Alright you guys~ I'm actually really happy with this chapter because I'm starting to get Steve more and more involved, trying to develop some characters...(I suck at character development, so keep an eye on it for me and PLEASE let me know how I'm doing)

Disclaimer: Does not own Marvel Universe

Warning: This chapter is pretty tame, enjoy

Comments/critiques welcomed as always :D

"He knows I don't mean it Thor."

Darcy bites into her slice of pizza, the cheese starting to drip between her mouth and slice. Steve had moved all of his belongings—including himself—onto the floor, offering Darcy his seat. She objected at first but was blushing too hard to argue. Thor—much to Darcy's annoyance—was sitting on the floor as well, glancing back and forth at the stairs as if Loki could appear at any moment and he would miss his chance to play the big brother. She did feel a little guilty for using the…f-word but Loki had assured her if anyone was allowed to use it on him it was her. And he was acting like one.

"Thor, seriously, knock it off. We fight all the time, no big deal."

He turns to give Darcy a huge puppy dog look complete with a whine, looking back up at the stairs. "But…what if he does something—drastic."

"Dude, I don't think he's going to throw himself out the window," Darcy snorts.

"Darcy's right, Thor," Steve chimes in, taking a small bite of his pizza. "Besides he's had a rough week. I think it's best we just leave him be-"

"And I don't think he's going to come crying down the stairs for you to beat up all the mean big kids at school." Darcy and Steve both snicker to themselves, Thor flushing slightly and letting out a small laugh. "Dude, if you're so worried take his pizza up to him, maybe he'll come out."

Thor gives them a small nod, a look of newfound determination on his face. "I will do so!" He seemed so excited; Darcy almost felt bad knowing that Loki wouldn't come out simply because he knew it was Thor. He eagerly makes his way upstairs and Darcy shakes her head.

"If he comes out of the bathroom, I swear, a rainbow is going to shoot out of my ass."

Steve laughs slightly, leaning back against the couch and focusing on the movie Thor had chosen. It was some sort of Norwegian tragedy with English subtitles and it was one of the strangest movies Steve had ever had to watch at Thor's house. Granted Thor had a lot of really weird European movies just lying around. Then again Thor's whole family was from Sweden. Steve pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through his messages while Darcy moves on to her second piece of pizza. She watches the movie in somewhat of a morbid silence before nudging the back of Steve's head with her foot.

"Are you enjoying this?"

He blinks, turning to smile at her. "Huh?"

"The movie? Are you watching it or can I turn it off?" she grins when Steve gets flustered thinking of an answer. "I've already seen it, the wife drowns herself in the lover's bathtub or something...the husband doesn't even have a funeral, he just puts her ashes in a can. Then the daughter jumps in front of a car or something, it's all really depressing-"

"No, I'm…I'm not really watching it."

Darcy snorts, grabbing the remote and switching to cable. "Why didn't you say anything? Thor doesn't care just tell him what you want to watch."

"Well…it's his house…"

"And you're his guest," Darcy grins, nudging Steve with her foot again. "C'mon, Steven, grow a pair. Thor's a pushover; he could watch infomercials for an hour and get a kick out of it." She flips through the channels. "You can get on the couch too, you know, you didn't have to move to the floor."

Steve smiles shyly and climbs onto the couch, sitting rather rigidly compared to Darcy. His knees and shoulders were straight and aligned as if he were made of wax; Darcy had slouched into the couch cushions, one knee sitting up and her other leg thrown aimlessly where she pleased. She glances at him and laughs to herself, sipping her soda. He was obviously uncomfortable; Darcy figured he didn't hang out with a lot of girls as relaxed as her. She flicks on one of the movie channels and sits up slightly to crisscross her legs and turn to face Steve. "Are you an army brat?"

He turns his head and smiles. "Hmm?"

"An army brat; the way you act and sit…you remind me of kids who had parents in the military. Who was it? Your dad? Mom?"

"Oh," Steve laughs lightly and shakes his head. "No…my grandfather served during the Vietnam War but neither of my parents served. Besides it's just me and my mom."

Darcy nods, finishing off her second slice and licking her fingers. "Mom over-protective? Other family members influence how you're raised?"

"How can you—yeah, my grandparents did," he pauses, making a face. "Am I that obvious?"

"No, no, it's not like that… You're so polite and such a pushover, I just wondered why. Obviously for me I don't really have controlling parental figures. I live with my cousin and he's…well, he can't even make his stupid Yorkie dog sit much less make me act like a lady," Darcy starts on her third slice, a breadstick in her other hand. "Then you look at guys like Thor and you can see that sort of authoritative parent but someone who taught him to be a good person at the same time, you know? Parents that give their kids the freedom to make mistakes on their own-"

"And…Loki?" Darcy pauses, chewing slowly and her brow furrowing. Steve realizes that his curiosity got the best of him and he shakes his head, regretting his tongue acting faster than his brain. "Sorry…I shouldn't have asked, it's not my business…"

"No, it's cool…Loki just—he's had it rough, that's all. Parents can only do so much, you know?"

