If you've got a Friday night free and a shotgun seat
Well I'm just saying, I ain't got nowhere to be
So baby I'll take whatever it is you've got to give...
Darcy woke up to the buzz of her cell, cursing the damn thing but having learned to answer it anyway, even if it was at an ungodly hour. It usually was, as Jane was frequently off to remote parts of the world and didn't bother about time zones, and Maria Hill certainly didn't care if it was the middle of the night. Duty called, end of story.
"I'm going to kill you." Darcy mumbled into the phone after answering it.
"I miss you too. Listen, I'm in Norway with Erik, we need-"
"Wow, the guy disappears and calls you first? Thanks Erik. Remind me to punch you in the face again when I see you." Darcy heard some muttering on the other end of the line.
"Yeah, he sends his love. Anyway Darce, this is really important. I need you to head over to the lab-"
"Whoa, what? Have Muscles beam you back! It's four in the morning, Jane!" Darcy argued, glancing at the digital alarm clock on the side of her bed. It read 03:58. Jane was toast when she saw her next.
"That's the thing, Thor isn't here right now. He had to go help Tony and Bruce with something. You know how vague they are, and I didn't ask too many questions."
Darcy was already pulling on some clothes and searching for her favorite beanie. While Jane chatted on, she was plotting ways to demand a raise. She'd probably have to go straight to Maria or Pepper, as Jane was too much of an air head to care about something like paychecks.
"So it's in the black box on the counter, I just need you to make a slight adjustment to it and then send me some simple calculations." Jane finished, as Darcy was squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush.
"Right, calculations..." she trailed off doubtfully.
"It's no big deal, easy as pie. I'll text you exactly what to do, I have a meeting with Erik and-"
The call cut out, which was something that was fairly normal. Jane didn't normally work in civilization, and though Tony and SHIELD had the very best technology available and would've given her a phone with coverage no matter where the hell she was, she'd never made the switch, preferring her dinky little flip phone that rarely got more than two bars of service.
"Ugh, Mondays." Darcy mumbled as she pulled on her boots and grabbed her bag. She was about to buzz the doorman to ask him to call for a car when there was a knock on her door.
"Ms. Lewis, your ride is here." Darcy swung the door open, smiling at Esau, who was probably the nicest person she'd ever met.
He had worked in lobby of the Stark Industries building for Howard, and upon his death, Esau had contemplated retirement. Tony begged him not to- he'd practically been an uncle to him while he was growing up. Darcy had a sneaking suspicion that Tony considered Esau more a father than the man who gave him life. Tony gave Esau the pick of whatever job he'd like, promising to send him to school, if necessary, but Esau needed to be around people, to interact with them, to help them. He claimed he was too salt-of-the-earth to be at a desk or in a lab. He liked working the door- it was important to see everything. So after New York, when Stark Industries had broken into the real estate game, Tony had made Esau the concierge and doorman of Darcy's building.
"You're a life-saver," Darcy said, taking the steaming Styrofoam cup of coffee Esau held out to her.
"I know," He said, taking her bag from her and leading the way to the elevator. He punched in the code for the lobby, and they zoomed down. A car was already waiting, and Darcy pecked Esau on the cheek as he held the door open for her.
The driver seemed as dismayed at being awake at this ungodly hour as she was, so she was spared the small talk she usually enjoyed. As they got closer to the building, Darcy wondered if Jane had thought to call Loki as well.
oooo
"I wish you could come." Darcy heard Steve's voice, filled with something that was almost anguish. There was silence, then the pouring of coffee. The gossip in her stopped, standing perfectly still. Just who was Steve Rogers so torn about leaving behind? The building was practically deserted this early, with only the security team out in full numbers. She'd been buzzed through and patted down, the usual, but hadn't seen any other employees. She was just coming up on a small break alcove, one of many scattered throughout the main floors.
"The Director wants some of us here. Gotta cover the bases." She heard Sam Wilson reply and Darcy's eyes widened in surprise.
"I know. I just..." More silence. Then, the unmistakable shuffle of bodies, and Darcy chanced a peek around the corner. Steve had Sam in what could only be described a passionate embrace, their foreheads touching.
"Be careful." Sam said, and Steve chuckled.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Steve kissed him, then, and Darcy felt like an even bigger idiot for ever holding anything against him for their earlier run-in. God, how had she missed this? Now that she thought about it, Sam and Steve were often seeking each other out, and she saw them together all the time- in the cafeteria, the hallways, going in to meetings together. She had just assumed that they were best friends- that all of them were. If ever a group of people had boundary issues, it was definitely The Avengers. Hello, dysfunction! Not that she was judging, of course. She considered them to be a family, and what family didn't have its issues? However, it appeared that much more was going on.
