InsaneJournal

Who: Loki, Darcy Lewis
What: Is it a date or is it subterfuge? The answer is both.
When: Friday afternoon
Where: Don't even ask.
Rating/Warnings: Yellow for all dem f-bombs.

It was Friday at noon, and a very nicely dressed Loki rapped his knuckles against Darcy's door in their new, much more spacious home. There was much to do, and his eyes were bright with the prospect of seeing his plans coming to fruition, and also a chance to impress the beautiful and sassy Lady Darcy with a trip to another realm. With a hop or two, between.

Darcy was mostly dressed, though she wasn’t wearing any socks or shoes quite yet. She was excited and nervous about this whole other realm thing though. So when there was a knock at the door, she figured it was Loki. Everyone else in the house would pretty much just bang on it loudly until she answered. She opened the door with a smile.

“Hey,” she greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Lady Darcy. A fine day for an adventure, is it not?"

He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her forehead, smiling down at her. It was full of the promise of mischief being managed, and he was already trying to picture what sort of attire he would put her in, so she could fit into another realm, seamlessly. He stopped when his gaze reached her feet, and tried not to laugh.

"Going barefoot, are we? How delightful."

“Yeah it’s going to be nice,” she agreed. She smiled up at him, wondering when he was going to get up the nerve to really kiss her. Maybe today. Darcy wasn’t so sure though. “I just haven’t put on my shoes yet! I have no idea what to wear, so I was kind of waiting for you to show up and tell me, so that I can change and look .. okay.”

She wasn’t sure where the heck they were going, or what was going to happen on their little adventure, but she thought she should be prepared. And it wouldn’t take her really long to change, she swore.

He was working his way back up to that point, and basically taking his own sweet time with not rushing matters. When it happened during the revelries he was slightly intoxicated, although he'd never admit to that fact if asked.

"Whatever affords you the most movement and that you will be sure of foot. I will not be wearing this," he pointed out. "I can, and shall, change our attire once we reach Vanaheim."

He had it in mind to bring back a fantastic pet for Thor and Valkyrie. And it might even lift Sif's spirits as well.

That was pretty easy enough then. “Oh okay. I can just keep this on. Let me just get my socks and shoes.” She was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt. This might be a date, but she was pretty sure by now he’d seen her more with this outfit on then something fancy. This was what she preferred, especially if she was just going to have her clothes changed when they got to wherever they were going.

“Vanaheim? Cool. There are lots of space puppies there?” God she hoped so. She really wanted one.

"There are, in fact, many space puppies there. I mean to find one and bring it back," Loki said, almost laughing. "It will make a fine gift. And there are many other creatures, some of which we should avoid." Creatures as angry as Bilgesnipes, for instance.

It wasn't the only task he meant to finish, not by far. But he was hoping he could get away with Darcy not knowing anything else otherwise.

That made her happy. She was looking forward to this jaunt into space. Honestly she was super excited about this whole trip, so much so that she had taken the whole day off of work. And she had barely slept, since she was so excited. “Of course. You just tell me what to do. I’ll listen to you.” And she meant it. She wouldn’t even argue.

She was taking her phone though because she wanted pictures, not because she wanted to call someone. But she wanted to be able to remember all of this. “I’m ready to go. Lead the way.”

"This way," he said, entering the room and closing the door behind him, sporting a mischievous smirk as he did so. That smirk was still there as he took hold of her hand.

"Think of the place where you encountered that anomaly," he instructed, giving her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. He would weave a spell to force open a path, woven from her thoughts, even if it was more taxing than finding a path that already existed. He was certain the rest of this day would go much more smoothly than this step. He had gotten plenty of rest and was well fed, in preparation for a day such as today. "When I tell you to walk with me, do so. And whatever happens, do not let go of my hand."

The last thing he wanted was to lose Darcy while traversing the Ways along Yggdrasil. No one would hear from him again until he found her.

"Do let me know when you are ready? As amusing as it would be to delve into your thoughts, I am not a mind reader."

