I AM BACK! I'm sorry for the long break but I've been hella busy! Read, enjoy, and if you wish, review darlings! XOXO- Author
Loki was exceptionally angry. Well, to clarify, he was always angry, but today had taken him to heights previously unknown to him.
There were a multitude of factors contributing to his anger but none was more significant than the fact that some idiotic Russians were attempting to assassinate Tony Stark for ending their crime-ring in Moscow. They had simply barged in by the hundreds, guns blazing quite literally, and despite the high tech security of the tower, panic rendered even the Avengers inefficient.
Loki wasn't surprised- they were the most ragtag, ill-fitting team he had ever met, disregarding their most decisive defeat of him. After emergency evacuations (and ensuring Darcy was guarded by bulletproof walls in a safe-room), Loki sent out as many doubles as he could to all floors of the building, arming each with his signature knives and dagger. Concentrating was difficult given the situation, but within minutes Loki was able to disarm and kill a few dozen cronies. The other team members were equally occupied- Hawkeye was traveling through the ventilation system, picking off any stray shooters with his bow and arrow, as Iron Man blasted his way through walls exploding anything Russian, besides Natasha of course. The Black Widow was swiftly fighting her way through the initial ambush with Captain America, both displaying extreme skill and dexterity in hand to hand combat.
Thor was on the roof, with the Hulk, taking out the multiple helicopters hovering about the tower and dropping explosives on them. Loki wasn't exactly keeping tabs on the team; rather he was maintaining surveillance, all the while killing any hit men he ran into.
It became apparent that the threat was superficial as eventually the fighting ended to a mere headcount of how many Russians lay dead or wounded throughout the hundreds of levels in the Tower.
All the Avengers were pleased with the success, but Loki was skeptical that they were experiencing a victory. As Tony talked with Fury over some holo-screen, Captain America approached Loki and put his hand on his shoulder, quietly saying, "You were a real asset to the team out there today. I know we've had differences but I'm willing to put them behind me if you are." The genuine niceness of the man's voice irked Loki to his very core, yet he forced himself to jerkily nod in agreement.
Thor's voice boomed out behind them- "Brother! Today we have triumphed in most strenuous battle! I now hunger for my beautiful family and ale- let us feast!"
The enthusiasm was pathetically contagious, and Loki was able to ignore Captain America's goodwill for a while longer. He had to deny Thor his feast though- he had to see Darcy.
She had been oddly calm throughout the ordeal; Pepper had been clenching and unclenching her fists and Jane was tightly holding Lucy to her breast, hot tears dripping down her face. Both women were terrified by the prospect that their beloveds would die that day- and there was Darcy, lusting over a few kisses from the man who permanently paralyzed her and then seduced her with his accent.
The introspection must have been shock, in retrospect, but the inner thoughts died when a banging began to echo around the small safe room, causing Lucy to begin shrieking in horror. Darcy rolled in front of Jane and was prepared to do anything when suddenly the doors burst open and two armed gunmen stood aiming straight at Lucy's little blond curls- Jane turning her back on the men to shield her baby and Darcy rolling towards them in some kind of idiotic crippled charge and then six successive shots rang out-
Both men lay dead on the ground, as Pepper shakily lowered her handgun.
Any anger for the older woman faded at that moment as Darcy realized that somehow, this prim and proper woman in the Christian Louboutins had managed to grab a gun from seemingly nowhere and then accurately take out two expert marksmen from across the room.
Jane flew into Pepper's arms and both women shuffled towards Darcy, shutting the door once again.
Darcy spoke first: "I'm sorry I snapped Pepper… we all know you had nothing to do with my unfortunate demise…" she took a deep breath to say the next part. "I think you should have let me know that SHIELD had pulled that trick considering the fact that my dad was also dead, but the past is the past. I'm really really mad right now, but not with you. Maybe a little, but after just now- it's nothing, okay?"
Pepper grinned and tears leaked out of her eyes, joining Jane who was still sobbing over the fact that someone had tried to kill her baby.
The other two women sobered as they realized that this had been a potential assassination- murder of Crown Princess Lucy Jane Thordottir of Asgard?
Oh shit.
They couldn't linger on that thought long as the doors flew open again and Tony launched himself at Pepper, hugging her to his suit so tight she looked like she was being strangled. Thor, not to be outdone, followed suit and lifted Jane and his daughter in his arms, smattering kisses across each face. He clearly had no idea that Lucy had been a target, and Jane was clearly unwilling to tell him- yet.
Darcy was wheeling herself out, seriously considering grabbing some Starbucks from the lobby when she could hear his voice in her mind.