She sensed their moment wrapping up, and she quickly backtracked down the hallway, so it wouldn't appear as if she'd been eavesdropping. She busied herself with her phone as she saw Steve, dressed normally but with a full duffle bag over his shoulder, coming down towards her.
"Good morning Darcy," he said brightly, giving her a wide smile.
"And to you. Off to save the world?" She returned his smile with a warm one of her own.
"Hopefully nothing that dramatic. You're here early, aren't you?" Steve checked his watch.
Darcy nodded solemnly. "Right? Jane's insane! Still, duty calls." She gestured towards his bag.
"Well, good luck with whatever you're doing. And stay out of trouble."
Darcy smiled again, shaking her head. "No promises, Rogers. You know me, never a dull moment."
"Just try to keep it down then. And maybe, if I'm not back soon, keep an eye on Sam for me." Steve winked knowingly at her, then with a cheery wave was off, out the set of glass double doors and the hallway was once again abandoned.
So maybe she'd been dumb to think she could sneak up on an Avenger- two of them. But she was glad that her presence hadn't stopped Steve and Sam from expressing themselves, or their relationship. It wasn't all that surprising. Steve and Sam were both attractive, had the same sort of background. They appreciated the same things in life and had been through a lot of the same shit. It was common knowledge that Sam was Steve's right hand man, the one he trusted above anybody else. She wondered if anybody else knew. Surely they couldn't keep their attraction secret- they were literally smack dab in the middle of a super secret spy operation. But stranger things had happened, she supposed.
As she passed the break room, she glanced inside, and Sam held up his mug to her in greeting, as though waiting for her to pass. He didn't say anything, though, so she gave him the same grin she'd given Steve and hurried on to the lab.
oooo
Jane, while undoubtedly brilliant, was incapable of organization, or putting things where she'd remember them. It was something Dacry had learned to deal with, usually going behind her boss like an old school marm, cleaning and cataloging and keeping track of everything. So the fact that the instrument, (Darcy thought doo da thingy was a much more fitting name) wasn't where Jane had said it would be was not surprising. More than annoying this early on a Monday, but a fact of Darcy's life.
Though she didn't look it, Darcy was pretty organized and liked to keep things easy at first glance, so she typically color coordinated things. Colors were easier to remember than anything, and besides, she didn't understand half the shit Jane was talking about, so keeping things in alphabetical order wouldn't have done her much good. Jane was so scatterbrained that it was more of a chore than it was worth to try any other method anyhow.
So she was sifting through the brown and black cupboard when she finally found what Jane had wanted, and yep, there was the switchy button thing, and the "on" light was just on the side-
"Jesus Fucking Christ!" Darcy shrieked, pain splitting through hand and up into her arm. She dropped the small black cylinder, wishing she had a hammer so she could bust the damn thing to smithereens, and clutched at her left wrist, her heart in her throat when her hand came away bloody.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy mother of god fucking shit! She probably had nicked an artery, the way the blood was pumping out of her, and oh god, she hated the feel of it, wet and thick and and she'd never get it out of her shirt, and this was her favorite one, too!
"Somebody!" She called, "anybody there? Help! I'm dying!" The room was silent, and through the glass doors of the lab she could see nobody in the hallway. So much for the security dicks who were supposed to be monitoring the CCTV at all times!
What the fuck! With all its tech, this building couldn't have had an intercom system? Or a, "pull in case of emergencies" lever? Oh shit, she was only in her twenties and she needed a life alert button! If she weren't in so much pain, she probably would've been laughing her ass off.
Oh god, this was it, wasn't it? She would die from blood loss, right here in this fucking lab, and all because stupid, worthless science!
The blood was seeping through her shirt sleeve, and she felt lightheaded, her panic increasing. If only her trusty taser could help her now...
She staggered from the room, hoping to see a guard, or another employee of some kind, but of course, the ONE time in the whole history of SHIELD the place was practically deserted.
"Shit!" She gasped, as she stumbled- she could see a small trail of red behind her. She was bleeding worse than she thought. She needed to get help stat or she'd faint and just bleed out, and then where would Jane be? Jane would probably die without her!
She was on her knees now, trying to crawl with just one arm, when dark started to spread around the corners of her vision. Oh no, oh no oh no. This was so not how she was dying, dammit!
She opened her mouth to give all her strength into a cry for help, and that's when the darkness pooled around her, covering everything.
oooo
The sun was rising later and later as the season progressed. It was nearly mid-Autumn now, and out his window Loki could see the leaves changing, falling, dying. All grass had yellowed and browned, and everyone went about in scarves and pea coats. His closet contained a few pieces of designer wear just like those below- men's pants and button up shirts and a tailored jacket (how his measurements were known was beyond him, surely he'd never sat for a fitting for something so ridiculous). He also was in possession of a sweat suit, a pair of dress shoes, running shoes, and two sets of pajamas. Though he had yet to wear any of this Midgardian clothing, it was still nice to think his wardrobe was not completely empty.