Okay that sounded simply enough. Darcy had to think for a moment, about her time back there and everything that happened. Eventually she remembered what it was like. Throwing things into that hole and having them never coming out again. It only took her a minute to think of it long enough so that she thought it would help. “Okay, I’m ready.” She hadn’t let go of his hand, and she wouldn’t, she promised. She didn’t want to get lost in whatever either.

She didn’t know what was going to happen, so she didn’t know if she should close her eyes, keep them open or what. Maybe it was best to just concentrate on him and not letting go of his hand.

“Oh.. do I have to tell you about it then or what?”

"No, my dear. You do not," Loki said, and there was a cool tingling that enveloped her for a moment, and Loki reached out his other hand and made a clawing motion into the air, his fingers ripping into what looked to be the veil of reality. It took only one swipe but was enough to leave a large jagged seam before them, the inside swirling with slate grey fog.

It wasn't as effortless as the second-rate Midgardian sorcerer, but it allowed him to travel further. He huffed out an exhale after the effort, pleased that it looked as though it would hold up.

"Walk with me," he said, leading her through what was a cold bleak tunnel of grey fog and iridescent swirls of every imaginable color. It was never as beautiful as the Bifrost was. At least this was a short jaunt around the branches of the tree, behind the scenes of everything, and not a greater journey, like what awaited them.

It wasn't long at all, it would have been the same amount of steps to walk downstairs to the kitchen, until they stepped out into the still abandoned warehouse. It was there that Loki's eyes lit with untold possibility, for he could sense the traces of what was still there, hiding behind the surface. Jane Foster was such a fascinating creature. Imagine, stumbling into a place she never should have been in when the veil between this world and the others were so thin a mere mortal could pass through...and now he would use this to his advantage.

It was his luck to have found someone even more fascinating. If not for Darcy's abundant imagination and impetuous nature, he wouldn't be so close to bringing his plan to fruition. He was so beside himself with excitement that Loki smiled widely at Darcy, and had not let go of hand.

"I trust you are not unwell," he asked, because it was just as important to him that she was not harmed or ill from the experience.

That was a good thing because she didn’t think she could have actually described what she was picturing in her head. She watched, a bit fascinated as he started with his magic. She didn’t see a lot of it, and when she did it was mostly because she was busy being angry at him. Not this time though, at least not yet. She did as he said, not letting go and then walking where he lead.

Once through, she was endlessly fascinated at this pathway between worlds. It was definitely unlike anything that she had seen before. She got what he meant by holding on. It looked like if she let go, she would easily be lost and maybe even completely gone. Where would she have ended up? She didn’t want to think about that.

On the other side of things, she found her feet a little less than steady, but Darcy was trying to make up for it. It was going to take her a moment. “No, I’m fine. Just give me a second.” She was maybe a little dizzy, but it would pass. No one with epilepsy should do that. Ever. After a moment, she took a couple of deep breaths and then looked around. “Yeah, I’m okay.. Wow..”

She’d just realized that she was in a different realm all together. Like really really.

Not another realm. Yet. Only the warehouse in London. Yet there was another realm so terribly close, that Loki knew where he needed to go. This place was ripe with secret paths to Svartalfheim. He merely had to find a way to get there, without Darcy knowing what he was doing. And from there, he knew of paths to Vanaheim. After the task ahead was done, he could finally relax and enjoy their time together. Unburdened.

"You seemed to weather it well," he admitted, appearing quite pleased. "I'm afraid that it takes more than one leap."

He let her get her bearings before leading her up the steps, to a spot where they threw various items into the anomaly that was once there. And there was still something there, even if it wasn't left open. He made much the same hand motion as before so that another tear was ripped open, hanging in mid-air above the concrete floor. And in one fluid movement, Loki swept Darcy off her feet, holding her his arms. He leaped up and over the pipe railing and directly into that tear.

