Steve Seeks Advice from the Avengers and Loki is Interrogated

Nerves were something most people probably wouldn't associate with the First Avenger/Super-Soldier Steve Rogers. Those people would be very wrong and possibly out of their skulls. Steve got nervous, he got nervous a lot. Especially when it came to dealing with women who weren't Danya. Because he did sometimes wonder if Danya just pretended to be a girl. With a cousin like Natasha, he could see it happening. Not that he'd tell Danya that; she'd probably feed him something to melt his internal organs and then kill him. Painfully. Steve wasn't honestly sure how Coulson was still alive, though he suspected Fury had a lot to do with that.

Wow, he'd been around Darcy too long if his attention span was decaying like this. Not that that was going to stop him from further pursuing her or anything. Still, he needed some assistance if he wanted to succeed. Thus far, all of his attempts at asking Darcy out had either fallen flat (due to Loki) or succeeded (because Loki wasn't a factor). And because Loki was almost definitely a factor here, Steve needed to make sure his presentation was perfect.

Which meant asking advice from the others (not that Steve wasn't weary of taking advice from his fellow Avengers, look at who he worked with after all!). He suspected that along already marked him for failure, but maybe he'd get lucky.

Ahead, Tony rounded a corner scribbling madly on his design tablet, probably an upgrade for something or another. Steve made a mental note to ask Tony where he got it from: Darcy could probably use one.

"Hey Tony," called Steve, nerves welling up rapidly. Tony was a loose cannon on the best of days and asking the billionaire playboy something like this was probably going to blow up. Badly.

Tony held up a hand, motioning for quite, before he finished scribbling whatever he was working on and glanced up at Steve. "Hey Steve, what's up?" His eyes fell to the tablet again almost immediately.

"Uh," muttered Steve uncertainly as he watched Tony start fiddling with whatever the man was looking at again. "I, uh, need some advice..."

That caught Tony's attention. His head shot up so fast, Steve was pretty sure the genius gave himself whiplash. "Advice? From me? Are you high? What about?"

Rapid fire questions were pretty standard with Tony. The man's mind worked almost as fast as Darcy's sometimes. Especially when they were working through a problem together. Steve still wasn't sure why Tony seemed fond of working with Darcy, but he'd heard the two of them firing ideas back and forth one day at such a rapid pace that he couldn't keep up. Especially when they seemed to get completely off topic. When they got to the point where they weren't even using complete sentences, Steve gave up and left the hanger

"Um, I need advice from you on women," admitted Steve, who cringed a little when Tony cocked an eyebrow at him. "And no, I'm, uh, not high."

"Right," confirmed Tony mildly. "What kind of advice do you need, exactly?"

Steve shuffled his feet a little. "Asking a girl out?"

Tony snorted and started walking again, eyes re-glued to his tablet. "No."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and by that time, Tony was halfway down the hall. "Huh?"

An exasperated sigh came from Tony as he turned back towards Steve. "No, I'm not gonna help you. Sorry Cap, I'm rooting for Loki on this one."

Steve sputtered, hard. "What? Why are you rooting for him?"

Tony sighed heavily and shook his head. "Steve, the man loves her. Head-over-heels, completely, madly, 'would sacrifice himself to a volcano for her happiness' loves her. That kinda heavy emotion? It means a hell of a lot more than a simple crush like yours." He paused, replaying that last bit in his head. "No offense or anything. But, seriously, you don 't have that kind of a connection with her or the kind of drive that Loki does. He'd literally do anything to keep her safe, even kill himself. And Darcy? She's like the kid I never had. And yeah, you have a better track record, but I know Loki will keep her safe and make her happy no matter what."

Apparently done, Tony turned and continued down the hall, leaving a floored Steve in his wake.

For his part, Steve wasn't sure what to do. Or feel. He'd never expected that kind of a reaction from Tony. The man was practically the poster child for 'emotionally repressed', so hearing him talk about love and deep emotion was more than a little disconcerting. And a bit frightening. Steve had never pegged Tony for observant. Though, perhaps that was Pepper's influence. Tony had been spending more time with the icy red-head.

Shaking his head, Steve checked one Avenger off the list that he had to add, then mentally checked off a second. Dr. Banner was probably not an ideal individual to ask for assistance given his condition. That left Thor, Clint, and, frighteningly enough, Natasha. That was a conversation that should probably be avoided if possible.

Sighing, Steve turned down the hall and headed towards the shooting range. He was pretty sure Clint would be prowling around there. When the man wasn't practicing his archery, he would hide in the rafters or behind the targets and shoot at unsuspecting individuals. No one got hurt of course, but it spoke to the degree of boredom the man suffered from.

As Steve predicted, an arrow lodged itself into the wall beside the elevator just as he exited into the range. Apparently, Clint was bored again. "Didn't Fury tell you that you weren't allowed to shoot arrows at random people any more?"

Clint popped up from behind a target at the end of the range, shrugging casually as he motioned Steve down to where he was hiding. Steve checked the make sure the area was empty save himself and Clint before hopping one of the shooting boxes and jogging across the open area. Clint had hunkered down behind a piece of metal shaped like a bush that would be used in the moving-target training exercises.

When Steve ducked back there, he was only marginally surprised to find that Clint had apparently built himself a little snipers fort, complete with sleeping bag, water, food, and what looked like a spare change of clothing. He wasn't sure he wanted to know why Clint had spare clothes squirreled away in the shooting range, so he chose not to ask.

"Hey Clint, um, I need to ask you a favor," admitted Steve as he leaned carefully against the fake bush. Clint was reclining against a small stack of sand bags he'd apparently moved into the shooting range at some point in time to build his fort. "Yeah? What about?"

Steve felt his cheeks starting to redden, especially after what Tony had said, but pushed on none the less. "I need some advice on asking a dame to dance. I mean, to a dance."

The archer coughed slightly, turning red himself. "Uh, I don't think I'd be the best person to ask right now Steve."

His brow furrowed slightly, confused by Clint's uneasy answer. "Why not?"

"I'm having some trouble of my own right now," admitted the archer, one hand raising to rub at the back of his neck. A sudden sound from Clint's cellphone had the archer jumping to his feet in relief. "Oh, damn, sorry Steve but I've gotta run. Duty calls." With a perfect salute, likely made that way from years of having the motion drilled into his head, Clint was dashing across the shooting field and vaulting one of the shooters boxes.

With a groan, Steve smacked his head against the fake bush and started to stand just as gun fire rang through the room. Again, he dropped to the floor and peered out towards the front of the range, where what looked like a whole class of agents was currently participating in fire-arms practice. Settling back in, Steve resigned himself to waiting for the class to end. Instead, he picked up a book Clint had left behind on how to speak Russian and started reading.

Loki was happily minding his own business when Jane showed up randomly at the apartment he shared with Darcy. At least, that was what Loki originally thought. However, when Jane not-so-subtly suggested (read: forced) that he come to lunch with her and Pepper, the mischief god knew something was up. They were dallying into his realm of expertise after all. However, given his natural curiosity and wish to not piss off the people closest to Darcy, Loki agreed.

A decision he would come to regret.

It never occurred to him to look into Midgardian traditions among women when one of their group became romantically engaged with another individual. Otherwise, he might have expected to be interrogated by both Jane and Pepper. As it stood though, he hadn't done the research because he felt his own experiences with Darcy and Dani would allow him to predict all motives from other women clearly. Apparently, when Darcy and Dani claimed to be atypical women they weren't joking.

As soon as their drink orders had been placed and the waiter had left, both women turned their focus on Loki. The only reason he did not squirm was that neither woman was as frightening as an angry Odin. Taking in their unified stare again, Loki considered retracting that statement. "Is there something you both wish to discuss?"

Pepper nodded and leaned forward, propping her chin on one of her fists. "Smart man. Yes, there is something we want to discuss."

"Its about Darcy," started Jane.

Pepper picked up from there. "How do you feel about her?"

Loki was more than a little startled by the normally tactile CEO. "How do you mean?"

