MCU/WandaVision, "Necromancy and Chill" Darcy/Loki, rated T

[paynesgrey]

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe / WandaVision (TV)
Title: Necromancy and Chill
Author: paynesgrey
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Darcy Lewis, Loki, Original Characters, Darcy/Loki
Word Count: 4,981
Warnings/Spoilers: No warnings. Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame and WandaVision(TV).
Notes: Written for the Trick or Taser Halloween 2021 Exchange on AO3. This fic is for LaraWinner.

Summary: So this is how Darcy spent her Halloween - raising the dead, or more specifically bringing the God of Mischief back to life.

Links: AO3 | FFnet

Necromancy and Chill

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dr. Darcy Lewis said with a groan as she peered up at the ominous house on top of the hill. She surveyed her next assignment via S.W.O.R.D, a creepy haunted house shrouded in the dark clouds that gravitated around it. Oh, and of course she’d get this assignment on Halloween.

Footsteps crunched in the gravel dirt behind her, and she almost forgot that she had junior agents following her. She turned around and waited for them to catch up. To her left, S.W.O.R.D. Agent Amelia Talbot wore resting-bitch-face like a damn art, and Darcy was sure she hated being here as much as Darcy did, maybe more. She was tall, with piercing green eyes and a lip that forever curled in disgust. Her blond hair was pulled back in a bun so tight Darcy was surprised her roots weren’t bleeding.

On her right, Agent Harry Trimble was young, skinny, and obviously, fresh out of training. He had brilliant red hair, and freckles had mottled his unattractive face. He shuddered with fear as his eyes swept around the little unassuming town, looking up at the house with trepidation. His skin was clammy and white, and even Darcy noticed his anxiety in the moonless night.

Talbot’s flashlight haloed around them on the gravel road, and the stark light only made Trimble’s sweaty skin more pronounced. He didn’t want to be here, either, but for a completely different reason than Talbot. Darcy wondered if he had the stomach for the typical S.W.O.R.D agency work.

Darcy sighed and thought, what was Monica thinking sending these two idiots to help me?

She continued forward on the gravel road toward the front of the house, and she focused on the readings on her tablet. Monica had preloaded her tablet with S.W.O.R.D.’s entire database, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s information – anything that concerned Jane Foster’s previous research on the Asgardians, which was the main reason she and her entourage were out here in the first place.

Remembering the brief with Monica, who was now Acting Director of S.W.O.R.D. (thanks to that Heyward incident), she had called Darcy in because she knew she’d be perfect to deal with the situation that had arisen.

While monitoring for anomalies to locate Wanda Maximoff, scientists at S.W.O.R.D. discovered a small anomaly in a town called Sleepy Hollow, West Virginia. Though the signature reading showed no relation to Wanda Maximoff’s power, it did give off readings of another familiar nature: the Asgardians. According to Monica, Thor, and the Asgardians were part of Darcy’s expertise, though Darcy knew Monica was calling her in because Jane Foster was busy.

Of course, when Darcy got her hands on the tablet, she loaded her own notes, may have hacked into Stark Industries as well, and streamlined all the data she needed for this assignment. She highlighted the readings that compared to Thor’s first arrival to earth, as well as when Loki tried to rule the world and unleashed aliens into New York.

What Darcy thought was interesting was that the readings began as a minor blip, hardly noticeable at all, but followed a pattern like an S.O.S. When the season changed to Autumn in West Virginia, the blip increased its range 1000% and the pattern began to quicken its pace, no longer just a tepid S.O.S. signal but turning into a cross-dimensional scream for help. That was when S.W.O.R.D. called Darcy in to investigate. She wished Woo were here and not Red Shirt and Agent Karen, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Either way, this assignment would look good on her resume.

Provided she survived whatever this was.

She trudged up the gravel road toward the entrance of the creepy mansion, and she could hear the others follow behind her, mostly by Talbot’s grunts of annoyances and Trimble’s shaky breaths. Darcy concentrated on her readings, following the heat map on her screen toward the source of the anomalous energy.

The two agents followed her as she walked up the creaky steps and came to the front door. Darcy took the chance that maybe someone would be home, so she tapped on the door with the huge brass knocker. It made an ominous clang noise, and they waited for a minute as the breeze around them seemed to feel colder.