Oh damn this was totally London wasn’t it? To be fair, warehouses all kind of looked the same. Then she realized that they clearly were going to go through the portal in London to wherever their final destination was. Duh. She wished had thought of that sooner. But now that she understood, she was even more set to go. She nodded her head when he said it was going to take one more leap. Hopefully she wouldn’t throw up on his shoes.

After they fell for what felt like thirty seconds, he landed in a near crouch still safely holding her, only they were in what looked to be a very dark cave. Littered near the inside mouth of that cave, was what looked like a trash heap. Crushed cans and empty bottles, bricks, and wads of paper were laying all around. And outside the cave was a dimly lit world, with dry black dirt and a dreary sky. A dead world, where life had ceased to exist. This was definitely not the forests filled with creatures that he had promised.

"My apologies. That leap took longer than I imagined it would," he said, helping her to her feet and resting one hand on her back, to steady her. While he was concerned, his eyes were torn away toward the back of the cave, where he felt a secret place existed. A place that once housed the Aether.

First, he would see to Darcy. And then? Then he would see to the plan. After that, away they would go.

They were through another tear, and this time she was definitely swaying a bit. She was going to need longer than a moment to deal with all of this. In fact she shut her eyes as the room started to swim. She couldn’t even appreciate the sights around her. “Yeah.. you’re right, it totally did.” Oh man was she just falling for what seemed like forever? Ugh. Darcy really didn’t know about this whole intergalactic traveling thing, if this was what it felt like.

“Mmm..” was all she said for a moment. “Oh man the room is spinning. Maybe I should put my head between my knees.” Good grief.

They definitely were not anywhere near London anymore. The winds were howling outside the cave, but such storms formed and passed quickly here. It was a lesser concern until seeking out the path to Vanaheim, which Loki knew of a handful in this particular realm. His concerns were the sense that there was a path in the back of this cave that he meant to tread upon...and that Darcy looked like she was about to be ill.

It was an opportunity he should be seizing straight away. Instead, Loki helped Darcy sit down on a stone large enough to sit comfortably upon, and he knelt beside her. Not in front of her. He didn't want her losing her lunch on him. Or his shoes.

He rubbed a hand on her upper back, before pulling a golden hued cloak and a bottle of water from thin air. He placed the bottle in her hands, and draped the cloak around her shoulders.

"Rest now, for I believe another path might be here. I will see if it is safe for us to pass through."

A lie. Outright. For he could feel that that place that once housed the Aether was nearby, deep in the cavernous depths. It would not take much to pretend to search and come back to Darcy with news that the search was in vain. They would need to find another route, and Darcy would have her bearings back again.

"You will be quite safe," he said, in the hopes of reassuring her. He was already rising so he could stand up, ready to take his leave and be done with his plan, once and for all. "There is no other life to be found on this dead world. No harm can come to you."

Sitting down on the rock, she took the bottle and started to drink, not really questioning where it came from. For all she knew, it had just been sitting in his pocket. It didn’t really matter. “Okay,” she agreed with a nod of her head. “I’ll wait right here.” She did need a moment to clear her head. “Sure. If you hear screaming though, that’s probably me.” She couldn’t help but joke.

Well that was good to know. Though that meant there were no space puppies. Disappointing, but she figured they were just on another way point to another stop. She waved at him to go on while she shut her eyes and put her head between her legs to stop the room from spinning. Darcy trusted him to do whatever it was that he needed to do, and she had no idea that he was lying.

Silly her.

Loki the Liar let out a snerk at Darcy's joke, waiting until she was resting her head down to smooth a hand over her hair and give her one last light-handed pit pat on the shoulder. For some people, traveling such paths for the first time could be worse than the first jaunt on the Bifrost. It just happened that Darcy seemed to be one of those persons.

