I'm working on wrapping this up! Love you all and as always, enjoy and if you feel like it, review!
Darcy and Loki's return to New York wasn't nearly as grim as they'd imagined. Without saying anything, both had steeled themselves for potential ostracism and even outright backlash- it only made sense.
Loki had already fallen into a deep, guilt-ridden funk, and Darcy was too embroiled with her own worries to comfort him. A flight over 12 hours long led to some soul searching though, and Darcy had come to two conclusions.
First, was that she was going to apologize to Jane for the one mistake she had truly made, and that was omitting the fact that she was dating and living with Loki while she offered to watch her daughter. In her mind, Darcy knew that she hadn't killed Lucy- but the pain and remorse inside her spoke otherwise.
Loki had more troubles to contend with than her- he HAD in a sense murdered Lucy, but he had no control over himself.
As soon as they had arrived in the city, they were escorted back to SHIELD, where the remainder of the Avengers had already gathered along with Director Fury in a conference room.
There, Fury began by announcing a moment of silence for those lost. All eyes were subtly trained on Thor, Loki, and Darcy- she could feel the looks shot at her, and blood rushed to her cheeks in an unmistakably vivid blush. Loki observed his lover's discomfort and restrained himself from squeezing her hand, instead choosing to send her an image of him hugging her with his mind. Darcy drew some relief from that, but then Fury resumed his briefing.
It turned out that SHIELD had a lot less intel than Darcy had thought- it was Tony who had come to the rescue, although Darcy felt she deserved the credit for most of his work. Fury explained that Thanos had actually been on SHIELD's radar for the past year, as Heimdall had been keeping Thor updated on that darker part of the universe.
It also turned out that everyone on the Avengers knew that Thanos was a coming threat- his arrival had been an inevitability for them, and they all discussed the mission as a success due to their knowledge of the attack beforehand.
That didn't seem right to her- because as far as she knew, it was neither the involvement of SHIELD or the team that annihilated Thanos, but the mental battle she, Loki, and her baby had waged on him.
Of course, no one mentioned that, and Loki obviously couldn't bring himself to mention it, considering the awkward position he was in.
Darcy begged to differ though, and despite her mixed feelings regarding her involvement, chose to speak up.
"Uh, excuse me? If you don't mind… I kind of think you guys are misunderstanding what really happened. First of all, I don't think you had the situation under control at all. Just because you knew that Thanos was coming doesn't mean that you were ready to take him down-"
Steve broke in before she could continue. "Pardon me, ma'am, but you were unconscious most of the past two days- considering your condition, we all understand, but-"
Loki archly interrupted the Captain then, his irritation masked by a smooth contempt in his voice. "I don't think you should be discussing Ms. Lewis' condition as though it were a hindrance. She is absolutely correct to tell you all that you had completely miscalculated Thanos and his intentions."
Tony angrily stood up and scoffed, clearly doubting what Loki was saying.
"Okay then, horny, tell me what we did so wrong? It's not like I had JARVIS on the radar at ALL times, analyzing every single act of violence or political importance for the past year- we had it totally covered!"
Clint, one of Darcy's regular visitors to her office, sent a hooded glance at Loki and her before saying, "For once I'm inclined to believe Stark. We successfully took down Thanos, and it was a team effort."
Darcy was growing more and more pissed as each Avenger affirmed one another's involvement- essentially patting each other on the back, happy that things hadn't been worse than they'd already been.
She couldn't take it anymore.
"ENOUGH! You people are idiots! You had NO idea what the fuck was going to happen and to deny that shows how dim your view of what happened was! You keep saying you KNEW about Thanos' impending arrival and yet you failed to mention that to the person who was maybe the most relevant player in yesterday's events- LOKI! Fury- do you remember the 236 page report I gave you regarding Thanos' influence in Loki's mind all those years ago? Did I write that paper for fun?! Was it a joke, or extra credit for the crippled girl? I WROTE THAT BECAUSE IT WAS IMPORTANT, because we needed to know what had gone so terribly wrong! And you fucked that simple task up because LOKI was completely vulnerable to Thanos- didn't that cross your minds?!"
Fury immediately responded-
"I'm sorry Ms. Lewis, but wasn't it you had said Loki was completely cured of his madness?"
Before Darcy could speak, a quiet voice replied.
"Actually, no."
All heads turned to face a hunched over Bruce Banner- he was clearly exhausted, as his body exuded a level of stress that had to be dangerous for him- but he took a deep breath and continued.
