Work Text:
Festive Music
©MischiefsLady
Darcy is practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, which makes it difficult for Loki to keep his eyes on her face. He’s making a valiant effort at it, but if his gaze dips below her chin every now and again, well, who could blame him? She’s wearing black denims, black heeled boots and a deep blue sweater that clings in all the places Loki wishes he could uncover. The color of the sweater sets off her eyes, which are currently glowing with excitement. Over her right arm she has a grey pea coat for when they are ready to go outside.
Currently, they are inside the lobby of Stark Tower waiting for Frigga to arrive. Jane and Thor have gone up to the landing outside Tony’s private residence to await Heimdall’s opening of the Bifrost. Once his mother arrives, Jane plans for them all to walk over to Central Park for some sort of Winter Wonderland event.
“Do you think your mom will be okay being out in the cold? Wait – is it cold in Asgard? Do you have like, seasons?” Her questions amuse him and damn if he isn’t smiling at the thought of seeing her interact with his mother again. The two had gotten on rather well on Frigga’s last visit and as much as Loki is loathe to admit it, something about the woman in front of him keeps him going back for more.
“My mother will be fine. In fact, I am sure she has been looking forward to this as much as you and Jane have been.” Darcy suddenly leans up and into him, planting a kiss on his cheek. Loki isn’t used to such free affections from anyone other than his mother and Thor and so blinks at her in surprise.
“What was that for?” His tone is slightly cool but she takes no notice of that.
“You looked like you needed it.” And he did, she thinks. He was smiling while talking of his mother and damn it all, she was a sucker for when he looked cute. And when Loki looks cute, she wants to kiss him. But she doesn’t tell him that. She is quite sure he would be offended at being called cute. Which makes her grin up at him.
Loki shakes his head. Sometimes she makes no sense at all, but he’s learning to roll with it. “I am in need of something more than that, mortal.” He deliberately deepens his voice and throws in a tinge of the princely arrogance that’s been instilled in him since the cradle.
Darcy’s eyes widen and suddenly she wants to play with the God of Mischief. Giving him a sultry look she does her best impression of a low curtsy, which includes a peek straight down the V-neck of her sweater. With a voice full of desire she says, “What is it you need, my lord?”
Lust shoots through Loki’s body at her easy submission and images of her serving him in various ways filter through his brain. He offers her a wicked smirk as he slides one hand into her hair, bring her face directly in front of him. Her coat falls to the floor as her hands come up to clench the lapels of the jacket he is wearing. Heat flares between them as he slides his free hand around her waist and down over the curve of her ass, molding it in his hand and making her moan and squirm against him.
“You, Darcy. I need you in ways you can’t even imagine. And I’ll have you in all of them. Under me, over me, beside me. I will take you until you forget everything but how to scream my name. I may be known for lies but I promise you this truth: the next time we are alone, you will kneel for me.”
She whimpers with need and want as images of him taking her over and over again flash through her mind. She finally realizes why he is often called Silvertongue. He has a way with his mouth and Darcy is hoping to experience that same mouth on her body. Preferably in highly sensitive areas.
They move in unison, their lips fusing together in a heated rush. It is wild and passionate and Darcy is ready to take the party to a private place. By the way his hands grip her, not to mention the feel if his erection against her front, she is sure Loki is ready too.
The sound of a throat delicately clearing is like a bucket of cold water being thrown on them. They both spring apart but Darcy trips over her coat on the floor and if not for Loki’s quick reaction she is sure she would have landed on her butt. He grabs her arm and steadies her before bending down to retrieve her coat.
“Mother,” he says with no hint of embarrassment or shame and gives the older woman a mischievous smirk as he wraps an arm around Darcy’s waist.
“Son,” she returns matching his look and moves her attention to the girl beside him, whose face is redder than a lobster. The poor girl is clearly uncomfortable at having been caught kissing and groping Loki.