“Looks like nobody’s home,” Trimble said, but Darcy rolled her eyes at the obvious.

“Well then, we’re coming in!” she called out. “You ghosts better be ready!”

Agent Talbot made a face when she didn’t seem to like that phrase, even though Darcy was joking. Of course, she didn’t believe in ghosts. There was a reasonable explanation as to why this area was showing anomalous readings.

Darcy ignored her reaction and continued following the readings on her tablet, and the other two followed her inside. Soon, they were heading through the large open walkway and down the steps into the even darker basement of the house. The wind screamed through the house as well, and Darcy was sure that there were structural flaws in this neglected establishment.

“The epicenter of the readings seems to be down here,” Darcy said, and she stopped midway on the basement stairs. Trimble accidentally bumped into her, and he mumbled an apology before they noticed why she stopped.

“Holy…” Darcy said, and a bluish-green light permeated throughout the basement room. The light broke into amorphous orbs that glittered around the room like fairies.

“What is this?” Agent Talbot asked with a breathy tone. Her gaze swept around with disbelief.

Darcy looked down at her readings. “It’s… residual energy. Like it was something whole before but now it’s scattered. And it’s not fresh energy. It’s giving off readings that the energy in these orbs is now decayed.”

“What does that mean?” Agent Trimble asked.

Darcy turned to him and gave a shrug. “I’m not sure, but if I were to piece things together, I would guess that a really powerful being died and these orbs are part of the remains. When humans die, all that is left are flesh and bones. Our spirits, if you believe that, are gone. But this being… They died somewhere else, and somehow part of their body is here. Some of their power…”

“If you’re saying what I think you’re saying,” Talbot began, “Someone, an Asgardian or another alien, died on earth, and their remains are causing anomalies.”
Darcy nodded. “Yes, just as Monica has briefed us. Weird things are happening in this town during Halloween. Plants are turning strange colors. Cats are turning into ravens. Even worse, the local Casey’s store transported itself on the other side of town.”

“Someone’s remains are causing these problems?” Trimble asked shocked.

“A very powerful someone,” Darcy said, and as she observed the orbs and looked more into the data she was collecting, she was starting to already suspect who it was.
She reached out to touch one of the orbs, and when her fingers popped through the surface like a bubble, the light receded and suddenly the three of them were left in the pitch dark.

“What?” Talbot said with alarm.

A voice rang out through the room like an ominous echo. “Darcy Lewis, you are correct,” the voice said, and she immediately recognized it. Her blood ran cold.
“Loki…” she said, knowing Thor’s brother very well but never had the pleasure of meeting him in person.

The bluish light returned, and Trimble and Talbot stepped back in alarm. Darcy’s eyes widened at Loki’s ghostly figure standing in front of her.
Sometimes, she hated when she was right.

“It’s a pleasure,” Loki said cordially, and he didn’t seem to mind that he was transparent. She gazed over his form appreciatively, and even as a ghost he was hot. She felt her cheeks warm as she met his satisfied expression as if he knew what she was thinking.

“Whoa! I thought you were dead. Well, I guess you are - technically,” Darcy said, talking to the blue spirit as if they were old friends.

“Precisely, and you have released my spirit from the spell,” Loki said.

“Spell? So, this strange anomaly is you and your spell?” Darcy asked.

“Part of the spell,” Loki said.

Darcy furrowed her brow. “I’m not following. How are you even here? We all heard from your brother that Thanos killed you and there was no chance of you coming back.”

Loki’s grin widened. “As if that were true,” he said as if he held more secrets that he wasn’t going to share. “I did die, yes, but I created a spell as a safety net. It was a long shot, but it was set up so that if I did die, there is always a way for me to come back.”

“Huh, so you have that kind of magic,” Darcy said, tapping her chin. “So, what is the rest of the spell?”

“Basically, I split myself into three parts. You have unlocked the first one, Darcy Lewis,” he said simply. Darcy realized that he wasn’t going to offer more if she didn’t ask him.

“Obviously,” she said. “And it’s Dr. Lewis, thank you.” She glanced down at her readings. “It looks like the decaying energy that was scattered and creating chaos outside is now centralized into your spirit form. Have any explanation on why your energy was just now starting to affect this area around Halloween? And it’s been nearly three years since your death.”

