Thor
Darcy wasn’t sure when she started trusting Thor. Her interactions with him had mostly taken place during life or death situations. If Thor noticed the blackbird following Darcy around Greenwich, he didn’t say anything. He had bigger things on his mind, after all.
But Darcy was pretty sure she didn’t trust him because of the battles Thor had fought on behalf of humanity. It was that, after the battle, he came back. He proved that Jane wasn’t some fling he’d kissed running off adrenaline. (Like how she’d kissed Ian. He completely understood, thankfully.) No, Jane meant more to Thor than that, and when he showed up on their porch and snogged Jane silly, he proved it.
Darcy didn’t realize any of this at that moment. She ushered Erik and Ian out of the flat. Those two crazy kids deserved some alone time. Whether they used it to talk or to bang was none of their business, Ian! Meanwhile, the trio got a greasy English breakfast at a restaurant Ian recommended. Darcy didn’t realize the scales had tipped in Thor’s favor until they got back.
When they reentered the apartment, Death had shifted from being a blackbird to being a black squirrel. They curled up on Darcy’s shoulder. Thor and Jane had obviously been kissing, but not, thankfully, anything else. (At least as far as Darcy could tell, but she wasn’t looking!) Thor beamed at Erik, but when he turned to Darcy, he frowned. Not at her, but at the small black squirrel perched on her shoulder.
Oh crap, Darcy thought, while Death twitched their little, black nose.
Erik, seeing where Thor was looking, grabbed Ian. “Ian, my boy!” he said, hoping to distract the kid who wasn’t in on the secret. “Come, I need you to help me with something.”
“Um, alright,” Ian said, following Erik out of the room. Darcy noted that Erik had accidentally led the boy into the coat closet.
You’ll need to explain right now , Death told her. They won’t stay in there for long.
“Darcy,” Thor said, having noticed Ian’s quick removal. “That animal on your shoulder… is not what it seems.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s Death,” Darcy said. “I’m sort of… Death calls me their anchor? Or something? I’m no-”
But Thor’s face brightened. “You are Death’s mortal carrier!” he said. “We have legends of this on Asgard, but I have never seen it before.” He peered more closely at the squirrel. “In the illustrations of these legends, Death’s form is not usually quite so small.”
Death flicked their tail in annoyance. I am what I am. I do not need to appear large to be large.
“Um,” Darcy said. “Death says that they don’t need to look big to be big.”
Thor nodded to the squirrel. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend.”
I know.
“They know,” Darcy translated. She’d never played translator before. While Erik and Jane accepted Death’s presence, they’d never tried to speak with them. No one had. While sometimes Jane looked at them like she would like to run some tests, she’d never actually tried. “Um, Thor?” Darcy asked. “These legends of yours… do they say I’m cursed or…”
You are not cursed , Death reassured her.
Darcy ignored the squirrel. Death may have been her companion her entire life, but they never provided her with any real information. What the Asgardians knew may not be exactly accurate, but it would be better than what she already had. Or didn’t have.
Thor looked alarmed. “No. It merely is. Though, it is an honor to be so trusted by you, Lady Darcy.”
She smiled at him. “Um, thanks?”
“No, thank you,” Thor said, smiling back. “Though I will endeavor not to draw attention to it. Perhaps we can let your intern and Erik out of the closet now?”
Darcy jumped, having completely forgotten about Ian and Erik in there. “Oh my god.” She turned and opened the closet doors.