“Miss Lewis, it’s a delight to see you again.” Her voice is filled with warmth and she holds her hands out to Darcy. Darcy grasps them in hers and the women exchange brief kisses on the cheek.
“Frigga, I’m so glad you could join us,” and Darcy is glad, though she wishes she hadn’t been caught making out with Loki by his mother. The group exchanges pleasantries for a few moments before bundling up and heading out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After arriving at the entrance to Central Park, Jane and Darcy lead the group through the crowds to a large, festive area with a sign proclaiming it ‘Winter Wonderland.’ There are Christmas trees with decorations, men and women dressed in holiday garb, vendor stalls for food and gifts, and so much more. Towards the back of the festive area is a stage. On it is a band currently playing festive music.
Darcy’s eyes are all over the place, she simply can’t decide what she wants to do first. Her hand is firmly clasped in Loki’s, he hasn’t let go since they left Stark Tower and she kind of likes that he’s staking a claim in front of people that are important to them.
“This is charming! Much like the Yule gathering in the square back home.” Frigga is smiling as she takes in the sight before her.
“It is, indeed. Mother, do you remember the first year you allowed Loki and I to wander off on our own?” Thor asked.
“How could I forget? You both swore to me to be on your best behavior and not ten minutes later there was an avalanche of goods lying in the center of the square. And on top of that mess sat my sons squabbling about who was going to talk to a certain fair maiden first.” Frigga’s voice is tinged with fondness at the memory. She turns to look at Jane and Darcy.
“Loki and Thor were made to clean up the mess by themselves, without magic.” The young women laugh and Loki rolls his eyes.
“The maid was clearly not worth the loss of the use of magic. She ended up choosing Fandral.”
Thor laughs at Loki’s words. “Brother, there were many a maid not worth the trouble whenever Fandral was around. Even Lady Darcy was in his sights after New Mexico, but she was one of the smart ones, and couldn’t bother to give him the time of day.”
Loki’s hand grips Darcy’s a bit tighter and he offers her a wickedly hot look. “The Lady Darcy obviously has taste.”
“Bet you’re a…um, backside I do!” She returns. “No creepy mustache wearing Romeos for me, thanks.” And the group laughs.
They continue meandering through the crowds, stopping off for some hot chocolate and powdered pastries. Frigga is intrigued by the array of snow globes that one vendor is selling and Thor and Loki bicker about who is going to buy her one.
“Do they truly fight over everything?” Darcy whispers in an aside to Frigga. The older woman laughs gently at her.
“My dear, if Thor told Loki the sky was blue, Loki would insist it was red just to needle him. Such is the way of brothers.” Then she leans forward and says to her sons, “Gentlemen, enough. Thor buy the pretty one with the reindeer inside and Loki, that one with castle in it. Both remind me of places on Asgard.”
“Yes, mother.” Two voices reply and follow her instructions.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Eventually the group makes its way to stand with the crowd in front of the stage. Thor has Jane on one arm and his mother on the other arm. Loki has an arm wrapped around Darcy’s shoulders shielding her from the cold and the crowd as best he can. They are enjoying the music, Jane explaining the meaning of the songs to Frigga and Darcy is kind of dancing in place.
Loki hums appreciatively under his breath at Darcy’s movements. He knows he’s been uncharacteristically affectionate with her, especially in front of his mother and Thor. But he can’t seem to stop himself. Her youthful exuberance draws him in, like a moth to a flame. He craves her. Last night, after he had overheard her conversation with Jane in the lab, he had returned to the apartment he shared with Thor alone.
His thoughts were a mess when it came to her. He didn’t want companionship, but he wanted hers. He’d been on his own for quite some time, despite his mother’s love and Thor’s unbreakable devotion (and he’d tried hard to break that).
So why her? Why now?
Loki’s introspection is interrupted when the song finishes and the band leader starts speaking.
“Darcy! Darcy Lewis!” Loki, Thor, Jane and Frigga all give Darcy inquisitive looks. She is laughing up at the young blonde singer on the stage.