“Well, it’s not so complicated,” he explained. “On Midgard, Halloween, or Samhain as others call it, is the most auspicious time for spirits to interact with the living. I thought that would be the perfect time to set up a trigger for my spell.”

“And what was the trigger? Because you obviously didn’t appear those other three Halloweens,” Darcy asked.

“You were, Dr. Lewis. You were the trigger, and only because you have interacted closely with another Asgardian.” What he was saying started to make sense. “Specifically, your interaction with Thor.”

“Lucky me,” Darcy said.

“It would have been too easy to let any random mortal trigger the spell,” he said, and Darcy noticed he never stopped smiling. He must be happy that she released him. He continued. “You must be special. The spell was only supposed to release me if a mortal interacted with an Asgardian that I was close to, a family member or friend. I daresay if you interacted with Fandral or even Heimdall, the spell might not have worked.”

“As I said, I feel so lucky,” Darcy said, and she remembered that they weren’t alone and that two S.W.O.R.D. agents were gaping at them. Talbot had already drawn her gun.

Darcy waved a hand. “It’s cool, drop your weapon. It’s just Loki’s spirit. He’s Thor’s brother.”

“But…but he’s Loki… he-he tried to take over the world,” Trimble stuttered.

“Yeah, but he also helped the Avengers fight Thanos, who did a lot worse, remember? Now settle down, he’s just a spirit,” Darcy said, though the two agents did not look convinced. She turned back to Loki. “Anyway… what’s next? Now that you’re a spirit what about the other two parts?”

Loki looked at her appreciatively, mainly for trusting him, and he replied, “That’s where you come in, Dr. Lewis. The spell is already in effect, and if you don’t complete it, well – I can’t be responsible for the chaos the other two parts will do if they don’t become whole.”

“Uh, yeah you can be responsible,” Darcy quipped. Loki only shrugged.

“It would be in your best interest and to all of humanity to put me back together,” Loki said haughtily. He leaned closer to her, and even as a spirit his proximity made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t help it; she was attracted to him, probably more so than the God of Thunder. They do make them well in Asgard. “So, are you ready to do a little magic on Halloween and raise the dead, Dr. Lewis?”

“Yeah, because that sounds like it’s going to be easy,” Darcy said with uncertainty. “I’m assuming the next part is your body? What’s the last?”

“My magic,” he said with a toothy grin. “I recommend we retrieve my body first so I can physically help you catch my magic.”

“Catch?” Darcy said with a frown. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“It’ll be fun, I promise,” he said with mirth in his tone. Darcy shuddered at his use of “promise.”

Darcy crossed her arms impatiently. “Now, please if you would be so kind to direct us to the next Horcrux, or do I need to call S.W.O.R.D.’s help for that?”

“There is no need for their help,” Loki said stiffly. “And please don’t call it a Horcrux.”

Darcy leaned close to his spirit and lifted her chin challengingly. “I’m helping you become whole again; I’ll call it whatever I want.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “My body isn’t far. There is an abandoned super mall close to the interstate that exits into this area. The mall is called Wild Springs Court, and your readings will take you to the shop inside where you can summon my body.”

Darcy nodded, and she looked over at the agents. “Okay, guys and gals, it’s time for a mini road trip. Let’s head out.” She turned to Loki’s spirit with one arched eyebrow. “I assume you’ll tag along, or do I have to summon you again?”

Loki leaned close to her again, and Darcy licked her lips awkwardly. “You needn’t worry about me, Dr. Lewis. You have already set me free as a spirit, so I can come and go as I may. I’ll find you there.”

His form transformed into an amorphous glowing orb again and she watched it set out into the night through the walls of the house.
The agents blinked at her stunned. Darcy sighed. “Shall we?”

They headed back to the S.W.O.R.D. issued black car and took off toward the mall via Loki’s directions.

----

Wild Springs Court mall wasn’t just abandoned, it was a retail graveyard, full of random vegetation, building debris, and hordes of rats and other vermin. Of course, it no longer had working electricity, and once again they had to rely on Talbot’s flashlight to see.