Loki liked to wear his formal Asgardian clothes; it reminded him, and everybody else, that he was not of them. He was from another realm, and this was most certainly not his home. Better off here than in Asgard or not, he still held the belief that Midgard was beneath him. It was rather annoying, as he knew this deep set thinking came from Odin, and he wanted nothing more than to rid himself of the Allfather in every way possible.
He checked the clock on the wall, deciding to start his morning. He was early, but sitting in his quarters was driving him mad. At least the lab would be a change of scenery, and he could busy himself, feel useful again.
There were things laid out on the counter when he arrived, his anklet acting as his security key card. The door slid open for him, and he noted Darcy's shoulder bag leaning against her computer. So she had been here already? That was odd, as Darcy was rarely an early riser. She was never late for work, but she had never been early, either. And that was when he saw it.
The bloodied edge of one of Jane's gadgets, a small trail of blood spots leading out of the lab's side door.
His stomach nearly dropped, and he strode quickly from the room, following the trail that zigzagged over the taupe carpet in the hallway, until he finally happened upon Darcy in a fainted heap. Unexplained relief washed over him, and though her breaths were shallow, she seemed to be alright. He picked her up, and seeing nobody else in sight, made his way back to his apartment.
oooo
Darcy woke on an unfamiliar sofa in an unfamiliar room. The panic that she so vividly remembered started to rise in her throat again, but then she heard him, heard the voice that seemed to soothe her down to her bones.
"Stay still. You are not yet well enough."
His presence, as it had in the elevator, brought her a sense of peace and calm. She swallowed and laid back. Loki was kneeling next to her, still towering over her even on his knees. He had rolled the sleeve of her shirt up, and was working with a washcloth and water to clean the blood away from the gash.
Whoa, was this surreal or what? Loki, the one who mere months ago was hellbent on world domination and the subjugation of the human race, was helping her! He must've found her lifeless body in the hallway, which meant he'd brought her here, of his own choice. He was taking care of her! Just, whoa.
She watched him, his long, nimble fingers brushing along her skin as he finished cleaning the blood. He had a gauze wrap in his other hand, and he made quick work of binding the cut. Darcy bit her lip, wanting to protest the loss of his touch. Where was that coming from?! Small crush or not, she so did not need to be harboring those kinds of thoughts about the super villain who was probably plotting mass destruction as she lay here on his couch.
But...he could've left her in a sad little heap on the floor. He probably had gone to the lab early, and noticed the river of blood she'd left behind. That he went looking for her spoke volumes, didn't it? She'd worked at SHIELD long enough to know that not everybody there would be as considerate. Suddenly, Darcy felt ashamed of herself. She shouldn't assume the worst of anybody. The point of SHIELD and the Avengers was change. Every sentient being deserved the chance. And if Thor believed in Loki, why shouldn't she? Jane was beginning to befriend him, though that may have been out of desire to be around somebody who understood what the hell she was talking about- Darcy had little patience for Jane once she went all science fluent. Jane and Thor were two of the people she trusted most in this world. If Loki had their seal of approval, who was she to harbor the past against him?
"Hey," she reached up, without thinking (as usual) and lightly brushed her thumb across his cheek. He stilled, frozen, but he didn't pull away from her. "Thank you. You probably saved my life."
He held her gaze for what seemed an eternity, and she held her breath, watching his green eyes, wondering if she'd crossed the line and if he'd reel back in repulsion, demand she leave him alone, never speak to him again. Her heart pounded at the thought of, now, never being able to be this close to him again.
"When did you last eat?" He said at last, slowly standing.
Darcy thought. "Let's see, the food at the party...Saturday my hangover was not having any of it. Yesterday I slept most of the day, I mean after my mom called. She'd put you into a coma too, trust me. And then Jane begged me to come in and mess with some stupid shit, and her stupid metal spinny thing attacked me, so-"
Loki's eyes darkened with what appeared to be anger. "You have not eaten for two days?"
"I don't know, yeah? I guess. Not a big deal dude, I almost died!"
In spite of himself, Loki let out a small, amused breath. "You were fine. It seems you were more incapacitated by your panic than your actual cut. Though you did lose some blood, it was not enough to cause you lasting damage, and certainly not death."
"I saw my life flash before my eyes." Darcy argued, as Loki cleaned up the coffee table and went into the kitchen. She looked around at his apartment- it was next door to Jane and Thor's (she could only hope, for Loki's sake, that the walls were sound-proof), and nearly identical in layout. The furnishings were modern and comfortable, the far wall entirely made of glass, looking out onto the city. Unlike Thor and Jane's place, though, Loki's was immaculately clean. He probably even had hospital corners on his bed.
"Your anxiety does present a certain problem," Loki opened the stainless slate fridge and began pulling things out. Darcy sat up on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest. The counter top was raised, so she couldn't see what Loki was doing, but she heard what she thought was the crack of eggs and the sound of a whisk against the side of a bowl.
"Yeah, no shit. It's a nightmare. Wait, you meant for you, right?" Darcy added guiltily. Well, he had basically come to her rescue twice now, all because she couldn't keep her shit together.
Loki looked up, confusion on his face. "I was referring to your career."
"Oh."
That Loki hadn't tossed her on her ass out of his apartment, out of his life, yet, was almost as amazing as the fact that she was here in the first place.
"An agent for an organization like this who succumbs to debilitating panic attacks...did they not know of this when you were sought to work with Jane?"
"Well I'm not an agent, first off. More of an... assistant. Or something. And second, it didn't really get this bad until I came here. I dealt with it a bit in college, but here...I don't know, all these people around, all the pressure for Jane's work...I mean, it's small potatoes to be working in the desert with like, no funding, and then to come here with practically unlimited means. It sounds great, and it is. But there are lot of expectations, a lot of procedures, a lot of things to do and to be..." Darcy trailed off.
"Ah," Loki said, and she heard the sizzle of a frying pan, "you do not like a cage." Their eyes met and Darcy swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Guess neither of us do."
Loki shrugged once. "It is better than other options. At least I am permitted to have my own space. To work, somewhat."
"But you can't use magic." It hadn't been said, not outright anyway, but it was common knowledge that Fury had basically forbade the use of Loki's ability. The responsibility would rest on Thor's shoulders, and perhaps this was why Loki was suddenly trust worthy- or more so, at least. It was this, Darcy sensed, more than anything that had changed Jane's mind about Thor's brother. Sure there was a long way to go, but if Loki was willing to suppress something that was a part of him for Thor's sake, well, that was good enough for the time being.
Loki was busy with his hands for a moment, then he said in a precise tone, "No, I cannot."
"That must suck." Darcy said, surprised by his honesty, and she noticed Loki swallow thickly.
"You can't even imagine. To be forbidden from something that is woven into your being, into your very blood..." Loki stopped, and Darcy was struck by the desperation in his voice, by the longing. He gave her a short, taken aback look, as though he couldn't believe he'd just said that.
"I suppose I can't." She said, hurting for him. And this was the moment she knew, just one million percent knew, that she was so, so screwed. Because Loki was everything- to a T- that a sane, well-adjusted woman should want to stay away from. If she had to put him down to just one word, it would be dangerous. She definitely should keep her distance. Everybody would agree. Well, Darcy had never been good at taking advice, and most definitely not her own.
Loki was the first person she'd met here that had piqued her interest, that seemed to be as lonely as she was. So what if he was technically under arrest? She'd done time in the slammer, too. Okay, it was just once and it was for some vandalism done at a sorority party, not exactly earth-shattering stuff like Loki had been involved in. Her argument was weak to her own ears, but she found herself distinctly not giving a shit.
"Mother would be absolutely appalled at my manners," Loki said, and he brought her over a tall glass of orange juice. "I am afraid I do not have much to offer you," he started, but Darcy shook her head quickly.
"This is perfect. Whatever you're cooking smells amazing. You're probably the last person I thought who could go all Gordon Ramsay."
Loki smirked. "The last? If you think Stark cooks his own meals you definitely are in fact delirious from blood loss."
Darcy laughed, and then stood up, crossing the room to the dining table.
oooo
Loki had made omlettes, and Darcy put two away before she realized she wasn't exactly being ladylike. Not that Loki seemed to mind- he watched her with a bemused expression, then whisked away the dishes when she was finished eating. She never took him for domestic, but here he was, drying plates and spraying down the counter with Lysol, like any normal person.
As she settled contentedly back to the couch, Darcy wondered if his mother had anything to do with it- he had said earlier that she'd be mad about his manners.
"Your mother- Frigga, right? Do you still talk to her?" It was an extremely personal question, Darcy knew, but she wasn't exactly one to beat around the bush. Why waste the time? If Loki wasn't going to answer the question, no amount of hemming and hawing would change that.
"Occasionally. Thor delivers our correspondence." He was still behind the counter, slowly tapping his finger on the granite top, a habit Darcy had noticed since he'd started working in the lab. He did it when he was concentrating, when he was on the verge of breaking through some massive problem. She wondered what he was trying to solve now- a way to get her out of here? But if he really wanted her gone, he'd have said so, and in no uncertain terms, she was sure.