“You know him, Lady Darcy?” Thor questions and she nods.
“Yeah, I went to college with them. Used to…” But she doesn’t get to finish her sentence because the singer is speaking into the microphone again.
“Get your butt up here and sing with us, Darcy!” She blushes from all the attention as now the crowd around them is focused on her as well. She shakes her head but the crowd, urged on by the singer is now chanting her name.
Loki bends down and whispers in her ear which causes her to burn an even brighter shade of red, but she disentangles herself from him and begins to walk towards the stage. He watches as she greets each band member with a cheerful hello and a hug, and he swears he isn’t jealous of her attention to people he has not yet met.
He notices there is also a group of children on the stage and the singer quietly confers with Darcy before handing the microphone over to her.
She smiles, takes a deep breath and starts talking as the band strikes a tune that is a Christmas classic.
“Hey, all you kids, do you know what time of year it is?” All the kids, both on stage and off, yell out in reply.
“Christmas!”
“Oh yeah! Have you all been good this year?” A chorus of yeses follows her question.
“Ah, fantastic. And you know the deal at Christmas time, right?” Cheers and hoots and yells from even adults now make Darcy laugh.
“Well….You better watch out, you better not cry…” She starts to sing Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and dance around the stage.
Loki looks to his side and sees that Jane is laughing and Thor is smiling at their friend. He glances at Frigga and notices she also is clearly enjoying Darcy’s performance. As he watches, he realizes how innocent his woman really is. There is a naiveté about her that he knows appeals to his darker nature. She is a contrast of him.
He smiles with just the corners of his mouth when she invites the children on stage to dance around with her. And before he can stop himself an image of her, swollen with child and holding the hand of a little girl with his hair and her eyes, forms in his head.
Quickly Loki blinks it away. He has never planned on a family, and surely Darcy will want that with someone who can be a more permanent fixture in her life. He frowns, unsettled by the thought.
The song ends and the band leader is urging Darcy to sing one more song. She acquiesces easily enough with the request that she get to sing her favorite song. He nods and the band begins to play.
When she begins to sing, Loki is awed by the beauty and power of her voice. But it is the words to the song that move something inside of him he once though unmovable.
”Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope,
The weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks
A new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees,
O hear the angel voices!
O night divine,
O night that Christ was born!
O night divine, O night,
O night divine!”
Loki acknowledges the song is about the birth of Jesus Christ, of whom many on Midgard believe to be their savior. He doesn’t dwell on that, though. For him the words cut deep into the wall of anger he carries with him. He has done so much wrong. Hurt many for the slights of a few and he knows it. He knows that he let centuries of resentments pile up inside of him and when proof came that he was indeed different than the others, that he was in fact the monster well, he had reacted as monsters do.
And maybe it’s time to let go. He stares at Darcy, need warring heavily with old bitterness in a battle to decide his fate with her. Any time he’s spent in her company has been quiet, healing of late. He won’t deny that. But at the same time, this change shakes him up. If he let’s go of everything he’s clung so tightly to, what does he have left?
The song finishes in a crescendo of music and voice and the crowd wildly cheers for Darcy. Even Loki finds himself clapping along with the crowd, watching as she bows with a flourish and makes to exit the stage.
Frigga places her hand on Loki’s arm in a bid for his attention. He bends slightly so she can speak in his ear.
“Don’t let her slip through your fingers, my son, despite the thoughts that weigh heavily on your mind.”
His eyes meet those of his mother and even after centuries he still cannot fathom how she can read him so clearly when he cannot do the same of himself.
When Darcy returns to them she is swept up in hugs and cheers and compliments. She turns to him and he reaches for her, pulling her into him. He cups her face in his hands and smiles softly at her. “A new and glorious morn…”
“You have a beautiful voice, Darcy,” he says lowly before giving her a gentle kiss on the lips.