Darcy followed the readings on her tablet to the downstairs court with the stores of yesterday. Darcy and the agents followed the strongest of Loki’s decayed energy into an old Marshall Field’s department store. When they stopped in front of a scattering of creepy mannequin body parts inside the store, Loki’s spirit appeared once again next to Darcy. He seemed to pay no attention to the agents and was focused on Darcy’s help.

“Oh, hello again,” Darcy said. She looked up at one mannequin that was undamaged, and of course, it looked like it was sculpted in a perfect likeness to Loki. The mannequin smirked at her like it knew it would become a real boy soon.

“Creepy,” said Talbot behind them. Darcy couldn’t help but agree.

“So what next?” Darcy asked. She was glad Loki was there in spirit. She didn’t know if she’d be able to solve this puzzle without his help. She was excited to see what happened when his spirit and body combined. It would be so much easier to help him in the flesh.

“We need another trigger. This might be difficult, but in order to revive my body and link to my spirit, we need the tears of a virgin on the lips of the mannequin.”

Darcy stared at him unamused. “You’re kidding, right?”

His spirit form grinned at her. “I am most certainly not kidding, Dr. Lewis.”

“Seriously? Tears of a virgin?” Darcy ranted. “Can’t you ancient gods think of anything besides virgins? It’s super lame and predictable.”

“I thought it was amusing,” Loki said.

“And you’re supposed to be clever...” Darcy shakes her head in disappointment. Loki frowned. Darcy sighed heavily and turned behind her. “Okay, Red Shirt, you’re up.”

“I wish you’d stop calling me that,” he mumbled. “And why me? How do you know…”

Talbot scoffed beside him. Everyone stared as Trimble quivered under the pressure. Darcy crossed her arms impatiently again. Finally, the junior agent craved.

“Alright, what do I have to do?” he asked in defeat.

“Cry, dumbass,” Darcy said bluntly.

“I can’t just cry on command,” Trimble huffed.

Suddenly, the room became very cold. Loki’s spirit disappeared, and suddenly, the room transformed with spiritual fire. A monstrous figure hovered over them, and Darcy shuddered as she’d seen this thing before. It was the Destroyer, the unbeatable soldier from Asgard that could level an entire area in seconds. It lumbered toward Trimble, who cringed in fear. They heard Loki’s disembodied voice. “I suppose we’re just going to have to kill you and take your tears from your corpse.”

Trimble screamed shrilly, and as the Destroyer readied his attack, the agent began sobbing for his life. As tears poured down his cheeks, the Destroyer disappeared, and Darcy waited for Loki to return to her side. When he did, she nodded approvingly.

“Nice work,” she said with praise. He nodded his head.

“Why thank you,” he said with ease, and they both grinned at each other.

Darcy walked over to Trimble, who was still blubbering with fear, and she wiped a glob of tears from his cheek and walked it back over to the Loki mannequin. She pressed her wet fingers to the mannequin’s lips, and the moment she did that, blue light blinded them and drowned the whole mall into Loki’s spell.

They covered their eyes, and when the magic was done, they looked to see only one Loki, whole and very much alive. He grinned at Darcy, still ignoring the agents.
Darcy gaped in him. He was even hotter in the flesh, and the TV reports and pictures on the web did not do him justice. He was lean and toned, and his raven hair seemed to curl and wave around his shoulders. He was wearing a black suit with dark green pants and a gold tie. He grinned at her and turned around so she could get the whole picture.

“Get a good look, mortals,” Loki said, but he was directing his comment only to Darcy. She felt her cheeks burning.

“Turn around again,” Darcy said, encouraging him. “I don’t think your ass is in the right place.”

He indulged her and turned around. She made a noise of appreciation.

“Oh, my mistake, there it is,” she said, and when he turned back to him, she gave him a flirty smile.

“I must thank you for returning my body,” Loki said genuinely.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Darcy said, holding up a hand. “Let’s get your magic back before all hell breaks loose somewhere else.”

“Indeed,” Loki said, and Darcy waited for him to tell them where to go next. “Well, friends, are we ready for the last part of the ritual?”

The S.W.O.R.D. agents stared at him, still speechless. Darcy bounced with excitement. “Yes!”

Loki appreciated her enthusiasm and began to look at her more fondly. “Excellent, then off to the city cemetery we go.”