I'm in your chamber.
Painfully aware that they couldn't meet in front of the team or their friends, Darcy made her way to an elevator to meet Loki.
As she sat in the elevator, watching the buttons flash as they passed each floor, Darcy was frightened.
What if Loki hadn't meant a word of what he had said before? The kindness, the promises of revenge- were they lies worthy of a god or genuine?
Or worse, what if he had just said them because he wanted her to feel better? The idea of his lying was more than Darcy thought she could bear, but she ignored the paranoia and attempted to avoid rubble as she headed to her room. Unfortunately, a large chunk of ceiling lay just in front of the hall leading to her suite, and Darcy was forced to call for help-
Loki, I'm kind of stuck. Come outside please.
The mind meld stuff was convenient at times like that, especially when Loki popped before her and somehow magic-ed the rubble away.
They silently entered her room, and Darcy was pleased to see that the damage was minimal in her room, mainly a result of her own messy habits. Leaning down from her chair, Darcy brushed aside clothes on her arm chair and offered it to Loki, herself preferring to utilize her Olympic Gymnast upper arm strength to maneuver herself onto her bed.
Loki watched with a strange curiosity- it lacked malice but wasn't altogether innocent, so Darcy cocked an eyebrow and defiantly asked, "What?!"
His lips quirked in a grin and he replied, "You. You are very… unpredictable and yet I can almost always guess what you're about to do next." The god's eyes were mischievous then and Darcy could tell she was being made fun of. Ignoring the good natured jibes, she went straight to business.
"What happened? Who was attacked us?"
He rolled his eyes at being reminded of the stupidly easy and wasteful battle of the day and explained the Russian situation to Darcy, mentioning that Tony of course was the cause of the mayhem and chaos.
Since she was silent in response, Loki got ready to settle down and ask Darcy how she was feeling about earlier when she suddenly exclaimed "That's bullshit!"
It was Loki's turn to look inquisitive but the playfulness died when he saw the grim look on Darcy's face.
"Loki, when we were in the safe room- it wasn't Tony they wanted! I was with Pepper, Jane, and Lucy! If they wanted Tony taken down they'd aim for Pepper but do you know who they wanted instead?"
Loki's eyes widened ever-so slightly and Darcy could tell he was truly worried- it was all she could do to choke back a sob.
"I saw the little red light of their scopes on my baby's forehead! Lucy! They wanted her! And if Pepper hadn't gunned them both down I don't think we could have stopped them- imagine Thor's reaction! I could literally imagine him destroying this realm and all the others in his grief, my God he's so dynamic in his emotions- I wonder if Jane's told him?"
Loki was stunned speechless, and Darcy couldn't believe it; before her eyes, Loki had paled to a mere shadow of his former color.
It made Darcy's heart well with happiness seeing her months of effort on him- the once remorseless killer was now reduced to shock at the thought of his niece's murder- just like a normal loving uncle.
Loki was still silent though so she patted the space beside her and offered a hand to him.
He sat as if compelled, with the blank look still on his face. Darcy could tell he was fundamentally disturbed at the possibility of the murder of an innocent child, and so she took his hand and began to rub it, just the way her mother would when she was upset.
Loki registered mild surprise at the physical touch of Darcy's small hands to his larger ones, but he was still unable to respond. The image of Lucy on the ground, limp and broken, was all too real in his mind. He also couldn't bear to think of Thor, sobbing and raging against the heavens themselves, lightning cracking across the sky as sharply and wickedly as Thor's grief would. He even could see Lady Jane, the woman who had condemned him as the evil villain, kneeling before her child's body. Even he could recall in his addled state of mind the stories of the great pains Jane had taken when giving birth- she was bearing Thor's strong child after all.
Worse still was the thought that he had murdered children- hundreds upon thousands of New Yorkers had died from his attack- even in Stuttgart, Germany he could remember small children in the gala-
Was he any better than the Russians?
"You're changed now, Loki. You were out of your mind, remember?" Darcy's voice quietly broke his self-flagellation and he was again surprised- "How do you know what I'm thinking?"
He didn't expect her to hit him on the arm, though not very hard, in response. "Loki, buddy, this mind thingy goes two ways- I can sometimes hear what you're thinking, especially when it's as intense and mentally loud as now. And don't beat yourself up- to err is to be human, to make mistakes is to seek perfection."
Loki shook his head. "I'm not human though, I'm supposedly a god. I'm a Jotunn monster, the stuff of nightmares and yet I am also Prince of Asgard- blight upon nature itself, am I not?"