Jane and Pepper exchanged looks before Jane started up again. "We want to know what your intentions are towards her. Clearly you're trying to pursue her, even if Darcy doesn't see it that way, an-"

"Darcy doubts the authenticity of my courtship?" questioned Loki, more than a little startled. He'd thought his intentions were pretty clear, but perhaps Darcy wasn't as clued in as he thought.

Pepper shook her head. "She thinks you're doing what you are because you guys are friends. Jane and I suspect she's misinformed."

With a quiet groan, Loki allowed his head to drop against the wall behind him. Of course, Darcy would misunderstand his intentions. "I am attempting to court her, if that is your question."

He wasn't expecting the duel squeals that came from the other side of the table. Or the pair of arms that wrapped themselves around him. Apparently, Darcy's friends were supporting him. Surprise, surprise.

"Oh thank god," muttered Jane happily. "I was afraid you weren't trying to pursue her and that she was going to get hurt."

"How would Darcy be hurt if she does not believe I am honestly pursuing her?" questioned Loki as he attempted to pry Jane off him.

Pepper snorted. "Please, we've both seen how she looks when she talks about you. Darcy won't admit it, but she's beyond smitten."

Loki couldn't help the relieved smile that crossed his lips. "Good. I must say, I feel the same. Perhaps a little more."

Jane raised a curious eyebrow. "A little more?"

Though he could feel the beginnings of a blush, Loki worked to ensure his face remained as impassive as possible. "Though I am uncertain at this point, I do believe it is safe to say I am, well," his voice betrayed him a little here, but he cleared his throat and pushed forward. The truth was never easy for him, but at this moment the truth was all that mattered. "I have come to realize that Darcy is the most important person in my life. Furthermore, what I feel for her is akin to the feeling of love that my brother and his associates have described many times over but perhaps three times stronger."

"You're certain of that?" asked Pepper suspiciously. "It's one thing if you want to pursue her but a completely different one when you start talking about love."

Loki sighed heavily. "Miss Potts, when I saw Darcy during my fight with the Avengers, unconscious in another mans arms and possibly in danger, I felt my world tilt dangerously. In that moment, I came to a rather startling realization: I would die for Darcy. To keep her alive or make her happy, it does not matter. My father could strip me of my power and exile me as a human for the remainder of my days and I would be happy as long as Darcy was by my side. She, literally, means the world to me."

Jane appeared to be tearing up by the end of his explanation. Pepper just looked satisfied with his answer.

"As long as Darcy doesn't get hurt, I'm satisfied," confirmed Pepper calmly. With a grin, she rapidly leaned forward. "So, what's your next move?"

Loki smirked. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s party."

"The S.H.I.E.L.D party? How'd you get an invitation?" questioned Jane in awe.

"Tony," smirked Pepper. "This has Tony written all over it. He's been helping you I'll assume?"

Loki nodded.

"Good," sighed Pepper. "For once the man is using his powers for good rather than evil."

"He usually uses his powers for good," pointed out Jane. "Well, at least now he does."

Pepper snorted. "He uses his powers for chaos. Hence the whole 'superhero' thing."

"He does make a good minion of chaos," pointed out Loki, his own grin now securely in place. "However, he does appear genuinely concerned at this time."

"It's because he's unofficially adopted Darcy," replied Pepper calmly.

Loki snorted. "Never allow Darcy to hear you say that." Pepper and Jane raised an eyebrow at the Mischief God, prompting him to continue. Loki just signed and shook his head. "It never gets back to her that I have spoken of this." When both women nodded, he continued. "Darcy is adopted. Her birth mother gave her up as an infant. The subject itself is...touchy to say the least. All I am comfortable revealing is that she was directly lied to concerning her parentage at a young age. As a result, she rarely speaks of her adoption."

Pepper scowled. "Her parents lied to her about being adopted?"

"To her face," confirmed Loki. "Blatantly."

Jane looked pissed, which was frightening given the woman knew how to open wormholes to other worlds. "What a bunch of pricks."

"Yes," confirmed Loki with a scowl. "I was unaware of that part of the story until recently. Had I known before, well, it certainly explained a few things."

When Jane and Pepper looked at him curiously, Loki chose not to continue. "Darcy's history is not for me to tell. I merely warned you about her adoption so you may avoid her wrath on the subject."