“Oooh, not predictable at all,” Darcy quipped.

“Bite your tongue, human,” he said teasingly, and Darcy felt his arm go around her shoulders. She tensed, enjoying his warmth and touch. She wondered if he enjoyed the touch just as much as she did. He hadn’t been able to touch anyone since he died, and he couldn’t when he’d been a spirit.

They headed back to the car, and this time, a flesh and blood Loki had to hitch a ride with them.

--- 

Darcy expected the city cemetery to be quiet and ominous like graveyards normally were, but instead, it was a quagmire of activity. The readings on her tablet were off the charts, and when the four of them exited the car, they watched a blue orb light show glittering over the tombstones.

"Wow," Darcy said, as the light flickered on their faces. The air was heavy as well as if thunder was going to roll in and a storm would break out.

“As I mentioned, the magic is chaotic. The sooner we retrieve my magic, the better, or it’ll spread and plunge this entire area into chaos,” Loki said.

“Yeah, I don’t even want to think about what that will be like,” Darcy said, shuddering when she thought about how Wanda Maximoff’s magic went out of control with the Hex. The difference was Loki’s magic was probably more powerful.

“Head to the epicenter, and we’ll set up,” Loki said.

“Set up?” Darcy asked. “Now what do we need to do?”

“A spell, obviously,” Loki said. “It’s a summoning spell, but it needs to have a final containment for the magic.”

Behind them, they heard a derisive scoff. Talbot was frowning and she looked annoyed. “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Magic? Spells? All on Halloween? This is total nonsense.”

Darcy sighed, and she turned to Loki. “Do you need a sacrifice for this ritual? Because I’m totally okay with sacrificing Agent Pumpkin Spice over there.”

Loki shook his head. “Nothing like that. We just need to set up the magic circle at the four cardinal directions. We’ll contain the magic with a salt circle when we lure it in.”

“And how do we lure it into the circle?” Darcy asked.

He cracked a devious grin. “It’s simple really, you will need to recite a prayer of worship and devotion to me.”

“Arrogant, but okay,” Darcy said. “Let’s go.”

“This is insane,” Talbot complained.

“Just shut up and do it,” Darcy said. “There are four of us, so we can each take a direction.” She turned back to Loki. “And then what do we do?”

“You need to set up the cardinal directions with something that symbolizes and applies to their direction. Fire for South, air for East, water for West, and earth for North. The middle is the spirit, and that is where you will recite the prayer. When you do, I will contain the magic inside the circle. Once contained, I will harness the magic.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll take south,” Darcy said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her taser. “Karen will take east since she has plenty of air, and Red Shirt will take West. You’ll take North?” She said to Loki, and he nodded.

“Who does the prayer?” asked Trimble.

“I will,” Darcy said, thinking of what she could say as a prayer. Oh, magnificent God of Mischief Loki, I worship your hot body and devote myself to you. I thoroughly present myself if you want to bump uglies and make a meal of me?

She’d work on massaging the words once the time was right.

Everyone went to their prospective spots, and Darcy heard Talbot huffing and muttering under her breath, the wind picked up around them, and the air felt hotter, like the rising of a house on fire. Darcy’s eyes begin to sting, and she activated her taser as the others did their parts. The chaotic energy was more concentrated, and she felt the most uncomfortable pressure on the back of her neck. Loki rushed around them in a circle clockwise, containing the energy with a trail of salt.

Darcy moved to the center of the circle, feeling sharp stings on her cheeks as the heat increased. She huffed a heavy breath and let out a jumble of words that sounded like a prayer.

“I worship the great God of Mischief Loki, and I pledge myself to him in undying devotion. He is the greatest God ever, better than Thor. He’s clever and handsome and no other god can compare to his majesty. Please hear my prayer,” she said, and she looked at Loki who was staring at her with interest. She felt her stomach drop and a chill shudder throughout her body.

Damn, that was embarrassing, she thought. She should have just said the other prayer that she first came up with.

Darcy watched as the energy of Loki’s magic swirled around into a globe, fully contained in the circle. It hovered over her head and pulsated between green and blue. Loki came to the center next to her, and she felt his arm around her as he pulled her against him.