Steve nods. He knew more than most…especially when parents try to do more than they should. He takes another bite of pizza, leaning back against the couch. Loki seemed to be stuck on his brain; he was all he could think about and he had no idea why…like an itch you just can't reach or a bug you just can't find even though you just saw it crawling around on the wall. Steve had become hooked with the thought of Loki; learning every little thing about him and letting himself drown in the curious mysteries of someone else's life. He wasn't really sure what to call it…obsession sounded so vulgar and crude, like he was stalking every minute of his day. Steve preferred to call it a platonic crush since he certainly had no romantic intentions towards Thor's younger brother…but the rash of curiosity stuck to Steve's brain only began to burn more once Loki and Darcy had started screaming at one another upstairs. It spurred many questions but to avoid being rude—and since it really was none of his business—Steve preferred to stick to basics. "How long have you and Loki been friends?"

She smiles, her lips quickly hidden by the soda in her hand. It was as if he had been found out already and that was making him regret climbing onto the couch.

"Since middle school…why do you ask?"

"Ah-" Steve blushes lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm…not really sure. I've known Thor for years but I guess I never really noticed Loki before, as awful as that sounds…"

Darcy laughs, covering her mouth so her pizza doesn't fall out. "It's not awful, Steve, honest, I can totally understand…Loki prefers not to stick out and I'm not so sure I would have ever been friends with him if we hadn't met the way we did," she hums when he gives her a curious look and finishes her pizza. "Some boys were making fun of me about my breasts being so big and Loki asked why they were teasing me when they were just going to have the same problem in thirty years. When one of them punched him in the nose I kicked the other in the groin. After about an hour of listening to me talk he said I was the most annoying bitch he's ever met and we've been friends ever since."

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a great 'how I met my best friend' story," Steve grins, trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," Darcy shoves him playfully with her foot. "We sort of just hit it off, I guess. And by 'we' I mean 'me' because I wouldn't leave him alone after that and I'm pretty sure he could care less…but I think after a while people like Loki have felt so alone for so long that they take what they can get." She pauses and lets out a sigh. "But sometimes that's not always a good thing…"

"Is that why you're fighting?"

"Yeah…I guess so…" Darcy shrugs. "I'm sure that's not the only reason he blew up at me, he's had it rough all week so I really can't blame him for getting upset over nothing. He'll be fine though, he's just throwing a little tantrum; he'll take some time and come out of his hole when he wants."

"Do you two fight a lot?"

Steve bites his tongue. That was really crossing a line…he wouldn't even ask Thor that question, he could just see the puppy eyes. Darcy just laughs and shrugs, tossing her hair back as she continues to eat her pizza. "Sure. I mean…Loki's practically been through hell and back but still acts like the fucking Queen of Sheba which can drive anyone insane, really…" she pauses, setting her pizza aside and leaning towards Steve, her eyebrows knit together. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

She bites her lip. "Did Tony ever…talk to you about Loki?" Steve furrows his brow. "Stark. You went out with him, right?"

"Yeah, we…went out a few times…" he rubs the back of his neck. "You're asking if…he talked to me about Loki? Talked to me how?"

Darcy shakes her head. Loki would kill her for even mentioning his and Tony's name in a conversation…but Loki already wanted to kill her. Steve watches her mull things over in her head, finding the right way to word things without giving much away; not many people knew about him and Tony…not that he was ashamed, they didn't go out for long and didn't end on good terms. Darcy continues to eat her pizza, toes curling and un-curling against the couch. "Tony never…mentioned anyone else when you two were going out?"

"Well…" Steve's stomach turned talking about this. "I knew he was cheating on me if that's what you're asking. Although when it comes to Tony Stark you sort of always feel like that…" He laughs a bit to cut the tension, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why did you ask about Loki?"

She shrugs, leaning back against the arm of the couch.

"Tony and Loki were going out when Stark started hooking up with you, just wondering if it ever affected his conscious as to how badly that dug into Loki's side," Darcy pulls out another slice of pizza. "It was the second time Loki caught Tony fooling around with someone else and…well Loki's not exactly the kind of guy to dish out second chances. And it seems like whenever he does he just digs himself deeper into his own little world where nothing can hurt him…" Darcy sniffs, rubbing a few tears away with her fist. "But the more he pushes away the less I can help him and the less I can help him the more lost he gets and if this year gets any worse I'm not sure if anyone will be able to help him; not me or Thor or his parents, even though his stupid parents haven't been able to do shit for him anyways-"

"Hey, hey, Darcy, it's" he touches her arm gently, Darcy taking his hand with a sniffle. "He's going to be okay. From what you're telling me he's been through a lot worse than school."

She stops and laughs, blushing a bit "…sorry, I totally went off on an emotionally compromising cosmic journey and took you along for the ride and you barely know me."

Steve grins, pulling his legs up onto the couch and crossing them. "I think we've already crossed that line, Miss Darcy."

"Miss Darcy," she mocks, laughing. She grabs some tissues from the end table and blows her nose. "It's like Mr. Darcy…which, by the way, is Loki's favorite book. Well…one of them."