"Fair enough," sighed Jane unhappily.

Pepper was typing away at her phone. "Well, I suppose getting additional information like that is what having hackers and detectives on the pay-roll is for."

Jane cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you kept them around to track Tony."

"That too," admitted Pepper with a grin. "But this is why I officially keep private detectives on payroll. You never know when you'll need dirt on someone."

Steve managed to escape the shooting range an hour later, the recruits having been dismissed for lunch. He snuck out when everyone had left the range, careful to avoid being seen. It would look bad for the leader of the Avenger's to be caught sneaking out from the back of the shooting range.

Quickly, Steve turned towards where the gym was located, hoping that he was right about where Thor would be. With Tony and Clint out, along with Dr. Banner, Thor was Steve's last hope. Which in and of itself was a bad sign. Maybe he should just ask Natasha.

He through that idea out less than two seconds later. Unless he couldn't avoid it, asking Natasha was out simply because she might give him faulty advice for her own amusement. Or tell Danya everything, which somehow seemed worse to Steve.

The sound of shouting and smashing from the gym told Steve that, yes Thor was presently inside. The lack of return noise suggested he was alone. Just to be sure, Steve cracked open the door to peek inside.

The Thunder God stood in the middle of the room, striking a beat-up test dummy with Mjolnir. He wasn't in full armor for a change, apparently opting not to practice with his armor on. In fact, he looked more irritated than focused. Steve would have to ask about that.

Pushing the door open quietly, Steve slipped inside and cleared his throat. Thor looked up almost immediately, shooting Steve a grin and nod. "Hello friend Steve!"

Steve nodded back and approached Thor casually. "Hey Thor, what are you doing?"

Thor shrugged and hefted Mjolnir against his shoulder. "Working some of my frustrations out upon one of your glorious inanimate sparing partners. And yourself?"

"Um, looking for you actually," admitted Steve uncomfortably. "Hey Thor, I need to ask for some advice, if I may."

"Of course friend, speak your mind!" insisted Thor as he dropped into a chair beside the training area.

Steve followed suit and dropped into the chair beside Thor's. "Well, I need some advice on how to ask a dame out." At Thor's confused look, he quickly corrected his language. "I mean lady. I need to know how to ask a lady out."

"On a mortal 'date'?" clarified Thor. Steve nodded. "I see, a woman has caught your eye." The sly smile which slid over Thor's features made Steve blush to the roots of his hair but he nodded none the less. "Well, this is a fine day indeed. If you wish to attract the fair maiden's attention, you must show her you are a man and a warrior. Do you go unchallenged in your pursuit?"

"No," growled Steve slightly. "Unfortunately not."

Thor hummed a little and nodded. "If this is the case, then you must challenge your opposition and prove your superiority. Prove yourself fearless. Portray your warrior's tendencies and you are certain to win your female's affection."

"Uh, a-alright," stuttered Steve uneasily. "That doesn't sound too hard."

"It will be far easier for you than for most," assured Thor with a grin and a pat to Steve's shoulder that nearly sent the man flying. "Now come my brother, spar with me!"

Steve sighed and nodded, heading to retrieve his shield from the locker room. It was impossible to convince Thor not to spar once he had set his mind upon it. Maybe after they were done, Steve could work out a plan to speak with Darcy. After all, he'd have to make sure to ask at exactly the right time. And pray that Loki hadn't gotten to her first.

And, another chapter done! There should only be three or four more chapters after this and the next one is a quarter written already. I'm going to try to get that and the following chapter out within the next few days here.

Also, for anyone who's reading this series who's interested, I started a spin-off based on a random thought: how would things have been different if Tony had raised Darcy? Its located on archieveofourown .org and is listed under the 'Darcy Stark Series'. Alternatively, you can find it under Illusinia. Eventually I might post it here too, but I want to get some more done before I do that.

Anyway, hopefully you guys enjoyed this and I apologize for the lack of updates. Following the end of this series, the updates will become more frequent but until then I have to watch what I post so as not to give away spoilers. Sorry about that. If you guys have questions or comments, don't hesitate to message me.