Loki quickly took his leave, walking deeper into the cave, past the last of the rubbish littering the ground. There was something quite strange that he couldn't put his finger on, until he felt a change in the air around him. His next step left him staggering as he nearly fell down a flight of steps. The entire scene had changed from the inside of a cave to a large cavernous expanse, where the air was stagnate and it smelled of damp earth. It was a ruined subterranean city, and ahead of him was a long jutting shelf of stone with a square stone pillar setting in the middle of it. Around the base was the signature mark of the Bifrost, and so Loki knew that he literally stumbled in the right direction.

He turned in place, went up a step, and he was back in the cave again.

"Convenient," he muttered to himself. Either Bor had them hide the Aether right under the nose of Malekith, or the convergence had left behind a stable path, that Loki knew he would have to bind shut with a spell. Either way, this was a place that no one could see into, unless they already knew it was already there. He made his way back through and down the steps, keeping a brisk pace, stopping only when he stood before the pillar. There were residual traces of the Aether in the two pieces of stone. Countless years of housing it had left its mark, yet not enough of anything to draw from. The Aether was far away and far too dangerous to use in any way. That was why - while in his guise as Odin - he bid Sif and Volstagg to leave the cursed stone in The Collector's safe keeping. Hopefully it stayed that way.

Finding he couldn't lift the pillar back into two pieces using his own strength alone, he added in magic as needed to force the pilar back into two pieces. Then he drew forth the Tesseract with one hand, and shoved it into the space between the two stones, where the Aether once was. It was a snug fit, and he left it as far in as his arm would reach, drawing it out quickly in case it didn't hold the pillars apart as he thought it would.

It held.

Loki smiled.

He began to draw out every item he had gathered on his trip. The teeth of a fire wyrm from Muspelheim, a handful of dust from Helheim, various rare herbs from Vanaheim, and finally the pilfered hair of a Valkyrie. The hair was a fine replacement for weaving a binding barrier, when a tear could not be obtained to create a stronger shield. After cutting his finger for some blood, he began to combine them and cast the spell around the stone pillar, meant to seal the Tesseract within.

He would love to see Thanos try to break through this. It was folly to think the God of Mischief wouldn't find a way to thumb his nose back at the betrayed Mad Titan. In fact, it was laughable. Even if he was torn limb from limb for daring such a feat, it would be a satisfying death knowing it was kept out of reach for a little while longer. Or at least long enough for his brother and his teammates to stop him. If they ever managed to form some semblance of a cohesive force. He was surprised that they hadn't argued during the prison break, and as for the governments of Earth? Laughably weak and short-sighted.

With all those thoughts in mind, Loki was so utterly preoccupied with casting everything he could into the warding spell, that he didn't realize how much time was passing by.

As soon as Darcy was feeling better, she sat around and waited. Well not sat so much, though she didn’t go anywhere. She just kind of wandered around where she was a little bit, waiting patiently. Then twiddling her thumbs. Not that she’d looked at her phone in a while, but she was pretty sure a considerable amount of time had passed by. He still wasn’t back. It was worry, not suspicion that made her start down the path that he had gone. Worried that something had happened to him. He’d be lost and she’d be all alone.

She didn’t call out to him, too worried that something large had maybe wounded or eaten him and if she made some noise it would come after her as well. There was trash all around, and soon she took one last step and found her going down the stairs. And she was suddenly in a completely different place. Whoa. It took her a moment, just to make sure that she wasn’t completely losing her mind. She went back and forth a couple of times before she finally went through… whatever that was, completely.

Further she went on, until she heard something. Probably the thing that had run into Loki. Oh man. Now she was getting really nervous. Still she wanted to know, had to know for herself. Because if she didn’t know for herself, she was going to never know how to get back. Her heart was pounding her throat as she finally came down to where she found Loki..

Doing magic and .. something, she couldn’t really tell what the hell that was. Her face fell.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

There was an intense blue glow between the two stones, and the entirety of the pillar shimmered now and then with a soft green and golden glow. He was so close to being finished, devoting the full focus of his concentration to pour his will into the spellcrafting, that he nearly flinched at the sound of Darcy's voice. One hand was still outstretched, as he was almost done sealing it all with binding runes using blood from that sliced fingertip.

