iliketokeepthingsloki:

Anonymous asked iliketokeepthingsloki:

Loki and Darcy were set up on a blind date.

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[i have a tendency to end these on somewhat-cliffhangers. i tell myself it’s so i can make them into chapters in a longer fic in the future. apologies in advance for sloppiness, i just needed these to get my gears going again!]

Darcy scanned the menu in her hands while internally kicking herself for having arrived far too early for the date. A half hour was way too long to be sitting alone in a romantic, candlelit restaurant. The waiter passed by again to make sure she was alright, and she decided to just go ahead and order drinks. Hope he likes merlot. After the waiter left, a different shadow cast over the table and she glanced up to finally get a look at who it was Jane had set her up with, as all she’d been going on was a name.

 “Oh no. Nonononono. Nope,” she wanted to get up, run. Was this a joke? It had to be. This was the supposedly-reformed supervillain who had A) sent the Destroyer to kill his brother and B) launched an alien attack on Manhattan. “I was told I was meeting an Agent Murray from the Boston office. You are so not what I was expecting, and well, now I’ll be leaving.” Darcy quickly rose from her chair and reached for her purse, but the playful tone in which Loki spoke caught her off guard and stopped her midway through slinging the bag over her shoulder.

“Now Miss Lewis, it would very much upset my brother to hear that all his handiwork was for naught,” Loki smirked and removed his coat before sitting down. Darcy watched him shift to get comfortable and noticed how not-evil he looked. She might even say normal. Although he ‘worked’ for Stark (through SHIELD, but don’t tell Tony that) now, whenever she’d passed the labs he always looked so…menacing. Like revenge was bubbling right beneath the surface.He was casually dressed, compared to the Asgardian attire he usually wore. Tonight he sported a simple deep green button up shirt with black dress pants that matched the coat hanging on his chair. It wasn’t super formal, but Darcy was still feeling underdressed in her black knee-length skirt and fitted purple sweater. It was only adding to her swiftly rising discomfort level.

Darcy let out a long sigh before settling back into her seat. “Okay Mister Mischief,” she started, “but you try and ‘expand my mind’ and we’re going to have serious problems.”

Loki chuckled and waved his hand as a dismissal of her threat. “Have no fear, I lack the power required to do that now.”

“But you would if you could?” Darcy questioned flatly.

“Perhaps, but I suppose we will never really know, will we?” Loki was still smiling, his eyes were no longer cold and calculating, how she ordinarily saw them during the few brief encounters they’d shared. They’re actually kind of pretty. Wow. Okay girl, menacing killer, rehabilitated or not. Remember that. Actually his whole face is pretty nice when he’s relaxed. This is weird. Stop it, STOP IT.

“Uhm, do you mind if I get up and make a quick phone call? I promise I won’t leave,” she questioned, unsure of his reaction.

“By all means, go right ahead,” Loki answered nonchalantly and picked up the menu to begin browsing the entrees.

—

As soon as Darcy reached the bathroom she dialed her boss’ number. After two rings Jane picked up, but Darcy didn’t even give her the chance to form a greeting. “Jane, you’re killing me here! You tricked me!” she screeched into her phone.

“Please Darce, Thor really really wants his brother to get out some. He’s always either at Stark’s lab working or in his suite brooding. Thor thinks he’s getting depressed, and you can be really fun. We think you’d be good for him.” Fun doesn’t cure depression, Jane. There was silence as Darcy weighed the consequences of disappointing Thor and therefore having to see his pouty face versus going through with this and hopefully, probably not getting killed. If Tony worked with him without the building getting destroyed, he couldn’t be awful, right?

“Okay fine, for Thor.” She sighed deeply before continuing, “but you owe me. You should’ve just told me. You two are so lucky he’s my kind of attractive.”

“You’re the best!” squealed the scientist. “Gotta go, I’m about to burn macaroni and cheese! –click-“

Darcy pocketed her cell and left the bathroom. What on earth are we even supposed to talk about? We’ve never even spoken besides that one time he compared me to a gnat. Apparently I’m annoying. She bustled back to the table and was overjoyed to see their drinks had arrived. At least if I’m drunk I’ll laugh about this later. Sitting down once again across from the God of Lies and Mischief and taking a hearty swig of her wine, she made an attempt at conversation.

“So……you don’t really seem the ‘dating-slash-having a bustling social life’ type of guy. What did your brother bribe you with to get you to come out tonight?”

“Oh,” Loki paused and cast his eyes downward briefly with a slight look of apprehension, before he shot them back up to her and grinned, “I didn’t do it for him.”