"If you read the concluding paragraph of Ms. Lewis' paper- and it IS worth a read, it really details out the causes of Loki's madness- no offense- that final paragraph basically explains the concept that the human mind is too complex to simply define as "crazy" or not- and the same principle must be applied to analyzing an Asgardian, perhaps even more, given his status as an Alien."
Fury looked wearier than Darcy had ever seen him in that moment- she almost felt bad for him, but not enough to not say the next thing that came to her head:
"You knew I was dating Loki, right?"
He nodded, not quite sure where she was going with her queries.
"You knew from the start obviously, and you were keeping tabs on us both, right? You knew my previous relationship with Loki, you had awareness of the changed status of it-"
Clint, frustrated with the arguing, cut in- "We get that you two were fuck buddies! What's the point?!"
Loki stepped forward as if to physically defend Darcy's honor but he didn't have to.
"I get it. It makes no sense for me, Darcy the ex-paraplegic Lewis, to date the man who crippled me. You don't get it. I can't explain it to you, because what brought us together wasn't visible to the world- we had… we had a connection. During my time on Asgard, Loki and I had some kind of weird mind-meld thing occur, and it never severed."
All mouths fell open, and it was Tony who spoke next. "You're bullshitting us, right? YOU AND HORNS had mental connection so you forgave him for his actions and jumped into bed with him? And you think you're an expert on what went down on that battlefield, but as Cap totally pointed out- YOU WEREN'T CONSCIOUS!"
Darcy could feel herself growing angrier by the second, and she feared that she would hurt the baby with how out of control her emotions were becoming. It was oddly enough Thor who vouched for her.
"Comrades, friends. Do not attack Lady Darcy merely because she criticizes our methods of victory- I now know what it is to ignore the valid arguments of a peer… even if they do not seem to be as strong or as capable as you. And as for Lady Darcy's claim, she is not lying. For many who practice magic on Asgard, it is common to create mental connections in the conscious and unconscious world. My own mother is adept at it."
Natasha had been silent up till that moment, and Darcy was shocked to see her stand up and begin speaking. "I'm tired of this bickering. We can figure this out easily- who had the kill shot?"
"What?"
"I'm sorry- Loki, kill shot is when-"
"I know the meaning of the term! Did you all take leave of your sense while frozen? NO ONE had the kill shot- we recall seeing Thanos' hand break, and his head EXPLODE?"
A general nodding in the affirmative led Loki to drop the next bombshell on the team.
"It was Darcy- she and Thanos had been psychically engaged in combat for hours before you even stepped on Russian soil."
All turned to Thor for some reason, so he tiredly shrugged and said "I do not doubt my brother. Despite… I have seen what Thanos can do to a mind. He bends it to his will, driving further and further back… until it gives, and the last hold to reality is snapped. I have seen him do that to Loki- and I have seen what havoc Thanos indirectly caused via my brother. I have also seen Darcy work with a mind after it has met Thanos- she put Loki together, piece by piece. Even to this day, I know not how. All I know is that she is the most intelligent person in this room… and even after… everything, I cannot bring myself to doubt Darcy. After all she has done for my family, after all she has done today- she is a true warrior in my mind, and she is quite probably our savior as well."
That was too much for Darcy; she was overwhelmed with guilt and relief that Thor hadn't condemned her, that he still cared for her even after ALL that had happened. She murmured a watery "thank you" to Thor, who sadly smiled in return.
Fury was clearly done with talking, and ready to let everyone go. He made to dismiss everyone but Darcy wasn't quite done.
"Just one last thing- you may have managed to scrape by with a victory, but you should know that if it weren't for certain… forces, your asses were grass. And Director Fury- if you're going to spy on me 24/7 because I'm living with Loki, you might as well tell me the next time one his arch-nemesis exes makes an appearance. Chances are, I can circumvent certain tragedies from occurring- got it?"
Fury stalked away, and Darcy realized that she would never be able to explain what had really happened on that field with Thanos.
Loki surprised her by gently hugging her from behind, letting his hands rest on her stomach protectively. Darcy giggled, but stopped when she caught Thor staring at them. She immediately approached him and began to apologize, but he silenced her with a finger.
"Darcy… you need not hide your own joy. You are responsible for nothing- do not waste a moment of happiness for the sake of guilt. I am happy to welcome a little niece or nephew- and tell Loki that he need not hide. He may have to avoid Jane for a time… but I cannot bear to lose two members of my family."
Darcy burst into tears at that, and Thor gently hugged her. He waited for her sobs to subside, but a voice inside his head distracted him.