"Damn," he said under his breath, finishing the last three runes with the greatest of haste, and using a spell to stop the bleeding.

He turned in place, plastering a disarming smile on his face.

"I suppose telling you that I stumbled across this oddity would not pass muster," he said with a laugh, but the statement ended with a resigned sigh. It seemed she truly did have a rebellious and inquisitive streak, just like Alice in that Midgardian tale about Wonderland. He had made it a point to read that drug addled tale after their first date. The tale strongly suited what he imagined a young Darcy must have been like. Minus the drug addled parts. He hoped.

Although his work was now done, this was a troublesome development indeed. Enough that he looked openly troubled about what to do next.

"Oh, Darcy," he told her. "Why could you not stay put as I bid you to?"

Like she hadn’t seen that smile before. The one that thought he could get her to forget what the hell he was up to. She just stared at him, not even bothering to put her hands on her hips or anything like that. Because she should have known. This was too good to be true. What was she supposed to do?

“You were gone for like half an hour. I thought you were dead.” And honestly with the way she felt, he should have kind of wished he was dead since she was starting to feel quite angry.

Darcy stared at whatever he was doing, trying to figure it out. It didn’t really matter, did it? Okay, so maybe it did. But this was the thing. He used her. He fucking used her. God dammit. Did he even give a shit? Did he care that he’d manipulated her, or did he even like her at all? Or was this whole thing just to get to this point.

She shook her head. “I can’t. No, I can’t believe me. I can’t believe I fucking trusted you. You brought me here for this, right? Not … not fucking space puppies.” Fuck. Why had she been so damn stupid? There was no Jane to tell her to stop it and now she was stuck here and unable to come home.

Rubbing her face in frustration, the anger just turned towards sadness. Sadness that she had bought right into all of this. “I should have realized that this was what you wanted this whole fucking time. You don’t even like me, do you? Fuck. I’m an idiot. You know what? Just...do whatever fucking shady shit you’re doing. I’ll be back where we came from. And then when we get back, because you are going to take me back home...I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Loki tried interjecting with a lot of 'No's and 'Wait's and 'Now that's just not true's, but Darcy was not letting him get a word in edgewise. Eventually his temper frayed down to nothing and he yelled loud enough that it reverberated in the darkness around them, "THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"

It was only halfway what it looked like. Now that there was a moment of quiet, he took a deep breath and began to speak in a much more conversational tone of voice.

"Darcy." He moved toward her, hands held out, palms up, to show her he had nothing up his sleeves. Everything that had been up his sleeves was already situated behind him with a warding barrier around it. "You hold my affections more than I ever thought was possible again. Which is why I would have you know this was not done with ill intent. Not to you, nor toward anyone else."

He stepped to one side so she could get close enough to inspect his work if she wished to. He hoped he could convince her, since the thought of her never wanting to see him again didn't sit well. Not that he could blame her, now that he was caught red-handed. Literally. There was dried blood on his right hand that he hadn't magicked clean yet.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said in a hushed voice. "If you want me to tell you the whole of it, I shall. All of it, if you want. For I do wish to see you again, and I want you to know it was not the sole purpose. I was intent on taking you to Vanaheim. This was merely....it was but a brief chance to see a task done, so it did not weigh upon me any longer. So that your world, and I hope the remaining Asgardians, are kept safe from a threat that all and sundry are absolutely incapable of fending off. I do not know if this will stop him. But I mean to try. I've lost one home, and I've no wish to lose another. Nor for you to be homeless again, or a much worse fate than that."

He meant dead, of course.

Oh she was going to ignore him all right. Well up until he started yelling and she turned around promptly to stare at him. He’d never actually raised his voice like that before. Not in an angry way either, just in a frantic one. She’d never heard him use that tone before either. She didn’t move near him, or away from him, she stayed where she was until he came to her. It seemed like she had to keep explaining moral things to him, and she was just not in the mood. Still.