"Did she teach you to cook?"
"Gods, no. She's awful at it. Thor as well. They are very much alike."
Darcy wondered who Loki was like- he hated Odin so much, so Loki probably went out of his way to not be like him, just like she did with her own mother. Odin sounded like a huge ass from everything Jane had told her and though Thor spoke with deep respect of his father, it often seemed to be more out of propriety than his genuine feelings. From what she'd heard of Frigga, she couldn't imagine Thor or Loki being very much liker her. Though a warrior in her own ways, she had still been docile enough to her husband to allow him to ban both of her sons from the realm. Thor and Loki were both rebels, when it came down to it.
"You know," Darcy had lain down, and Loki came over to the chair beside the sofa, watching her. He could tell she was not far from sleep, and he did not much blame her. She had to be exhausted from a weekend of no nourishment, then being awoken and injured at such an early hour. Yet, it was a massive mistake to let her stay here. There wasn't a person in the entire facility- or world- that would believe she was here of her own free will, that he had, in fact, been assisting her in a time of need.
"A lot of people here don't trust you, at all," Darcy continued, "they think everything is your fault- New York, I mean. Not everything, obviously, not like in the whole world. Oh god, I'm rambling, aren't I?"
Loki went to reply, but Darcy did not give him the chance."But see, Loki," she continued, "I don't think I blame you. Or just you, you know? I mean, you super sucked. Like, who even does that dictator bullshit anymore? But everything you went through, everything you had to find out from Odin and then those fucker aliens totally taking advantage of you..."
Loki opened his mouth to speak, but he found he couldn't. Never, in all his days, had there been anybody in sympathy with him. Darcy was not excusing him of his actions, but she was trying to understand them. Even Frigga hadn't...
"Clint killed his fair share of people, too, and people just forgave him like it was nothing, less than nothing. They say he was brain washed to do it. Why don't they think the same thing about you? And just who the hell ever said Bruce was the picture of innocence?"
She stared at him, her blue eyes boring into his. He had no answer for her, though he did not feel that one was necessary. She seemed to be asking herself, rather than him. She gave one long, slow blink, and then she was gone, lost to sleep.
oooo
There was a swift knock at his door, then it swung open. Jane was there, a massively worried look on her face, and Thor behind her. He looked a little worse for wear, but his grin was as wide as ever.
"Brother," he boomed, and Loki narrowed his eyes in annoyance, gesturing to Darcy's still slumbering figure. Jane smacked his arm, putting her finger over her lips. Thor grabbed Loki's shoulder in affection, then turned to gently pick up Darcy.
"Is she okay?" Jane asked, wringing her hands together. "I can't believe I forgot to warn her about the loose spring- this is all my fault."
"You would never purposely hurt her," Thor said soothingly, freeing one hand from Darcy to cup Jane's cheek. She smiled appreciatively up at him, and Loki felt a mixture of revulsion and wistfulness at the sight.
"She is fine. I did what I could for the cut. I made sure she had sustenance. Then she rested."
Jane and Thor exchanged a long glance, then Jane turned, wanting to reach for Loki's hand, but thinking better of it. "Thank you, Loki. Really. I'm so glad she had somebody looking out for her."
"A truly kind thing you have done, brother." Thor said, and Loki stood there, watching them go, cursing the annoyance he felt at seeing Darcy in the arms of his brother.
oooo
Darcy knew she wasn't in Loki's apartment before she opened her eyes. There was a different energy around her- at Loki's, she'd felt a sort of tingle in the air, a pleasant prickle along her skin. Here it was all heavy light, and she opened her eyes, sitting up. She wasn't surprised to see Jane sitting across from her, a book in Norwegian spread across her lap.
"I'm never going to forgive you," Darcy mumbled, and Jane's eyes snapped up to her.
"Darce! Oh my gosh, are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Yes. Oh hell yes, she needed a lot of things. A flipping reality check. A long shower. Lunch, full of grease and a large Dr. Pepper on the rocks. An extravagant bonus. But mostly, she just wanted...to be near Loki again. She felt that there'd been a shift in their relationship. For instance, now she felt they actually had one. Maybe she was just that utterly annoying girl in Jane's lab, but that was better than nothing. She'd take it.
Darcy couldn't explain it, but she'd never felt so, well, calm. Her days here were always hurried and sometimes frantic and often she felt like a cord being pulled taut, about to lose her shit and go all Snapped on everyone. But those moments with Loki, she'd felt relaxed and at ease and who ever thought that he, mischief extraordinaire, could make her feel those things? If a hot stone massage and a generous shot of bourbon didn't do the job, she had been sure nothing could.
