh god) while she waited for dinner to arrive. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, eliciting a Pavlovian response. She immediately jumped up and dashed toward the door grabbing the money off the table. Chinese food! Chinese food! Yummy, delicious MSG-laden goodness! She slid across the hardwood floor in a parody of Risky Business (it was completely necessary as she was only wearing one of Loki's dress shirts and a pair of red and white striped socks). She started speaking before the door was open all the way.
"How much do I owe y-" She paused, looking at the nicely-dressed older couple standing in front of her wearing startled expressions. She figured her expression was pretty startled too. "You're not Asian."
She realized that was probably a stupid thing to say and made little-to-no sense, but she had been expecting wonton soup and got Mr. Monopoly and Grace Kelly. They hadn't said anything but were looking her over in a way that made her uncomfortable. "I mean…sorry. I thought you were the Chinese food guy. You're not, obviously. Unless take-out has started being delivered in teams of two and the uniform is now business casual." Babbling was her natural reaction when she was thrown off-balance.
The older dude with the eye patch (best dressed pirate ever) finally spoke. "Who are you and what are you doing in this house?" His voice was British and mean and made her feel like a schoolgirl getting scolded for cheating on an exam. So, like a schoolgirl, she answered more obediently than she normally would.
"I'm Darcy. And I'm waiting for my dinner. Or, if you meant 'here' in a broader sense, I live here." Well, she kinda did. Temporarily. I mean, she was hypothetically looking for a new place. But this one already had all her stuff in it and was huge and gorgeous and rent-free. And it had Loki.
"You live here?" Again, the guy made her feel really insecure and she wished she was wearing pants – or, well, anything other than a guy's shirt and a pair of silly socks.
"Yup."
The woman seemed to realize how uncomfortable Darcy was and that the guy…her husband?...was being pretty rude. I mean, they rang her bell – they were the guests here. "I apologize, dear. We were just expecting someone else. Did you recently move in? We were looking for the former owner, Loki Odinson." Her voice was soft and kind and it made Darcy feel soooo much better.
It also made Darcy realize who they were. Rich, older, British couple – duh, dumbass. "Oh! You're Loki's parents. I'm so sorry. I just was not expecting you." They seemed taken aback again. She realized it was probably her spastic behavior. Or her lack of pants. Did Loki even tell his parents about her? "He didn't tell me you were coming. Trust me, if I'd known I would have at least gotten dressed. I'm not that uncivilized, I promise." She opened the door wider and stepped back so they could enter. "Come on in! Loki's at a faculty meeting for another half-hour or so, but you can just wait for him inside."
They were looking at each other and then at her. She supposed they were drawing a lot of interesting conclusions, especially considering her outfit. She wasn't sure how to tactfully handle the situation, so she figured Loki could explain. If his parents were anything like him, they would be too classy to bring it up. Finally, the man gestured for his wife to enter first and once they were inside, Darcy shut the door behind them.
"Why don't you go grab a seat in the living room and I'll get you something to drink?" She started walking down the hallway with the confused duo in tow.
"Thank you, dear. I'm sorry but I don't believe I caught your name before," Loki's mom offered politely.
"Darcy. Should I call you Mrs. Odinson?" Manners never hurt.
"Oh, no, dear. Rene is fine." Good, the awkwardness was fading. And Loki's mom seemed really nice. She also looked a great deal like her son, which didn't hurt.
"Ok, then. Rene. What's your poison?"
Loki's dad answered. "Brandy. Neat. And you can call me Anthony." His voice was still kinda cold and scary and made her wish she had pants on. But at least he was being civil.
Rene added, "And a glass of wine would be lovely. White if you have it."
Well, this made her feel a bit like a waitress, but she figured she was the hostess here. Fine then.
"No problem. I think there's a pretty decent chardonnay in the fridge." She turned toward the kitchen, then paused. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna throw some pants on first. I'll be right back with your drinks." And may I recommend the grilled chicken. Awkward. So so so awkward.
Rene's voice was vaguely amused. "That's fine, dear. Take your time." Awkward.
She practically sprinted to her room and threw on the closest pair of clean black jeans she could find. Then she debated on Loki's shirt. Yeah, it had to go. Way too loaded. So, she pulled it off and put on a bra (always a good idea when meeting the parents) and the blue shirt Loki always said looked really nice on her. Hair and make-up? Nah, no time. She looked presentable enough.
She ran back down the stairs and to the kitchen, digging around for wine glasses and the special brandy glass Loki used. Uncorking the wine wasn't easy with the way her hands were shaking. Why was she so freaking nervous? It wasn't like Loki was her boyfriend. She didn't need to make a great impression. And as awkward as the whole first meeting went, she had been through way more awkward situations. Still, she wanted them to like her. It was really important that they like her. Which was unlikely to happen now. Damn.
Drinks in hand, she steeled herself for a moment, breathing deeply. In the silence, she heard the sudden blare of music. Bonnie Tyler's raspy voice was singing "I Need a Hero." Oh crap, Loki was calling. And her phone was in the living room. She hurried back to his parents, internally counting the rings. One-two-three. She handed the drinks off quickly, before throwing out a quick apology as she answered the phone right before it went to voicemail.
She answered a bit breathlessly. "You're in trouble, buddy." Best get that out there first.
"Oh. Should I ask why or just apologize and be done with it?" His voice was amused but she could tell he was concerned.
"I'd go with the former on this one. And presents. Perhaps some groveling."
"I see." His tone became comically gallant. "Well, then – pray tell what I have done that has caused such offense, fair lady. You know that I would never intentionally hurt one as lovely as you. Please, please forgive me. And allow me to pick up dinner on my way home tonight as penance. Perhaps even some ice cream." Aww, and hehe. She tried to keep a stern face – his parents were watching – but she knew she kinda visibly melted. It wasn't fair that he could just say things like that. Layers. Naughty, sneaky layers.
"Ok, ok, you're laying it on kinda thick there, babe. And I already ordered Chinese for both of us, so the sustenance is covered. But you might wanna hurry home. Just a suggestion."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Well, you have company." Silence for a beat.
"What?" His voice sounded odd.
"There are people here claiming to be your parents. Personally, I'm kinda suspicious. They seem a little too normal to have birthed you." She let a little Mona Lisa smile come out and play on her lips. "And I'm pretty sure I flashed your maybe-dad my panties, but he's too classy to point it out to me." His mother giggled and – wait a minute – his father cracked a smile. Score!
"Darcy." His voice was still odd and kinda serious.
"Loki." She echoed.
"You're serious. Shit. I'll be right there, sweetheart." He hung up immediately. She wasn't sure whether to be gooey from the 'sweetheart' or annoyed at his abruptness. Stalemate.
"You know your son has, like, no sense of humor." His parents seemed to be thawing. "It's a good thing he's so pretty or I wouldn't put up with him."
Rene laughed again, making Darcy feel unreasonably happy. Maybe Loki's parents wouldn't hate her after all! Rene had started to reply when the doorbell rang again. Pavlov had Darcy on her feet immediately.
"That would be the delivery guy. Finally. Excuse me a minute." Darcy took a deep breath before opening the door again, just in case. When it was only the Chinese food and not Thor or her own mother or someone equally disturbing, she let out a sigh of relief.
Loki was on his way home, his parents might not think she was some sort of tarty golddigger, and her wonton soup was finally here. Things were looking up.
A/N: Sorry to break up the flow, but I had to explain about the names in this chapter. I realized that I gave Loki the last name Odinson. And I was simply not cool with having a character named Odin Odinson in my story. So, I just gave his parents the first names of the awesome actors who played them in the movie. Sorry if that bothers anyone!
