"Your shirt is completely see-through when wet; I like the black lace!"
Darcy shrieked, eyes wide open. She immediately ran into the kitchen, keeping herself out of sight.
"What the…" She shrieked again in frustration, unable to say anything coherent. She leaned against the farther corner of her kitchen, trying to dry her shirt by uselessly flapping her hands around it. Finally, she gave up, groaning loudly, and sinking down onto the floor. Guess she was going to spend the rest of the day in the kitchen… Suddenly, she heard a light chuckle, and instinctively shrank further back into the corner.
"Don't you dare come in." She warned. She furrowed her eyebrows, frowning.
"Actually…" Darcy amended, reconsidering. "Get me a shirt."
"Are you really attempting to command me?" His voice was quiet, calculated, and it rang clearly, even from the living room.
"You're in my house, so please, I must beg your indulgence, Your Majesty, if you would be so kind, would you perhaps get me a shirt from the closet in my room?" Darcy's tone dripped with sarcasm.
"Fine. Here." Not an instant later, an arm stuck into the doorway of the kitchen, a blue clothing item balled up in the hand.
"I didn't look at the shirt; just grabbed a random one." Loki's head was turned away, facing into the living room, but his hand reached insistently farther into the kitchen, offering the shirt. Darcy peeked questioningly above the countertop behind which she sat, then tentatively stood up.
"Don't look." She warned again, and slowly walked forward, taking the shirt from his hand in one quick sweep and running back off to her corner.
"Thanks." She said softly, her voice hardly loud enough to carry to him. No answer. Shrugging, she pulled her shirt off, and then opened up the new one, slipping it over her head, and sliding her arms through the wholes. She looked down on it, and rolled her eyes. This t-shirt. The one Tony had given her as a joke once. It was a light blue, with a picture of Steve standing in full uniform regalia along with his shield embossing the front of the shirt.
In red, white and blue letters, it blared, "CAPTAIN AMERICA IS MY HERO." She laughed lightly, then stood up, walking to the living room. Loki sat on her couch, exactly as he was earlier, a leg crossed over the other, a calculating expression on his face. He perked up at her arrival, and he turned to face her. His face considerable soured, taking in her shirt, eyes narrowing.
"I should have gotten a different shirt." He muttered, so low that Darcy couldn't be sure he had said anything at all.
"What?" She asked, uncertain as to what she heard, or if he had even said something.
"Nothing." He said simply, this time loud enough for her to actually hear. Darcy shrugged. Suddenly, Loki abruptly stood up, startling her at first.
"I have work to do." He said, his tone void of any emotion. And the next second, he was gone, out the door. Darcy flopped down onto her couch. What the heck. He was so very… Confusing…
Darcy ran her hand through a part of her hair, pulling out a couple tangles as she carefully studied the display before her; a lengthy rack of clothes, hanger upon hanger of beautiful dresses. She had come shopping in the first place to pick one for Jane's birthday party… And it had to be absolutely stunning, she thought to herself, a light smile lifting the corner of her lips.
She had (obviously) changed before driving to the mall, switching her Captain America shirt and black pants for a white sleeveless dress that only reached mid-thigh. The dress was adorned with swirling gold curls and sweeping, elegant designs printed onto it. She had paired it with golden sandals and matching gold jewelry, her hair swept back on one side with a clip. Meh. She was bored, so why not spend a little more effort on her appearance, she had thought. Hmm. But now… For a dress…
Half an hour later, Darcy stood in the checkout lane, a dress tucked into the crook of her elbow. Smiling as she finally walked up to the counter, she placed the dress onto it, and started to pull out her wallet, using her left hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Darcy? Darcy Lewis." A voice called, sounding amused and astonished all at once.
Darcy perked up, looking for the first time at the cashier of the boutique. It was a man, tall and lean, with a light build. His shirt was neatly buttoned, the top button loose, and he had sharp cheekbones and short, messy dark brown hair. His eyes were clear and long-lashed, a light, sparkling blue.
"Jason!" Darcy exclaimed, her tone incredulous.
He shrugged, grinning. Then, leaning to the left he signaled to the lady waiting behind Darcy to the other cashier, and stepped out from behind the counter. Almost immediately, Darcy was enveloped in a warm hug. Laughing lightly, she leaned in for a few seconds until he pulled back.
"I haven't seen you since high school! How've you been?" Jason asked inquisitively, a broad smile on his face.
"Great! How about you, Jason?" Darcy grinned back.
"Oh, I'm good. I work part time here, and as an intern to an editor. But look at you!" He gestured to her. "You look great!"
Darcy blushed, looking down. "Thanks…"
"Hey. It's time for my shift to finish anyway. You wanna go grab some dinner?"
Loki sighed. He probably shouldn't have left that abruptly. But that shirt… He growled. Why. Why couldn't he have picked a different shirt? Why did she even have that shirt? Why did he even freaking care?!
Groaning, he sat back down onto Darcy's couch.
Loki glanced up at the clock. It was ten. His eyebrows drew together. Why wasn't she home?
It doesn't matter, he told himself sternly. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.
Repeating it doesn't make it true.
Suddenly, Loki heard a click in the door; the turn of a key. Eagerly (again,why?!), he turned to look at it. The door gently opened. Loki froze as he saw.
A man. A handsome man, with dark hair and light eyes. He slowly walked in, careful with the weight in his arms. The weight that was Darcy. He was carrying her, bridal style, with one arm under her neck and the other under her knees. Her eyes were closed, and she was lightly snoring.
He froze as he saw Loki.
Loki stood up. "Who are you?" Loki's tone was ice.
"Who are you?" was his response.
Loki resisted the urge to do anything stupid. He clenched his jaw tightly. "Her roommate." He forced himself to say.
"Oh." The man's expression softened a little as he looked down at Darcy. "I'm her date, Jason. She fell asleep in the car. I found her address and keys in her purse. I didn't want to wake her."
Loki's jaw felt like it might break from the pressure he put on it, and his hands involuntarily curled into fists. He strode briskly forward, closer to the man and Darcy. His eyes were cold and hard.
"She is-" He started, then paused, his mouth half open. Then, leaving his statement unfinished, he abruptly turned around and stormed into the kitchen, simply growling, "Her bedroom is straight and to the right."
Jason seemed taken aback at Loki's behavior, but he decided to just go with it, and carried Darcy forward, pushing open her bedroom door with his elbow, then walking in and setting her gently onto the bed.
Loki watched from the kitchen, still glaring. Softly, Jason reached forward, tucking a few strands of Darcy's hair back behind her ears. Loki's fists clenched again. Then, he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead as he stood up. Loki's fingernails were digging into the flesh of his palm, and he whirled around, facing away. He completely ignored Jason as he made his way to the door and called out a hesitant word of farewell before he left.
It did not matter, Loki tried to tell himself again. No. It did not. Why did he care that she went off cavorting with another man. It's like that damned shirt all over again. He yelled in frustration. This was getting too complicated.