There he went again. Completely blowing away her expectations.
Jane was looking at her expectantly, and Darcy shook her head, trying to clear it. "Um, I'm good. I mean, I'd like to clean up. Then we should probably get to work, huh?"
"Are you sure you feel up to it? I mean, you had a crazy morning-"
Darcy shook her head. "I'm totally good! Since I'm here, I'm guessing Loki called you, so you know he took super good care of me."
Jane nodded, standing up. "I'm so glad he was there."
Darcy nodded fervently and followed Jane into the bathroom. She couldn't help but wonder what the rest of Loki's apartment looked like, and if she'd ever get to see it again. Jane handed her a towel and left her alone, promising to order up some lunch.
Darcy shut the door, then went to the mirror, taking in her reflection. She was pale and needed a little eyeliner, but otherwise she looked totally normal.
So why didn't she feel totally normal?
oooo
As Jane had promised, she had lunch delivered and Darcy had devoured her bacon burger (Thor himself had eaten three of them), happily slurping her large Dr. Pepper as they entered the lab. Loki was already there, a thick red book open in front of him. He saw them coming and stood, holding his hand out expectantly when Darcy came through the doors.
She did her best to suppress a smile (and failed miserably, something she hoped Jane didn't notice) as Loki took her wrist in both his hands, taking off the gauze and examining the cut. Jane had given it a look over, of course, and deemed Loki's work top-notch, though she insisted that Darcy head up to the medical wing for a tetanus shot. Darcy had blatantly refused- she fucking hated needles and one panic attack was plenty for today, thanks.
"As I said, non life-threatening." Loki had fresh gauze on the desk and tied a new bandage for her. Though she was prepared for the moment his fingers left her skin, it seemed to be an even greater loss than the first time.
"Totally life threatening. I'm lucky to even be walking." Darcy said, and Loki raised an eyebrow incredulously at her.
"Ape though you are, I think you have escaped the worst of it."
"Hey!" Darcy laughed, shoving him in the arm. She could tell that Loki wanted to laugh too, even though he didn't. Maybe it was too soon, maybe their...friendship? was too new. Or maybe he didn't want to laugh in front of Jane. Darcy made it, right then and there, her personal and uber important goal to get Loki to laugh. A real gut busting laugh, not one of those arrogant chuckles he gave every now and then.
"To be on the safe side, perhaps you had better see to a tetanus vaccine. Apes are so terribly fragile, are they not?"
Darcy caught her jaw from dropping just in time. He cared about whether she got a tetanus shot or not? He actually, genuinely cared? Again, just whoa. Then again, he had brought gauze for her on his own. Who knew he could be so compassionate? Well, she did, actually- she'd witnessed it in the elevator, at the party, when he'd saved her life. And now, here he was again, totally surprising her and obviously Jane, who had eyed the roll of gauze with astonishment.
"Thank you! See Darce? Told you." Jane said, smacking Darcy lightly on the head with a manila folder.
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Maybe later. I'm up to my eyeballs in it here anyway." Darcy gestured towards the teetering stack of paperwork on her desk that needed to be meticulously inputted and logged and filed away, then sent to the appropriate department heads and other labs throughout SHIELD bases in the entire world.
"Call it good fortune, then, that I happen to have such a vaccine right here, in my very possession." From the pocket of his green tunic he pulled out a capped needle and syringe, and a small glass bottle of thick liquid.
"What the fuck? When did you get that?" Darcy demanded, taking a step back from him and falling into her office chair. They were cornering her! So unfair! And yet this showed her, this was absolute, absolute goddamn proof, that she'd been right. There was a change in their relationship now, and Loki cared about her goddammit! Maybe he'd never get butterflies in his stomach because of her, and maybe he'd never spend vastly inappropriate amounts of time thinking about the color of her eyes, but hell, it was a start.
"The when is so very unimportant, Darcy. The how, well, now that is a tale." He said in a low voice, as Jane wandered out of earshot. He had lowered himself into the chair beside her.
Oh, her curiosity was definitely perked now, and Loki, a satisfied look on his face, knew it. "Well even if you have it, it doesn't matter. Jane isn't a real doctor, and unless you've been taking night nursing classes on the sly, you can't legally administer that either, and I sure as hell am not sticking myself with it. So, it's moot and everything. Let's just all get back to work now, nothing to see here people!" Darcy went to wheel herself away from him, but he caught the foot of her chair around his ankle and pulled her back.
"A needle, Darcy, is not so complex a thing. One simple prick, and it is done with. The build up in your mind of the pain, however, is very complex and very problematic."
