Disclaimer: I don't own Thor.

So, I'm tired. Today has been a day - school and everything - and yet I just couldn't not finish this. I suppose it was a matter of stress relief or something, but I'm glad that I finished it before my summer classes really heat up (pun totally intended). However, despite that, I am very happy at the responses for this fic! It means so much that people enjoyed the first half, so here is the second half! This fic - as well as LokiDarcy in general - are just so much fun to write. Please enjoy! And thanks for reading! (And Lok is pronounced Lohk. It's not a typo, lol.)

Beating the Heat
Part II

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!"

"I told you to wear shoes."

Darcy looked up and glared at her boyfriend-slash-annoyance. It was funny how those two terms were almost always comorbid with each other. She wrinkled her nose a bit and protested, "It's - ow - not that far - ow - of a way - ow, ow, damn it - to the pool."

"Far enough that you're burning your feet to get there," Loki replied with an air of superiority.

"Shut up."

Darcy had dressed herself in a swimsuit, as well as a cover-up to go over it on the way to the pool. It was rather big, and the straps were falling down her shoulders every time she would even think of slouching. She had a large beach bag with her, filled with random pool items. A huge floppy hat was perched on her head, the expansive brim almost obscuring her face. Shades were perched on her nose.

And Loki…well, he was Loki.

The trunks he wore were green, of course, and yet he opted for some kind of button-up shirt to wear to the pool. The thing was actually buttoned, unlike the bare-chested males who wore button-up shirts just to tease women and show off their abs. He wore a pair of flip-flops, and that sight was humorous in and of itself. Darcy was so incredibly tempted to take a picture of the sight and tweet it to Jane.

"That hat is ridiculous, by the way."

Darcy gasped in faux-insult, grasping the hat as if it were injured by Loki's comment. "It is not! It's very…Waldorf."

Loki blinked. "I am not sure what that means."

"You poor, sheltered, little magician."

Loki flinched away as she patted his head. "I am not your pet, Darcy."

She grinned in response, loving that she could make him feel so uncomfortable. Darcy believed for a moment that she might be a bit of a sadist, except not creepy like those killers on television. She withdrew her hand from its current entanglement in his hair and continued walking.

"Ow!"

Loki snickered.

"Don't you laugh at me, or I'll put your feet on Twitter."

He stared at her blankly.

Darcy sighed. She really should get him that encyclopedia of everything culturally important. Or at least make him tune into the E! channel every now and then.

"I will never get you Midgardians," he said, running a hand along his hair. She grinned and then winced as she was reminded scorching hot concrete's relationship with her bare feet. She opted to walk on the balls of her feet, yet that was hardly a helpful action.

Loki snickered, and Darcy muttered, "Sadist."

He didn't comment, not hiding his smile. The pavilion that the pool was by was in sight. Darcy could barely contain her excitement. She jumped and pointed and Loki slapped a hand over his face in embarrassment.

"You live here. Certainly you've seen the pool before."

Darcy scowled at him, an odd looking expression when on her features. "Have a little childlike enthusiasm, Lok."

"Lok?" he asked, cringing at her apparent new nickname for him.

A grin spread across her face, removing the scowl from her face completely. "Hee, Lok Ness Monster."

Again, another reference lost on the Asgardian.

"I'll show you what that is later, of course."

"I'm filled with anticipation," he replied, his voice lingering on the syllables on that last word in such a manner that it caused chills to travel down Darcy's spine. She was sure that he could read the phone book and it would give her giddy, girlish goosebumps.

"You should be," she managed to croak out. "Everything I do is epic."

Loki rolled his eyes as they approached the pavilion. Darcy stepped forward and used her keycard to open the gate to the pool. She looked ahead of her, seeing the familiar blue water and the kids playing around the pool. The diving board, the slide, the floaty toys. It all sent a rush of glee through her.

"Tell me you're not excited," she dared, nudging him in the shoulder with her fist.

Loki turned his head toward her, his eyes wry and yet serious at the same time. "I'm not excited."

"The Lok Ness Monster should be delighted to be faced with such a large body of water," Darcy said, indignant.

Sighing in slight exasperation, Loki moved forward to claim one of the poolside chairs. Darcy followed him, sitting her bag of pool things on the chair. She looked over at him, and he was staring intently out at the water. There was a mischievous glint to his eyes, one that told her that things were about to get rather interesting.

And, Darcy thought slyly, he looks so gorgeous when he has that look in his eyes.