"Mr. Darcy?"

"No! Pride and Prejudice!" Darcy laughs, kicking him playfully. "Mr. Darcy is a character. I want him to watch the movie so he can give it his seal of approval or not but he hates Kiera Knightly…he finds her to be a prude—which she is—but it's a good movie. I should give the book a try."

"Isn't it usually the other way around?" Steve teases. He pushes his hair back out of his face as Darcy finishes off her pizza, wiping her hands on her shirt. His face falls slightly as a thought hits him, his stomach twisting. "Is…that why Loki doesn't like me?" Darcy looks up at him curiously. "Because of Tony…I've been trying to be nice all week he just—looks at me like I have a second head or something…"

"You've seen how he treats Thor, right? Loki doesn't like anyone and I'm sure it has nothing to do with you. He makes excuses for him not to like people so if he pulls any of that bullshit he's lying and is building walls like he does with everyone," she sighs and shakes her head. "Sorry…I don't mean to be a bitch to you, Steve, it's just—Stark always puts him in such a shit mood and yet he always-"

"I attempted to coax him out with promises of pizza but he would prefer to be left alone," Thor mopes back down the stairs with a heavy sigh, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a bite, slumping into the armchair. Darcy laughs, Steve giving him a sympathetic smile. "What are we watching?"

"Paranormal Activity or some shit, I don't know," Darcy sips her soda. "Any luck?"

"He does not wish for me to pry into his personal affairs."

Darcy shrugs. "I told you, dude, he wants to be alone."

All three sort of acknowledge this to be the way things are and turn their attention back to the movie. Darcy drowns herself with her jealousy, grabbing for another slice of pizza just to drown out the feelings themselves. Steve really wanted to talk about Loki but he hadn't asked much about her. Did Steve like her? She liked him. But once again it seemed as though she was being nominated for the friend-zone and wanted to get it through to him that she wanted to give them a try.

Steve however was just too oblivious towards people liking him…especially girls. He was starting to think that his curiosity in Loki was on the brink of obsession though and maybe that's what Darcy saw. Someone else attempting to push past Loki's barriers without proper admission and it made Steve feel as if he was just as bad as the guys at school. He should be supporting poor Thor who only wanted to make sure his baby brother was okay, well protected, and kept getting shot down no matter what he did. Seeing his best friend—especially someone as large as he was—look like a kicked puppy because his brother wanted nothing to do with him should've made Steve want to drop his inquisitions about all of this altogether…but he couldn't. He already had so many answers already that Steve felt he was close to understanding why things were like this. Steve opens his eyes. They'd all fallen asleep somewhere towards the end of the movie, none of them really paying enough attention to care. He shifts slightly on the couch, realizing there's a blanket on him that wasn't there before. Had Thor's parents come home? His mother—Frigga—had a bit of an obsessive care-giver nature to her and would be the one to tuck them in on the couch, turn off the television and the lights…clean the living room? All of the pizza boxes were gone. Steve shifts a bit more and stops when he hears the front door open. He silently lays back down the way he was, his eyes not yet adjusted to the darkness of the room but he could definitely hear someone. Car keys click against the counter as they're set down. Silent footsteps move about the kitchen, a light breaking through the darkness as the fridge opens. Steve strains himself, trying to peek over the couch, listening for voices…

Darcy snores a bit, making him jump.

The fridge door closes, plunging the house back into darkness but Steve's eyes had adjusted. Both he and Darcy were curled up on the couch, a large blanket thrown over both of them. Thor was still in the armchair which had been reclined and the blanket on him haphazardly laying over him. Steve could hear the figure moving towards them from the kitchen and he rolled himself silently so as to see who it was without them noticing him awake.

He wasn't really sure who he was expecting…but he certainly wasn't expecting Loki. And definitely not the way Loki looked. The usual baggy attire had been replaced with tight black clothes, hair tossed all about, eyes bloodshot from unspoken events...he'd never had much time around people using drugs but Steve was certain the look on Loki's face was the equivalent to being buzzed. He watched as Loki moved silently to Thor, re-tucking the blanket around him with care. It was almost surreal watching Loki treat Thor like his—well, his brother. And it certainly wasn't a side of Loki that Steve ever expected to see. Loki moved around towards the couch and Steve froze, hooding his eyes enough that he wouldn't be noticed. He picks up a small stuffed giraffe from the floor, tucking it under Darcy's arm and brushing the hair from her face, making her sigh.

Steve was confused. All night Loki had been made out to be someone cold and distant, someone who couldn't quite grasp the reality of his world and preferred to push himself away…but this Loki—this was someone entirely different from what Steve had heard or seen. Despite looking buzzed out of his mind, there was a sort of emotion in Loki's eyes that didn't seem bitter or angry…but sad. Sad and hurt and lost and confused and for someone who seemed to deal with more internally than anyone else Steve knew…it seemed normal. Loki retreated back upstairs to his room as Steve silently watched him move through the darkness, the shadow of a ghost on the wall. Steve had felt so satisfied at the beginning of the evening, only to be left downstairs as confused as ever.