So, I was set a drabble challenge for a Loki/Sif spy AU by Murdur, and, like pretty much all my drabble challenges, it got long. I may even turn this into a multi-chaptered fic, I've not decided yet.
Dammit, it was too hot. She shouldn't even be here. Sif pushed aside the keyboard with a deep groan of annoyance and stretched, her muscles cracking. They weren't used to sitting still for so long! An angry glare from the figure across the table caused Sif to curse under her breath and she tried once more to focus on the words flashing across the screen. Nothing. Just like always. The tracks this warlord lay were too meticulously hidden for even her to follow.
Another scowl from across the table was the final straw. Sif grabbed her laptop and slammed it shut, revelling in the echo it made in the quiet library. Quickly, she stuffed it into her backpack and stalked forwards, deliberately letting the bag swing as she slipped the straps over her shoulder. A grin flashed across her lips at the satisfying crash it made as it collided with the pile of books neatly. This earned her more than a scowl, but Sif didn't bother to look over her shoulder as she stalked out of the spacious hall. It was petite she knew, but her patient had frazzled in the stifling heat of the library. She did pause as she neared the exit though, her eyes flickering upwards to the painted ceiling like they always did. There was something reassuring about those swirls of blue and white, mixed with all the colours of the rainbow around their thick wooden frames. They called to her, like a distant memory welcoming her home. She shook her head, pushed the thoughts aside, and continued on, down the sweeping white staircase and into the bustling city of New York.
The sudden heat and noise that assaulted her did not even give her pause, immediately she began to jog, heading east down 42nd towards Grand Central Station. She had plenty of time before she met him, but the freedom of movement and the skill of manoeuvring through the crowd and traffic was exhilarating after being inside the library all morning. There had been little choice though, the internet in her office had been bugged, multiple times no doubt, and she needed somewhere anonymous she could work.
A red light stopped her and Sif resisted the urge to bounce on her feet in agitation. The counter was going too slowly, so she tried to distract herself by looking around instead. That's when she saw him, Loki. In his pressed designer shirt and green silk tie, jacket hanging dexterously from his fingers and down his back. His posture straight and yet relaxed at the same time. The usual smirk lined his lips and he looked about in a seemingly calm serenity, but Sif knew anyone who looked closely would see the calculating precision and scrutiny in his eyes. She swore under her breath and quickly looked away. She hoped no one had seen them, that he hadn't seen her. That wouldn't be good. They were supposed to meet in the station, amidst the crowds and the shadows and the corners. Here it was too open and she couldn't be caught anywhere near him. She tried to keep her face calm and inquisitive, a simple local looking around, though she couldn't stop her eyes from resting too long on the faces beside her. She didn't recognise anyone, but that didn't mean a thing. The Warlord, codename Yggdrasil, had thousands under his command and most were fiercely loyal due to threats to their lives and their families.
She was in over her head, out of her depth. Or that's what Loki had said when she'd first met him. A lawyer come to deflect, entering her office with his silk tie and his pressed shirt and his suit cut perfectly to hug his long, lean frame. He'd taken one look at her behind her desk piled high with messy paperwork, empty coffee cups and chewing gum wrappers. He hadn't even bothered to hide his distaste, though, to be fair, neither had she. He was two a penny in her line of work. An office worker, secretary, lawyer, computer programmer; heck even the janitors and security guards came. All thinking they had the evidence to bring their company down. All hell bent on some misguided mission of revenge or righteousness, seeking their own grandeur and fifteen minutes of fame.
But Loki had been different. And not just because he came with valuable paperwork from the company connected to Yggdrasil. He was different; calm, detached, seemingly no motive for why he had deflected, why he would risk himself to help them. He'd smirked at her over the coffee cups and stacks of white paper. His lips had opened and Sif had waited for his derisive comment. But none ever came, and it had been all the more infuriating for it. Sarcasm she could counter, silence she could not. She had tried of course, met his eyes as he'd looked down his nose at her, but patience was never her forte – even as valuable as it was in her line of work. She'd broken the silence first with her questions, her voice sounding far more irritated than she'd like. He was different, this one. She couldn't figure him out and that unnerved her. He unnerved her, with his cool, mischievous green eyes and his contemptuous attitude.
And now Sif was more than unnerved. They couldn't be seen together, not like this out in the open. It was too dangerous. She risked a quick glance in his direction as the white man flashed at her and she surged forwards. He'd seen her. She knew even though his head was turned away. There was a slight frown to his lips, a slight hesitancy to his walking and his eyes searched the crowd too quickly. He was a few people away from her and Sif acted fast. The moment her feet touched the sidewalk, she turned south down Madison, away from Loki and Grand Central. She'd go round the block, hopefully losing anyone following and meet Loki later. He would know and wait. Or contact her. She glanced behind her again, pretending she was checking something in her backpack.
But Loki's face in the crowd had gone.
Hope you enjoyed reading - and that my New York references are okay. I'm going off my holiday memories from when I visisted earlier this year.