“I don’t care what it looks like. And obviously you had ill intent because you fucking lied to me. You lied to get me here. To use me. This is what it looks like, no matter what the hell you’re actually doing.” He could have been trying to put together some kind of elaborate surprise for Thor and it wouldn’t have mattered. Because he lied, when he just should have told her to the truth.

“You don’t think the truth is a little too late now? Because I think it’s a little too late.” She didn’t want to look at whatever he was doing, because she was too mad. And if she actually focused and saw something decent, then she wouldn’t be as mad and she had to be mad right now. “I can’t trust you! How can I trust anything you’re saying when you keep fucking lying?!”

The whole thing was so maddening. “You just...should have fucking told me. If it was so noble and so right and whatever, then what was the harm in telling me? Nothing. But you wanted to sneak behind my back. How long have you been planning this? I don’t care if you were planning on taking me wherever after this was done. God dammit. Why am I even explaining this? You’re NEVER going to fucking listen to me and get it through your stupid brain!”

"I couldn't tell anyone," replied Loki. "The less in number that know of this, the better."

Loki drew even closer, until he was standing before Darcy.

"I have listened to you! I feared you would not trust my intentions if I told you, and would tell Thor. Then this stone would still be on Midgard, where two already reside. Three stones ripe for the taking. For this and many reasons, I am sorry. I do apologize. This may not be right, and it may not be the most noble means. Yet this is the only means I know. I've no desire to lose the only home we now have, for there is nowhere left when it is gone.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" he pleaded, leaning forward so he could look her in the eyes. "I am speaking the truth. Asgard is gone. There is no one to stand against him. There are no safe harbors left. No realm that will not suffer. If others knew where this resides, or what has been done? All the easier for him to torture or kill them, in order to learn of its whereabouts. And should he claim it? Imagine then, trying to fend off a foe that can tread from one side of the universe to the other on a whim."

His ability to strike a deal with Thanos spared him a worse fate, although he wasn't exactly treated like an honored guest during his stay. He was merely a useful tool, one that watched and listened intently. He heard many whispers among the minions. That included talk of Thanos having a daughter torn apart and pieced back together over and over again out of amusement. He heard enough that Loki had little doubt that if he refused in any way, they might try to tear someone like him apart for the fun of it.

Luckily, it never came to that. Negotiation wasn't beyond his capabilities. He was all so easily amenable out of sheer wariness, and after such a long fall from the Bifrost.

Now Darcy knew of it. This was a problem. She might tell Thor, Valkyrie, or Sif, or even one of those very much disassembled 'Avengers.' They would probably want to keep it there on Midgard. That would be rank stupidity. Already Loki had surmised that 'Earth's mightiest heroes' could not regain traction enough to defend their own world, while fighting among themselves or hiding from their own rulers.

The phrase ‘I couldn’t tell anyone’ doesn’t actually make it better. “Did you promise someone that you wouldn’t tell anyone? No. You just didn’t want to. And you can say it’s for my safety. You can say it’s for everyone’s safety.” She didn’t really know what he was talking about, or why he was doing it but in the end, she cared about here and now and the fact that he had been lying to her.

“See...if you were really doing something noble or whatever, and trying to protect everyone...then it wouldn’t matter what you were doing down here. You would have told me. You would have told everyone!” This was definitely one of those things that neither side was going to budge on, she knew it. He thought he wasn’t doing anything wrong, and she just felt used and betrayed.

“I want to go home. You do whatever you want, Loki but I’m done being a pawn in whatever game it is that you’re playing. Big or small, I just...don’t care.” And she would have cared, if he hadn’t just done all this. But now she was just kind of defeated. “Can we go now, or are you not done?”

"It is done," he said, clearly upset. "I can not, and could not tell anyone, because it does matter what I was doing. And perhaps, one day, you might see why this was something to fear and to remain quiet about. Although I hope very much that you do not, and that, perhaps, I have prevented a much larger catastrophe."

