"Why should I tell you?" Darcy crossed her arms.
"Because I asked you a question," Loki's response was flat.
"So?"
"Don't be impertinent."
"Look buddy, you can freeze me, you can burn me, but you cannot make me tell you things that could put my friends in danger."
"So Erik is working on something top secret for S.H.I.E.L.D." Darcy blinked.
I fell right into that, she gaped.
"Thank you," Loki smirked at her. "Now tell me, how long do you plan to stand there wet and shivering?"
Darcy glanced down at herself. She was, in fact, wet from the melted snow. How had she not noticed that? She looked back into Loki's eyes, glaring.
"You're a bastard."
"Sticks and stones, love."
Darcy threw the blanket down and power-walked to her bathroom. She stripped the wet clothes from her body and started the shower. In her naked state she glanced in the mirror, appraising her body. As her eyes roamed from her neck to her navel, she realized she hadn't eaten.
Throwing on a robe, Darcy peeked out into the hallway. Loki was nowhere to be seen.
She sprinted to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of poptarts from a cupboard, running back to her bedroom to eat it. By the time she was finished, the shower was hot and the air was hazy with steam. Darcy dropped her robe on the bathroom floor and climbed into the shower, sighing as the water's head penetrated her skin and soothed her muscles.
Loki watched, invisible to Darcy's eyes. A sharp grin flashed across his face. He shed his outer layers, leaving only his black pants, and climbed into the shower while Darcy's eyes were closed. She stood facing the shower head, arms braced against the wall and neck bent as the water cascaded over her head and down her back. Loki leaned close, his hands resting next to hers, his body so close he could feel the water on his bare chest. His lips hovered next to Darcy's ear as he slipped into her mind.
She was focusing on the shower, the water, the heat. She was in such a vulnerable state that it was only too easy for the god of mischief. He twister her thoughts, projecting a scene…
Darcy stood there in the shower, just as she currently was. Loki's hands slid onto her waist, eliciting a gasp as she snapped her head up. Loki grabbed her bare, wet hips and turned her roughly, shoving her back against the shower wall.
"What are you…" she trailed off as Loki trailed kisses down her neck. He nipped lightly at her collarbone, sending a shiver up her spine. He traveled down further, leaving kisses on the skin between her breasts. The god knelt before her, grazing his teeth over her hipbones. Darcy's body began to tingle as she leaned her head back against the tile.
Loki's hands skimmed her legs as he stood again, gripping Darcy's slender thighs and lifting her. Pinned between his lean body and the wall, Darcy wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands slid to his neck and shoulders.
"You want this, don't you?" Loki growled in her ear. Without giving her time to respond, he kissed her roughly, grinding his hips into hers. She gasped into his mouth, and she could feel him smile through the kiss.
He broke the contact between their lips, and looked her directly in the eyes, "Tell me."
Darcy hesitated, her mouth hanging open. Her lips tingled from his kiss, and she was slightly dazed.
"Tell me you want me," Loki commanded again.
"I want you," she breathed. The god smirked and kissed her neck, one hand sliding Darcy's thigh to her back, pulling her naked body against his half-clothed form. His mouth moved from her neck to her jaw line, then back to her lips. His kisses were demanding and forceful, and tingle his skin left on her caused Darcy to wiggle her hips against his. He growled lightly in approval, the hand on Darcy's back leaving momentarily to unfasten his pants…
Darcy's head snapped up so fast Loki barely avoided it. He backed away, still invisible to her. His eyes roamed her body as she let the water run over her face, as if trying to wash away the dirty thoughts. Loki couldn't deny that she was an attractive woman, but he had too much sense to actually consider her. Implanting the scene was simply a bit of fun to displace Darcy's confidence.
He climbed out of the shower, retrieving his clothes and leaving Darcy's room. He dried himself and his pants with magic and re-dressed, taking a seat on the couch to await Darcy's return. Loki couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his lips. Darcy would think that she had a fantasy about him, that she was attracted to him, and it would put her in so much inner turmoil.
It was nearly an hour before Darcy left her room. She trudged to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of iced tea. Loki turned in his seat to watch her over the back of the couch.
"Pleasant shower?"
"Excuse me?" she snapped.
"You were in there for a while. I take it you enjoyed yourself?"
Darcy glared at him and took a long sip of iced tea. "Don't you have anything better to do than hang out at my house all the time?"
"As I said before," Loki turned away and picked a magazine up off the end table, "I'm taking a break to let the excitement die down." He opened it, flipping through. 'Best Sex of Your Life Every Night'? Silly Midgardian obsessions. Loki tossed the magazine back onto the end table with a small sigh.
"And why can't you lay low somewhere else? Like the gutter. That seems more fitting for you."
"Again with the insolence. Clearly Jotunheim was the wrong realm for you."
"Oh please, sir, send me to another. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the last one."
"You Midgardians seem to enjoy your sarcasm," Loki commented.
"You should try it some time. Or at least try having a sense of humor."
"I'll have you know I have a wonderful sense of humor," the god narrowed his eyes.
"Oh yeah? Cuz I haven't seen any of it. You're all serious business all the time, and it's getting old. If you want to lay low, you probably shouldn't be sending people to other worlds. Crap like that sets off the energy sensors and Jane'll find out."