“Many thanks for your devotion, my loyal subject,” he teased her. Darcy swooned, and she gave him a nervous smile.

“Sure, no problem,” she said softly.

Loki looked skyward and the magic began to converge on him. Darcy felt the caress of his magic, like summer sunlight or the heat from a campfire. When he’d finally absorbed all the magic, the air went still, and it was the dark of night again. The oppressive tension from his magic was gone, and the only way Darcy could sense it was if she touched him.

She pulled away reluctantly, and the two S.W.O.R.D. agents looked at her for direction on what to do next. She pulled out her tablet and looked at her readings.

“The readings are normal, and the Asgardian energy is gone. Everything is back to normal,” Darcy said, and she could feel the release of tension from the agents.

“Thanks to you, Dr. Lewis, I’m whole again,” said Loki and he met her eyes. He looked relieved and grateful. “I’m alive.”

She smiled at him softly. “Awesome. And you’re welcome.” Their eyes locked, and they fell into a soft, tender moment.

“This is touching, but we need to get back to headquarters and debrief this situation,” Talbot said, but Darcy refused to take her eyes away from Loki’s stare.

She waved her hand. “You go on ahead. I don’t do debriefs. I can get an Uber,” she said. “Tell Monica to call if she needs anything else. But not for a while. I’ll be busy.”

Darcy didn’t seem to notice as the agents retreated into their car, and she was alone with Loki, the once-dead hot brother of Thor, in the middle of a graveyard on Halloween.

“Really, Darcy, I cannot thank you enough,” Loki said, and he was laying on the charm, and damn it all, the charm was working. Darcy shivered with happiness. “I am in your debt. I do not have money to repay you, but if there is anything I can do… dinner maybe?”

“Oh, um yeah, I could eat,” Darcy said.

“I’m afraid I cannot pay for it,” he said, and as she watched him, she seemed to fall under his spell. She smiled widely for him, hung on his every word.

“No problem, I can pay,” she said.

“But I feel I must pay you with something,” he said, and as he watched her, his grin widened. He leaned close to her ear and whispered. “I’m afraid all I could pay you with is my body.”

Darcy laughed nervously. “Well, if you must.”

“I dare say I must. This is a new body from the spell,” he said, and he pulled her close to him again, so close they were chest to chest, and he was looking down at her lips. “I suppose I should take it for a test drive.”

“For the record,” Darcy said, clearing her throat and trying desperately to regain her composure. “I would not say no to that.”

Loki chuckled, and he leaned close. Darcy drew in a heavy breath. She arched toward him for the inevitable. When he kissed her, his lips were soft but demanding. She melted into him as his mouth took over hers, opening her lips and chasing her tongue. She moaned the more he tasted her, his arms wrapping around her tightly and never letting go. He tasted like fine wine and brimstone, and when he tilted his head to take her in deeper, she felt his body rub up against hers like a prophecy of what was to come.

She wanted to stay in his arms and taste him forever. She didn’t need dinner now; she had Loki, and she wanted to see what his new body looked like under those clothes. She resurrected him from the dead, so wasn’t she obligated to review the finished product?

“As lovely as the prospect of cavorting in a graveyard seems, I think we should take this elsewhere,” Loki said, as they reluctantly pulled apart from their kiss.

“Hrmm?” Darcy said, still stuck in her daze.

“Food, Darcy,” Loki said. “I haven’t eaten in three years.” She blinked a couple of times and finally absorbed his words.

“Okay, food first,” Darcy said with some disappointment.

“Indeed. Food first, and then I’ll have all the time in the nine realms to thank you with my body.” He said heatedly in her ear. She shuddered with anticipation again. “When I have the energy.”

She nodded and shot him a goofy grin. Before she could call for an Uber, Loki pulled her against his side again, and she felt her stomach fall as their surroundings transformed into a kaleidoscope of color and sounds. He’d teleported them and they were in New York in less than a blink of an eye.

She looked around, waiting for vertigo to subside as he pulled her along the bustling streets of Times Square, heading for somewhere to eat. She linked her arm in his, and they looked at each other with bright smiles.

They headed forward, and she followed along to see where he’d take them for food.

At least, unpredictably, he didn’t take her to get shawarma.

END

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