That was that then. Loki reached out and took the cloak from her shoulders. He made no mention that it was his mother's cloak, nor that he cared enough for Darcy to put something so priceless over her shoulders. In fact, he said nothing at all as it disappeared back into where he kept things that he never wanted to lose.

"I will take you home," he said softly, regretfully. "Yet this secret must remain safe. So if you wish never to see me again? Then this is the very last vow to you that I shall ever break."

He promised before not to cast magic upon her, but things were much different now. Loki quickly placed a fingertip against her lips for only a fleeting second, enough that a flash of green light could be seen and a spell tingled over the tip of her tongue. Every single time she tried to speak or write about this date, about the Tesseract, about Infinity Stones or about where they were or what she had seen or heard? It would come out as enthusiastic gushing about small infant animals. Particularly kittens. Because who doesn't like kittens? Even at a moment like this.

Once it was done, Loki stepped aside, staring at her remorsefully as he let her take the lead back up the steps so they could be on their way. Or their separate ways when they arrived home, to be more specific.

Before she knew what was really going on, he was casting magic on her. She didn’t know what he did, but she was in an instant completely livid. “What the fuck did you just do to me?! I fucking told you not to ever...FUCK YOU.” And that anger quickly faded into pretty much gross sobbing as she turned and just kind of took off back up the way she came. She couldn’t look at him any more. She didn’t know what he did, but she would figure out a way to fix it. Somehow. She just didn’t know how. How could she be so stupid as to trust him at all? And now she was completely crushed.

When he finally came back, she didn’t bother hiding her tears. She was just going to cry, and she was NOT taking his hand. He could fuck right off. And she would disappear into the abyss, she really didn’t care at this point.

A very solemn faced Loki finally followed her footsteps until he was standing silently by her side. He nearly apologized again, wanting to offer even more explanations and to try to convince her of his affection for her, but it would serve no purpose now. She would not listen and he could not risk such a secret getting out, now that the deed was finally done. Even if it was at the steep cost of Darcy hating him forever for it.

He did nothing more than grab the material on her shirt sleeve before opening the way back to London, leading her through, listening to her crying. And then he did the same while leading her through the path home. A home she would surely not stay in for much longer, as he had little doubt that Darcy would leave as soon as possible.

Only when they were standing in the hallway, when the path was safely closed, did he let go of her sleeve. And even then, it was with great reluctance.

The whole way home, she was torn between glaring at him and crying and really wishing that she had a way of kicking him between the balls. Man she really wanted to do that. But since it wouldn’t hurt so much, she didn’t do it. She only stayed crying and angry the whole way until they were back at their place. She hadn’t even gotten her stupid dog or cat. All of her plans had just been dashed and she was so conflicted between sadness and anger.

Yeah damn right she was moving out. She didn’t want to look at him, and she didn’t want to talk to him for a very long time. Maybe deep down she knew that he had done something that he thought was right (she actually had no idea what the hell he had been doing), but the way he went about it was just so wrong. As soon as they got back to their place, she stomped off loudly towards her own bedroom.

"Darcy, I...." It might be too late to say it, but it might be the last chance before she was rid of him. He truly hated the sound of her crying. "...I love you, and I'm sorry I have wronged you and lied to you. I feared you would not trust me, and in doing this, I have made you hate me."

She didn’t know what he could possibly say to her at this point, but she saw that he was going to try at the very least. Maybe she would have stopped being so angry, if he hadn’t done something to her without her permission. Again. And it was because of that, that she only paused long enough to let him speak. Oh damn him. He had to use that? That he loved her? Darcy wanted to scoff and yell and stomp on him or something. But instead she just started to cry again. And for that split second, she didn’t seem completely angry. Just...broken.

Darcy pulled out the taser and pulled the trigger.

“I love you too, you stupid fucking jerk.” And then she promptly stomped back to the room, shut the door, packed her things and left hopefully in time for him to stop being tased.

It would have been one shining moment of awestruck wonder that she loved him too, if only Loki wasn't twitching on the floor due to an overabundance of electricity.

Again.