Darcy could see the pain on his face, as palpable as the sweat beading on his forehead. "Listen, gods aren't perfect. I dunno about divine intervention or any of that but you guys have fucked up bigger and badder than anyone else in history- so we have to forgive bigger and better than for a normal human being."
She was so reasonable, so logical, that Loki didn't even hear himself ask her, "Have you forgiven me?"
Darcy was silent for a long moment, and he took the moment to watch expressions flit across her face; at first perplexity crinkled the skin between her eyes and on her forehead; then, conflict in her bright blue eyes filled with memories. She finally looked up with her lips pursed slightly.
"I'm not sure. To be honest, there are times why I wonder why I even associate with you in this weird relationship thing we have- are we friends, are we enemies? I used to fear you- really you terrified me to death, but then it was ironically you who pulled me from the depths of my depression last year. You opened up to me, let me probe in your head- and we managed to fix you, together… I don't really know. I don't hate you. I don't even dislike you that actively, besides occasional irritation. Forgiveness though? I think, maybe, I'm getting there. Forgiveness is the step to recovery that I refused to take for years, and now it seems like I'm feeling a bit better. So I think I forgive you. Or maybe, when you stopped having dual personalities, my hate faded. I don't hate you specifically- I hated the god who killed thousands because he was insane and sociopathic. You on the other hand have rediscovered your empathy, and so I know you are different. Maybe… there is nothing to forgive you for. I have nothing against you."
Loki's face was unreadable as it often was; stormy green eyes distant and pale skin furrowed. Darcy nudged him with her elbow, and she was surprised when he took her hand and squeezed it tightly. She smiled and made to pull away, but Loki wouldn't let her. She looked at his face again and emitted a tiny squeak. Loki was crying, silently, but he was smiling the most genuine, biggest smile she had ever seen on him. Darcy could see his laugh lines and his little crow's feet, and she wanted more than anything to just touch them.
Suddenly, Loki moved her hand with his to his face- on the very wrinkles she wanted to feel. Her cheeks flushed deep red, embarrassed at being so apparent with her thought process, but Loki only looked incredibly happy. Darcy could feel herself growing elated simply at the feel of his face against her palm, and a sudden realization struck her-
She didn't hate him.
She didn't dislike him.
She didn't like him, in fact.
She loved him.
And the Eureka moment in her head was so loud that Loki quickly turned his body towards her and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it in messy black tufts. "Are you sure you mean that Darcy? Is it possible?" His vulnerability was so clear to Darcy, and the tenderness in his voice struck her heart so strongly, that without thinking she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth.
Loki's confusion morphed into a loving yet lusty grin, and Darcy could feel herself growing more aroused as he gently stroked her arm. He paused and asked, "Is this okay?"
Darcy was now the confused one, replying, "What do you mean?"
Loki shifted his gaze to the hand on her thigh that was dangerously high and she was quickly embarrassed. Laughing it off, Darcy said, "Oh! Well I can't really tell if that's alright… I'll let you know if I can tell later on though, alright?" The horror on Loki's face was clear, and he stammered numerous apologies and angled his body strategically distanced from hers'.
Darcy sighed and slumped back against her pillows.
The silence was tense until Loki said, "This is what I worried about- that we can never forget what I inflicted upon you- whether I love you or not I still maimed you." His disgust for his past actions pained Darcy but they also irritated her.
"Well what're you gonna do? I want to do something about this thing between us- I seem to love you for some reason and you like me back and so what if I'm handicapped? The messed up, crazy other side of you did that- not the you from today!"
Loki groaned, saying "It's not that simple! I feel like the worst being in the realm when I see you- I hate that damnable chair of yours, I hate that you can't run, I hate that I did this! How can I pursue anything with you when I can't even fix the one thing that matters?!" His distress became even more visible as Loki's skin darkened into the shade of cobalt blue that was particularly his. Darcy tried to comfort him, laying a hand on his and stroking the light ridges. Loki seemed appalled that she would touch him in his Jotunn form but Darcy was desperate.
She even brought up the failed experiment Loki had pursued on Asgard to cure her paralysis. Loki merely sighed, and agreed to return to his potion-making immediately. As he rose to leave Darcy tugged him back down by the arm, swiftly kissing his lips hard, as though incentivizing the swiftness of his progress.
Finally, sad, horny, and alone in her room, Darcy realized that she had just entered the world's most complicated relationship with the entire universe's most fucked up man.
All she could do was grin like an idiot.
REVIEW BECAUSE I DID IT I COMMITTED TO A RELATIONSHIP AND I AM EXCITED CAN WE TELL THAT I'M EXCITED?!
DARCY AND LOKI ARE MY FAVORITES.