"Dude, it SO is about the pain! That fucking hurts!" She was starting to sweat, she could feel it at the small of her back, at her neck.
"You have felt pain before. You have lived. Why is this any different?"
Well, now he was just being a pain in the ass. How could she even begin to explain very human fears to a veritable god? Loki knew fear on a galaxy-sized scale, not a pathetic little human one. The smell of rubbing alcohol and the dim lighting in a doctor's office were enough to send Darcy into a panic-induced coma, as they would most normal people! Why couldn't he see that?
"Look, it isn't like it's rational-"
"Ah, that is good," Loki said, nodding in a clinical way, "accepting that your fear has no basis in logic is the first step to overcome it."
"Well who the hell said I wanted to do that? Facing your fears and all, that's for the birds." Darcy scoffed, and this time she shoved away from Loki with all the force she could muster, sliding across the linoleum floor and back to her desk.
She felt him behind her, then, pressed almost into the backrest of her chair.
"I can help you," he said, in a velvety voice that she had definitely never heard before, because if she had, she would've been mush on the floor. "It won't hurt you. I won't hurt you." Silver tongue infuckingdeed!
Darcy slowly spun, looking up at him. She wanted to slip her hand into his, to believe that he wasn't just talking about being quick with a needle jab. Instead she kept her hands tightly folded in her lap, but she found herself nodding. She thought it was basically worth whatever horror was sure to come because Loki gave her a smile like he had the night of the cocktail party, and that smile on those lips was worth the panic and the torture.
"Give me your arm," he said, in the same sultry voice, and Darcy vaguely thought that she'd sign over her fucking soul if he told her to. Jesus, how many women had he turned into puddles just by talking to them? No wonder he'd been able to manipulate his way into attempted world domination.
Loki pushed her sleeve up, all the way past her bicep, and uncapped the needle. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pinch and the burn of the liquid in her veins. "Darcy," he said, and it was like a hot wind over each nerve in her body, making the hair on her arms stand up on end, "look at me."
Oh shit, he didn't have to tell her twice! She found his eyes, a fathomless green, pulling her in, forcing her to focus on him and him alone. "You are doing very well." He murmured, and she felt his fingertips on the inner bend of her elbow, and Christ is was like heaven, and she wanted to look away, tried to, but his eyes kept her attention centered.
He bent down, his lips near her ear, and when he spoke, his breath hot on her neck, she was surprised she didn't fucking combust right there in the damn spinny chair. "There, now. Good girl." And then he was gone, his back to her, retreating to the desk he'd been seated at, flipping through some papers.
Darcy blinked rapidly, looking down- there was a band-aid there, on the crook of her arm, and the empty syringe was on the desk top. Obviously he'd shot her up, but when?! She recalled his earlier words, the when is so very unimportant, Darcy. The how, well, now that is a tale.
He was very easily ignoring her now, as though he hadn't just fucking unhinged her, as though he couldn't have made her do whatever the fuck he wanted her to. How unfair was that? Like, could she even begin to describe the magnitude of that injustice?
She was sure she couldn't form a coherent thought right now, let alone actually engage in a conversation with him that she wouldn't be utterly mortified at later, so instead so tried to ignore him as he was her, and she slipped her earbuds in, turning her iPod to shuffle and finally getting down to the ever-growing stack of paperwork beside her computer.
Darcy was just sending off a memo to Seoul when Jane came back into the lab, chatting over her shoulder to a woman dressed in an exquisite pinstriped pant suit and heels. Darcy noticed the very expensive looking pearl earrings in her ears, a string of them around her neck and pearl ring on her middle finger. She could be Pepper's sister! Except Pepper was always smiles and kindness, and this woman, while definitely sophisticated and important, looked entirely unapproachable.
Jane stopped to introduce the woman to Darcy, but the woman's gaze was transfixed on Loki, who was reading from the red book again. Darcy took out her earbuds, watching as, after some exchanged words, Loki, Jane and the woman retreated over to one of the worktables on the other end of the room. Jane held out a piece of notebook paper, on which what looked to Darcy to be unintelligible scribbles. The woman made a comment on the page, and Jane shook her head earnestly.
A moment later, Loki and Jane were in deep discussion, the vein that throbbed in Jane's forehead when she was working visible from across the room. For the first time, as Loki gestured toward another page of his own complicated equations, Darcy wished she spoke physics so she could understand what they were talking about.
Loki was now furiously scribbling over whatever formula Jane had just written down. Jane threw her hands up, pointing to the door of the lab, where a workman in uniform was carting in a dolly stacked with boxes. Darcy caught the woman's name, Alexa, and while Jane met the workman halfway down the aisle of the room, Loki and Alexa (Darcy thought for a second that the pearl necklace should've come complete with a scarlet A) were in deep discussion.
Well, it was good that Loki was being more social. If he could behave himself around strangers, that would show Fury that he was progressing and growing and-
Oh FUCK no.
Alexa had leaned in, touching Loki's am, while tipping her head back in an exuberant laugh. She was flirting with him! Oh what now, anybody off the street could come in and sweet talk this god, this prince?
Loki said something, and the woman tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, tilting her head to one side.
Darcy had seen enough. The head tilt, now that was going too far. This woman didn't even know Loki! Didn't even understand him or care about him and until two minutes ago, she'd never even seen him with her own two eyes!
"Well Alexa, it was just awesome of you to stop by, but as you can see, we're totally swamped around here," Darcy was across the room, pulling the woman by her elbow before she'd even realized she was standing.
Alexa sputtered, trying to explain that she was here because she'd been told to be, but Darcy, the stronger of the two women, easily pulled her to the lab doors. "Oh you've been very helpful, but we've taken plenty of your time."
"Darcy!" Jane cried, her hands on her hips, but Darcy ignored her.
"I have to stay!" Alexa said, but Darcy shook her head. "Thanks, but we got it." Darcy pushed her out the door and locked it after her, so that even when Alexa swiped her badge at the entrance, the door didn't budge. Darcy waved at her, and Alexa finally shrugged and disappeared down the hallway.
"Uh Darce? We really needed her."
Darcy waved her hand dismissively, trying to avoid Loki's intense stare. "For what? We can figure this out."
"These are negatively charged proton accelerators from Tony's personal collection. That girl you so rudely pushed out the door was supposed to help us assemble and test them!"
"What does she have that I don't, hm?"
"Well, a PhD in quantum astro-engineering, for one-"
"Trifles." Darcy cut Jane off, turning her back to the pair before they could see her face burning with embarrassment. What the actual fuck? Where had that come from? Not that she'd be checking any time soon, but getting jealous over some random woman flirting with Loki was probably against protocols of some kind...like, how not to throw yourself at a criminal mastermind!
Then again, it wasn't really like she considered Loki a criminal. Sure, he was an ass. He'd let himself be lead down a dangerous, dark path that Thor was intent on saving him from. And yet, here he was, working alongside Jane and SHIELD, complying with Thor and Fury's wishes. Reaching out to her, helping her, listening to her. That didn't sound very bad guyish to her.
"Well there's no way we can do this alone," Jane said, with another annoyed glance at Darcy, "so I'm going to have to call Tony. Maybe he can walk me through it and we won't have to go through-" Jane paused, squinting, "whatever that was again." Jane gave Darcy another look, one that simultaneously said she was dead meat and also that they had some serious girl talk to do, then she left the room, her cell phone in her hand.
Darcy let out the breath she was holding, her stomach twisted in knots now that she and Loki were alone. He was leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed at his chest, and she could feel, more than anything, him giving her that same intense stare.
She finally sighed and whirled around. "It's rude to stare." She said pointedly, hoping to god she could keep herself from blushing. This was the most mortifying thing she'd ever done, and that was saying a lot, to put it mildly.
"Not as rude as you were to that poor girl," Loki pointed out, the smirkiest smirk Darcy had ever seen in her life on his lips.
"Poor girl my ass. She was being very unprofessional."
"Yes, I do know how high a priority professionalism is to you." He was trying not to laugh, wasn't he?! He was humiliating her further and doing it for shits and giggles!
"Yeah, well...ugh, whatever." She was sick and needed help. She couldn't even come up with a decent counter, insult, joke, nothing! Jealousy had sapped everything out of her, had driven her completely insane and now she was little more than a bumbling, drooling idiot. There was only one thing for it- she had to get out of dodge, stat.
She went to her computer where her bag was, and slung it across her chest. She'd feel better after some sleep, and there always was the bottle of chardonnay in the fridge. If ever a girl deserved a bottle of chardonnay, it was her. Fuck this whole day, and fuck it hard. Like, with a cactus. Two of them.
"Darcy," Loki called quietly as she started for the door, and she turned back to him, surprised that he'd followed her, and at the sudden change in his tone. He was merely a foot away, now, and she looked up at him expectantly.
"Humans," he said, "typical ones," he quickly amended, "do not interest me." Darcy's eyes widened in surprise. Was he saying what she thought he was? Was there the slightest possibility that he was hinting something to her?
"So there are some who do?" she asked, readjusting her bag so the strap slid in between in breasts instead of over them.
He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes dropping down for barely a second, following her motions, before returning to her face. "Some." He agreed, and then he swept past her, and was gone before she could turn around to watch him go.
lyrics used are from Dibbs by Kelsea Ballerini