Loki had no response. Darcy smiled to herself, her mouth barely turning up at the corners as she attempted to keep a cool, emotionless expression directed at the god.
"Well then I'll simply have to think up new punishments for you, won't I?" Darcy crossed her arms and Loki stood, slowly stalking toward her. "Maybe something from this world, hmm?" He circled her, like he was a wild animal and she was a domesticated rabbit. Darcy's pace quickened and her eyes attempted to track him as he walked around her.
He stopped behind her, leaning over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. His voice was low, dark, and serious, "Tell me, Darcy, what would humiliate you?" Her breath hitched in her chest. Loki sensed it and smirked, walking toward the guest room.
"I'm retiring for the evening. You are not to disturb me. Is that understood?"
Darcy offered no response, and after a moment of waiting Loki ignored her and walked into his room.
"It's not even five o'clock, creep."
Four hours had passed and Darcy had finished twenty-three Sudoku puzzles, five word searches, an online puzzle, and she had scrolled through fifty-four Tumblr pages- all pictures of cats. She rolled away from her computer desk, rubbing her sore eyes. Darcy jolted when she saw the image of Loki, shirtless and soaked, right in front of her in the shower.
That's just sick, Darcy thought. What is that, some sort of Stockholm syndrome? That's just wrong. She stood and stretched, arching her back and leaning her neck from side to side. Again, she remembered a flash from her fantasy- this time it was Loki kissing her neck as he pinned her to the wall. You have problems.
Darcy flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her phone, which had been charging on her nightstand, vibrated. She picked it up to see a text from Ben.
'Hey Darce, you going to the party?'
Shit I totally forgot! She bolted from her bed to her closet, throwing the door open and rummaging through her clothes to find something suitable. She decided on a pair of white shorts and a teal, empire-waisted tank top with sequins covering the chest. Changing quickly, she sent a reply to Ben informing him that she would be there soon.
Darcy walked into the skate rink, a large building that most would consider in dire need of renovation. It had long since been retired from its hay day of hosting skating events, and the smooth vinyl floor now served as a dance area. Music was playing, and the party was about to fall into full swing.
"Darcy!" Ben ran up, smiling.
"Hey," she returned the expression.
"I'm really glad you made it out."
"Me too! I've had a hell of a day."
"Lots of work at the lab?"
No, I just spent an hour or two on a foreign planet with giant blue people.
"Yeah." Darcy walked next to Ben as he approached the concession area and sat at a table.
"I bet it's fun, though," Ben commented. "Better than the library, at least."
"I don't know about that," Darcy shrugged.
"Hey, the highlight of my day was chasing down some kid who tried to rob the gumball machine. For the gum. I mean who does that?"
Darcy chuckled, "Good question."
"But hey, better he gets set straight after a gum incident than go on to break into someone's house and attack them or something." Darcy paled.
"Yeah, dude. Totally."
Loki hadn't heard noise in the house for several hours. Sure he had been sleeping for most of it, but Darcy seemed far too loud to be this quiet. He left his room and ventured into the kitchen, making a short stop to get an apple. Not seeing Darcy in the kitchen or living room, he continued to her bedroom.
She wasn't there.
He glanced around, confused and frustrated. How could she leave without telling him? He was the one in charge in this situation and she simply couldn't run around whenever or wherever she wanted. He would have to teach her later.
Returning to the living room, Loki reached out with a mental spine, canvassing the town. After a few minutes, he finally found her at a dilapidated establishment. The music was loud- and bad- and none of the inhabitants knew how to dance properly. He could see Darcy on the dance floor, her back pressed against some stranger's front, swaying to the music. Both had large smiles on their faces as they spoke to each other, nearly screaming to be heard over the noise.
Loki's jaw locked. She wasn't supposed to be enjoying herself. She was supposed to be sitting in her room, dwelling on how miserable she was. With a blink, the Asgardian shifted his customary clothing to something that would blend in better; dark washed jeans, a green t-shirt, and a black button-up shirt with the top three buttons undone. He took a step and traveled from Darcy's living room to the dance floor and strode toward the brunette and her…friend.
"Darcy," he yelled, though it came across as barely a normal volume. She whipped her head to look at him, paling.
"What do you want?"
"You aren't supposed to be here. Come with me, now," he stressed the last word, his eyes narrowing. Darcy squared her shoulders, stepping away from Ben.
"I don't have to."
"Darcy-"
"I have told you way too many times-"
"-You will leave this nonsense and come with me."
"Listen, dude," Ben stepped between Darcy and the god, "She doesn't have to go anywhere with you."
"And who might you be?" Loki tilted his head to the side.
"Ben. Now just move along. If it's work stuff, it can wait 'til tomorrow."
"And if it's not 'work stuff'?"
"Then we might have a problem." Ben was tall, but not as tall as Loki. Although he carried bulkier muscles, about halfway between Loki and Thor's body types.
"This doesn't concern you, Midgardian."
"What'd you call me?" Ben shifted his weight, turning his body to prepare for a physical altercation.
"There's no use in repeating it, you still wouldn't understand."
Ben swung, Darcy gasped, and Loki…Took the punch. He shook his head slightly, chuckling. He looked straight at Ben, a glint in his green eyes.
"I'm afraid you'll have to do much better than that."
AN: Woohoo! Another chapter. I'm surprising myself at how quickly I'm updating. It normally takes longer. As always, read and review 3