She removed her hat and placed it on the fold-out chair with the greatest of reference. Loki stared at her as if she were possessed. She then removed her cover-up and stepped forward, towards the edge of the pool. She stuck a finger in her mouth and then held it out, testing the wind.

"What in the name of Odin does that have to do with swimming?" Loki asked, almost visibly twitching.

"Hush up, Asgardian. Thou knoweth not of shit Midgardians do."

"I have seen no one on Midgard do that before swimming."

"There's a first for everything, my dear," she replied, a grin sweeping across her face before she jumped in. Just like Darcy, he supposed, leaping headfirst into anything despite the fact that -

"Holy shit, this is cold!"

Loki smirked; she finished his thought for him, after all.

Darcy looked up at him through the mass of wet hair that had clouded her vision. She swam to the edge of the pool and smoothed the hair out of her face. She glanced up at him, using the most pitiful look she could muster, and held out her hand. "Help me out?"

Loki twitched his mouth to the side, as if fighting off laughter, and then stepped forward with his hand outstretched. As soon as Darcy had a hold of it, a menacing grin fell over her features, and with a yank, pulled Loki into the pool as well.

A startled gasp emitted from Loki's mouth before he was submerged in the cold, cold water, which was both comforting as well as a salve to the sweltering weather. He swam to the surface, his head breaking through the water, and then glared at the human who had tricked the Trickster.

"I'll have you know, I rather liked this shirt." He started unbuttoning it and shucked the mass of wet fabric from his form, tossing it over to the folding chair that housed their things. Darcy let out a gasp as it hit her floppy hat, followed by the flip-flops that had gotten caught in the fray.

"And I rather liked that hat!"

"Quit being so melodramatic."

"You first!" She splashed him with water.

Loki caught a mouthful of water and started to cough, choking on the chlorinated substance and wishing that it didn't get in his eyes. They felt like they were going to burn right out of his skull. He pressed a hand against his dripping forehead and tried to glare at Darcy through the burning sensation. "Not funny."

It was at that moment, a group of children splashed by the two of them, kicking up more water that, of course, got in Loki's eyes. Darcy started to laugh harder, her face turning an interesting mixture of red and purple.

Loki spluttered in a rather undignified way before pressing his fingers to his eyes.

And then, just like that, the water turned purple.

Gasps were heard throughout the space. Children screamed in both delight and horror, while the adults were baffled. Some took out their phones to capture it all, unbeknownst to its true source, or the reason for the change.

Darcy glared at Loki for a moment before looking down at the clear purple liquid that had replaced the pool water. She looked up at him again, then back down, then back up again. The other pool goers' reactions were not as subtle.

"Does it taste like grape?" a child screamed, opening his mouth wide to scoop up as much as he could.

"No! No, stop it, Jimmy!" the mother shrieked in horror, plucking her curious child from the water.

"Dude, I saw this before. The water fountain on campus, dude, they put grape Koolaid in it. And then bubbles!" a shockingly red haired youth with a sunburn to match observed.

"Rad," his friend, equally as fried and loopy, chimed in.

Not liking that his plan wasn't original, Loki changed the water to yellow.

"Dude! What have I told you, dude, about peeing in the pool. Dude!"

And then to green.

"Ohmaga!" a blonde woman squealed, leaping away as if the water could burn the paint off her toenails.

Red.

Brown.

Black.

Pink.

Each time Loki decided to change the water's color, he was met with gasps of shock and people scurrying out of the pool and out of the vicinity. Soon, nothing was left except the rapidly color-shifting pool and the mischievous duo. Even the lifeguard on duty left, saying, "Screw what they're paying me! I knew this apartment complex was haunted!"

And with a squeak, the gate closed behind the last person.

The water settled on blue again, and Loki set the lock in place on the door, disabling it so no one else could get in.

"You scared everyone off, Loki," Darcy voiced floating on her back. "You really are the Lok Ness Monster."

Loki smirked. "Are you telling me you don't like having the pool to yourself?"

She blinked a few times, the words sinking in. "You…what? Did that…for my benefit?"

He shrugged in response. "Why else would I do that?"

"You love being a troublemaker!"

Loki looked at her, his eyes full of mirth, teasing and playful and perfect. "You underestimate me." He moved a piece of wet hair out of her face. "Now, enjoy this gift."

"I think I will," she said, and leaned back in the cool water, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face just as his lips pressed gently on the crown of her forehead.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!"

"I told you to wear sunscreen."

"Shut up, Loki."

"…"

"Loki?"

"…yes?"

"Can you get me a glass of lemonade?"

A smile.

"Of course, Darcy."

End Part II.

End Beating the Heat.