"Thor… I know not what to say- I have refrained from apologizing to you for so long, I cannot find words to suffice. I have done… unforgivable things… and I cannot accept that you can forgive me simply because I was not in my own mind. I invited the beast into my mind and for that I take responsibility. I have nothing more to give but my deepest sorrow and my most genuine condolences, and the ridiculous, illogical hope that one day, I can be your true brother once more."
Thor was the one crying then, and he removed himself from Darcy's arms and instead embraced a reluctant Loki. All the Avengers paused seeing that, but it was Captain America who surprised Darcy by shooing everyone along. Darcy overheard Clint asking why they hadn't taken Loki into custody, and Natasha replying that "they only arrest the people responsible, and the only person responsible for this mess was dead."
Darcy liked her more after hearing that.
The brothers didn't take leave of the conference for an hour- Darcy had been waiting outside to give them privacy, but her pregnant, exhausted body wasn't willing to stand there a minute longer. She fell fast asleep, curled up with her SHIELD issued shock blanket as a pillow beneath her head.
Loki and Thor came out of the room quietly talking, stopping when they heard the soft snores of sleeping Darcy on the ground. Loki carefully picked up his lover and bade his brother farewell.
"Jane wants to see Darcy, brother. Do not let her feel responsible or sorrowful- she is not to blame, and she is still our sister."
"I know she is aware of that, deep down. We just need time- a day perhaps. I will… be in touch."
With a parting clap on the back, Loki teleported to a hotel in the city, automatically checking them into a suite on the top floor.
Darcy roused as Loki carefully laid her on the plush bed, but she didn't open her eyes until Loki had left the room to get a drink. The shock and fatigue of the day finally caused her adrenaline rush to end, and it left behind a strange, empty feeling. The emptiness was disconcerting, and she couldn't get comfortable enough to fall back asleep.
She stayed in bed for another moment before going to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Darcy took a look at herself in the mirror before deciding a shower was necessary- she absolutely stunk of god knows what.
In the jet stream of the shower, Darcy felt the steaming water pound into her scalp and massage her back- it was just what she needed to relax. She heard Loki settle onto the bed as the mattress groaned at his weight, and she smiled at the thought of him with her, whole and Thano-less.
Thinking of him in bed led her mind to drift into dirtier places- sexier, more physical places- so she quickly washed her hair and scrubbed her body of all the dirt. Returning to the now fogged up mirror. Darcy wiped away a circle large enough for her to view her face. She wasn't perfect- she had some wrinkles and her eyes looked a bit tired- but she felt a strange lightness inside her.
She had survived. She, who was weakest, who had never been the smartest- she had overcome everything.
Despite everything life threw at her, Darcy was never knocked down permanently- from the paralysis to the coming and going depression, she had made it through.
A sense of contentment filled her then, and she wanted to share her happiness with her love.
She left the bathroom still damp from her shower, undressed. What she wanted required no clothes- and she was gladdened to see Loki was in his weird Asgardian boxer briefs only. He had sprawled across the bed, taking up too much space as always, and had drifted into a deep sleep.
The peace on his face made Darcy want to cry, and it almost made her reconsider waking him up, but the stirring in her navel caused her to abandon that thought.
Instead, she crawled onto the bed, and on top of Loki, carefully straddling him so that she was in direct contact with his manhood. Slowly, she began to grind into his hips, setting the pace so that she could wake her man up, penis first.
Loki's only response was to moan, but he remained stubbornly asleep. Darcy was undaunted though- she continued to mold herself to Loki, but leaned down to trace kisses on his navel. She felt Loki wake up then- he was almost purring like a cat with pleasure.
"Are you going to keep on letting me do all the work?"
Loki replied by rolling her onto her back, taking off his underpants, and slowly entering her. In the haze of sensation- of flesh against flesh and skin against skin, Darcy could barely hear Loki murmur constantly- "Fuck, Darcy- I love you so much- right there, yes darling, my brave darling, my beautiful goddess-"
She almost came right there and then.
He made her wait for that though, and then they fell asleep in a sweaty heap reminiscent of their first coupling.
Before she fully dozed off, Darcy cuddled into the covers, spooning with Loki.
In her ear he whispered, "I love you and our baby so much. Sleep well, dearest."
The words were so sweet Darcy fell asleep smiling like an idiot.
Things were going to be more than okay- they were going to be fucking amazing for Darcy Lewis.
WE ARE ALMOST DONE! ONE MORE TO GO I THINK!
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE.