Jane’s research being funded by SHIELD was one of the best things that had happened to Darcy, considering there were actually funds in her account that she could withdraw for her impromptu holiday. Loki seemed amused, but how else did he expect them to pay for things like food and pointless trinkets? Cold, hard cash made the world go ‘round. And now she couldn’t get the Pink Floyd song out of her head.
Their express trip through an instantaneously endless brain-breaking nightmare solved that problem for her, possibly leaving behind enough nightmare fuel to plague her for all of eternity.
“Warn me next time?” she said once her mind was able to piece together the fact that they were standing on solid ground. Realizing she had a death grip on Loki, she let him go, distracting herself with the view as she waited for her shaking to stop. That was an unpleasant mode of travel. Next time Loki decided they needed a vacation, she would introduce him to the phenomenon known as airplanes.
Whatever erupted from Loki’s mouth was almost indecipherable. “Bless you,” she said absently, still looking around at the unspoiled land. It was like they’d been dropped in the middle of the Shire, only without cute little hobbit holes and such. She squinted into the distance, half-hoping to catch a glimpse of Gandalf trundling down the path smoking his pipe weed.
It was after her distraction passed that she noticed it wasn’t eleventy billion degrees. She took a deep breath, the tenseness in her shoulders evaporating. An escape from the heat all by itself was appreciated beyond measure.
How far were they from civilization? As convenient as Loki’s method of travel proved to be, she was not the least bit eager to repeat the experience again, especially so soon. However, she wasn’t dressed for extensive walking, and hadn’t thought to stop by the apartment to change. It figured the one day she decided to dress nicely for work, Loki would whisk her away.
The breeze was light, playful, the air cleaner than she’d ever tasted. It would be easy to pretend they were in the middle of absolutely nowhere, with no people around for hundreds or thousands of miles. She should have been terrified. She was alone, with Loki, and there was literally no one to intervene if he decided to turn supervillain and blast her to smithereens.
Instead, she felt grateful. Loki had chosen to share this with her, not only a glimpse of his powers, but this beautiful piece of tranquility he could have horded for his own. Suddenly, a day seemed far too short to spend away from the office, which seemed claustrophobic in comparison. Darcy turned in a slow circle, taking it all in, trying to commit as much of it to memory as she could.
“It’s beautiful here.” She stopped, facing Loki with a grin, seemingly more relaxed than she had been since she had discovered his true identity. The strain of lying, the constant games she had to play to keep his secret, had taken its toll on her. This, it seemed, was Loki’s way of thanking her. Between his idle scrutiny, the way he bypassed her defenses and saw her, and his obvious attempt to share more of himself with her, Darcy was nearly overtaken by emotions unfamiliar and, to an extent, unwanted.
So she fought them back, drawing upon her nearly endless reserve wells, and said playfully, “Where to first?”
no subject
Their express trip through an instantaneously endless brain-breaking nightmare solved that problem for her, possibly leaving behind enough nightmare fuel to plague her for all of eternity.
“Warn me next time?” she said once her mind was able to piece together the fact that they were standing on solid ground. Realizing she had a death grip on Loki, she let him go, distracting herself with the view as she waited for her shaking to stop. That was an unpleasant mode of travel. Next time Loki decided they needed a vacation, she would introduce him to the phenomenon known as airplanes.
Whatever erupted from Loki’s mouth was almost indecipherable. “Bless you,” she said absently, still looking around at the unspoiled land. It was like they’d been dropped in the middle of the Shire, only without cute little hobbit holes and such. She squinted into the distance, half-hoping to catch a glimpse of Gandalf trundling down the path smoking his pipe weed.
It was after her distraction passed that she noticed it wasn’t eleventy billion degrees. She took a deep breath, the tenseness in her shoulders evaporating. An escape from the heat all by itself was appreciated beyond measure.
How far were they from civilization? As convenient as Loki’s method of travel proved to be, she was not the least bit eager to repeat the experience again, especially so soon. However, she wasn’t dressed for extensive walking, and hadn’t thought to stop by the apartment to change. It figured the one day she decided to dress nicely for work, Loki would whisk her away.
The breeze was light, playful, the air cleaner than she’d ever tasted. It would be easy to pretend they were in the middle of absolutely nowhere, with no people around for hundreds or thousands of miles. She should have been terrified. She was alone, with Loki, and there was literally no one to intervene if he decided to turn supervillain and blast her to smithereens.
Instead, she felt grateful. Loki had chosen to share this with her, not only a glimpse of his powers, but this beautiful piece of tranquility he could have horded for his own. Suddenly, a day seemed far too short to spend away from the office, which seemed claustrophobic in comparison. Darcy turned in a slow circle, taking it all in, trying to commit as much of it to memory as she could.
“It’s beautiful here.” She stopped, facing Loki with a grin, seemingly more relaxed than she had been since she had discovered his true identity. The strain of lying, the constant games she had to play to keep his secret, had taken its toll on her. This, it seemed, was Loki’s way of thanking her. Between his idle scrutiny, the way he bypassed her defenses and saw her, and his obvious attempt to share more of himself with her, Darcy was nearly overtaken by emotions unfamiliar and, to an extent, unwanted.
So she fought them back, drawing upon her nearly endless reserve wells, and said playfully, “Where to first?”