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Darcy wanted a puppy. Bad. She had been living with Loki for almost three months now, and everything was going great. Something was missing, though…she wasn’t ready for a baby yet (and probably wouldn’t be for a LONG time, and neither was Loki, she was sure), and she was allergic to cats (sadly), so she had decided a puppy was the solution.
Loki, unfortunately, was not so sure. He thought their life was fine just the way it was, thank you very much, and didn’t want a puppy that he would have to feed, bathe, or walk. He stuck his princely nose up in the air as he reiterated that he DEFINITELY was not going to pick up poop…that was beneath him. In Asgard, he would have had a servant to perform such a task (not that they had dogs on Asgard, but she got the point). Puppies were messy, and always needed attention. He looked at her as he said that he already had one messy, demanding person in his life. Darcy had scoffed and not talked to him for an entire day.
She knew she could get him to give in, but it would take some work. Subtleness was not Darcy’s strong point, however, and she had been leaving not-so-subtle hints around the apartment for the past week. She could feel that Loki was reaching his breaking point, but didn’t particularly care. She always got what she wanted from him, and she was going to make sure this was no exception.
It was a quiet weekend afternoon. Darcy had been on the computer, looking at pictures of prospective puppies and picking out and emailing breeders, narrowing down her choice. Loki was sitting on the couch, reading a book and pretending he didn’t know what she was doing. Whenever she could feel him looking at her, she would switch over to Tumblr and reblog pictures of Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch, two of her favorite actors. Her penchant for doing this was another habit that irritated Loki, who preferred that her attention be focused on him...but she was the demanding person in the relationship…right.
Darcy tapped a finger on her chin, contemplating her next move. She had learned a few things from the God of Mischief, after all; being involved with him had encouraged her naturally mischievous nature.
Grinning, she picked out a movie, turned on the TV, and popped it into the player. She plopped down on the couch next to Loki, making sure that she bounced enough to jar him from reading his book. He didn’t look up at her, but she could see him suppressing a smile from the corner of her eye.
She dug herself into the cushions (making sure to jostle Loki again) and pressed Play. As the movie began to start, and the opening credits came up, she waited for Loki’s reaction. One…two…three…
“Darcy.” Loki said with a long-suffering sigh, finally closing his book and turning to look at her. “Really? Are you ever going to let this go?” He gestured at the screen, where Homeward Bound had started to play.
“What?” Darcy said innocently, widening her eyes and pretending she didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Another.dog.movie.” Loki bit out, exasperated. “Dogs, Dogs, Dogs. You only read dog books. You leave dog magazines around the apartment. You put a poster of a puppy above our bed. You constantly watch dog movies when I’m around.”
He frowned at her. “I get it. You want a dog.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Darcy said, acting as if she was engrossed in the movie. She propped her feet up on the coffee table, “accidentally” knocking over a pile of said dog magazines.
Loki looked up at the ceiling, although she wasn’t sure who he was looking to for guidance, since he always emphasized that he was a god.
“We can go look at a puppy,” he sighed.
Darcy squealed and jumped onto his lap, kissing him. He kissed her back, but she broke off the kiss quickly. She didn’t want him to try to distract her with other activities, as he always did.
“Really????” she exclaimed as she moved off of him, jumping up and down.
Loki appreciated the view as other parts of her bounced, as well, his eyes heating up. She gave him a warning look, and he behaved, albeit reluctantly. He knew she wasn’t going to let this drop.
“Yes…LOOK, Darcy, LOOK. That’s all.” he emphasized.
“I already have a dog picked out, and a breeder, and everything. It’s going to be great! You’ll love it! Puppies are great, it won’t be as bad as you think, and I promise to take care of it, you won’t even know it’s here, and you won’t regret it…” Darcy said in one long sentence.
He raised an eyebrow at her and said, “First, breathe. Second, I didn’t say we could GET one.”
“Whatever,” Darcy said, knowing they would be coming home with one. She grabbed her coat and rushed Loki out the door, not wanting him to change his mind.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Darcy said as she sat in the pile of golden retriever puppies. She laughed as they crawled all over her, licking her face and whining.
“Adorable,” Loki repeated from where he stood against the wall, not even looking at the puppies. He had a bored expression on his face.
One of the puppies broke off from Darcy and waddled over to Loki, looking up at him. It stood up on its legs and put its paws on Loki’s leg, yipping at him. Loki steadfastly ignored it, but Darcy, who continued to play with the other puppies, knew he had noticed.
Determined not to be ignored, the puppy sat at Loki’s feet and whined, looking at him adoringly.
Loki sighed and looked at the puppy. “If I pick you up, will you be quiet?” he asked it. The puppy closed its mouth and wagged its tail, panting.
He gave another long-suffering sigh and reached down to pick up the puppy. He gingerly held it at arm’s length. The puppy wiggled, managing to maneuver itself to where it could eagerly lick his hands, arms, anything it could reach.
“I guess it’s cute,” Loki said.
Darcy grinned, knowing that she had won. “He’s alright,” she agreed nonchalantly, acting disinterested. She picked up a second puppy and cuddled it.
“Fine…we can get one.” Loki said. He held the puppy close to him, and it began to lick his chin. Darcy looked at him, and he looked back, protesting, “I just don’t want it to fall, that’s all.”
She smiled and said, “Oh, of course.”
“What should we name him?” Darcy asked as they drove home. Loki was driving so she could hold the puppy. She held it up, and the puppy licked her face, wagging its tail.
“Thor,” Loki said without hesitation, smirking.
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Just because it will grow up to be big with long blond hair and will be loyal to a fault doesn’t mean we should name it Thor, Loki,” she said.
“Fine…what do you want to call it?” Loki asked, reaching out to pet the puppy with the hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel.
Darcy laughed. She had known he would fall in love with the puppy once he saw it.
She stuck her tongue out slightly as she thought.
“Mischief!” she said. The puppy wagged its tail even more and yipped at her. “You like that, don’t you?” she said, hugging the puppy to her.
“How original,” Loki said, rolling his eyes.
Darcy grinned at him. “Mischief it is, then.”
The first time Loki took Mischief for a walk, and had to pick up the puppies poop, Darcy took a picture and threatened to post it on Facebook, even though she knew SHIELD would immediately take it down.
Her phone mysteriously disappeared for two days.