"Where did I put you..." Darcy mumbled to herself. She rifled her hand insider the large purse Darcy held over her shoulder.
Gum...receipt...receipt...receipt...tampon...
"Aha!" she exclaimed as the glint of silver metal caught her eye. Darcy pulled out her keys, smiling at the little kitty keychain dangling back at her.
It was late at night so Darcy pressed her key into the door as lightly as she could. The 'click! click! click!' of the teeth scraping against the lock sounded too loud for the silent hallway. Darcy turned the key and opened the door slowly, peering into the dark room. As she stepped through the doorway, Darcy looked around. Her eyes gravitated towards the single table light in the room, illuminating the body of a man sitting in a chair.
His back was towards her but Darcy recognized Loki by his long, dark hair and pale fingers flipping the pages in front of him.
Darcy dropped her purse silently on the ground and placed her keys onto the soft fabric of her purse. She padded quietly towards Loki, keeping her eyes on the movement of his tender fingers. The sharp sounds from the pages turning filled the room.
The light illuminated the white pages of the book and Darcy leaned down to meet Loki's height level. Just as Darcy's fingers touched Loki's leather-clad shoulders, she glanced quickly at the words on his book. Wait...what?!
Darcy's fingers touched his shoulders and Loki jumped in his seat. Darcy cried out in shock and the book clattered to the ground. Loki stood and turned to face Darcy with a look of surprise on his face and he seemed...flustered?
"Hey..." Darcy said.
Loki cleared his throat and readjusted his stance. "Hello, Darling."
Darcy paused, expecting further elaboration from him. When she received none, Darcy asked, "Uh...why so jittery?"
Loki feigned obliviousness. Funny, how the God of Lies and Mischief couldn't lie to her convincingly.
"I am not," Loki answered. His eyes darted to the couch. "Let us watch some television, my dear. It has been a long day," Loki suggested, reaching out to guide her to the loveseat.
Darcy remained in her spot. A questioning smile formed on her face and she looked into Loki's darting eyes.
"What were you reading?" Darcy asked. Her eyes glanced to the black book on the floor and Loki noticed.
"It was nothing, Darcy. Just an informative historical," Loki said as he brushed off her question.
"About what?" Darcy questioned as she looked down again at the book.
Loki's breathing seemed to speed up in the slightest bit. He tried harder to guide Darcy to the couch, pressing on her back gently.
"Asgardian politics. Nothing of interest, now let us relax together," Loki urged.
"Politics! I love politics, let me see!" Darcy teased. She moved quickly out of Loki's reach and stooped to pick up the book.
"No!" Loki exclaimed. He took the book from Darcy's hands. She could feel the soft leather of the cover slip from her fingertips.
Darcy looked at him, her eyebrows raised in question. She crossed her arms over her chest, portraying a look that demanded an answer.
Loki held the book between his fingers. "I mean...it really is quite boring, Darcy. I don't know why I even bother to keep this book."
Loki waved his fingers on top of the cover and the book disappeared from sight. Darcy's mouth opened in disbelief. Did he really just...what was in there?
"You know...I read a phrase in the book just before you took it away," Darcy commented.
Loki moved forward and put his hand on Darcy's lower back. This time, she obliged and followed Loki towards the couch.
"It sure didn't seem historical," she emphasized as they sat on the soft cushions.
Loki said nothing and turned on the TV with the remote.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she asked. Loki didn't answer. The fingers on his other hand tapped lightly on his knee, and Loki focused his attention onto the television programme.
Darcy breathed out and curled into his side. What seemed like defeat to Loki, was really just silent scheme in the making to Darcy. She would find out one way or another.
The late night turned into the early morning, and Darcy woke up on the couch. Loki lay beside her, and his arms curled around her body. She looked down, surveying her situation. Curiosity overtook her senses. Darcy had one mission, and one mission only.
Darcy wrapped her fingers around Loki's, releasing his sleeping grip around her. She slipped off of the couch and Darcy looked back at Loki, checking to make sure that he was still sleeping...he was.
She headed back to the single chair that Loki had been reading upon the night before, searching every nook and cranny around it. There was no sign of the book.
Things just don't disappear into nothingness. It has to end up somewhere...but where? Darcy asked herself.
The kitchen held nothing but the usual kitchen supplies and the living room was littered with magazines...but no leather-bound books.
If I were hiding something...where would I hide it?
Darcy headed into the bedroom and turned her head while she was at the door to check on Loki. He was still asleep. She moved quickly towards the bedside table, opening the top drawer to search. Nothing. The second bottom drawer opened now and Darcy rifled through its contents. It was still missing.
She stood up in frustration and huffed a breath out. What could he have been reading? Darcy sat down on top of the bed. Her curiosity was nagging her at the back of her mind and she couldn't let it go. Secrets did not sit terribly well with Darcy.
The soft mattress of the bed gave Darcy an idea and she looked down at the bed she was sitting on. Oh my God! It was so obvious, yet so clever! Darcy kneeled onto the floor and lifted the mattress up from the frame. Sitting between the brown wooden planks was just what she was looking for. The indiscrete little black book.
Darcy snatched it with one hand, and then let go of the mattress with the other. A soft thump echoed throughout the room and a flurry of dust rose into the air. The leather cover felt soft in her hands, and the pages felt rough. It seemed to have been read more than once, as indicated by the dog-eared pages and bent edges.
Darcy jammed her thumb into what seemed like the middle of the book and spread the pages. She took in the faded ink, delicately printed upon the paper. The faint mysterious shimmer to the ink told her it was an Asgardian book.
She started to read.
...watery waves crashed upon the shore. Izora stood at the water's edge, feeling the cool waves caress her feet and the wind breathe upon her white dress.
"Oh, how I wish you were here, my love," Izora sighed out. "I shall wait each night and day, and each day and night until you return to safety in my arms."
The air around her shifted and Izora gasped. She turned around as the ocean retreated and looked into the eyes of her one and only...her dearest Freygrid.
Just meters away, Izora stood looking into his soul. The silhouette of Izora's body was magnificent against the setting sun. He sat on a mighty white horse, and the pure love in Izora's eyes gave strength to his weary body. The battle had been won, and now he was home to win over Izora.
"Freygrid!" Izora shouted as she started to run through the sand towards him.
Freygrid jumped off of his horse and ran to meet Izora's pace.
"Izora!" he called back.
It was as if the world were in slow motion. Each step took an eternity as the wind blew through Izora's hair and the sand resisted against Freygrid's boots. Nothing could stop them from being together.
They finally met in time and space and now the whole world simply stopped. Freygrid clasped his arms around her petite body and Izora wrapped hers around his neck. He lifted her up and spun her around, Izora's dress fluttering in the wind.
Freygrid released her and set Izora on her feet. No words were exchanged. They knew exactly what needed to be done.
Freygrid pulled her towards him and kissed her passionately. Izora's heart raced in her chest, and it felt almost as if her heart were pumping out love throughout her body.
Izora tangled her fingers in his hair while Freygrid pulled her body flush against his.
Izora stopped her passionate encounter for a moment and looked him in the eyes.
"I love you, Frey," she confessed wholeheartedly.
"I love you too, Izora," he replied.
They kissed once more and Freygrid gently lowered Izora onto her back in the sand. He ran his hands up her legs while Izora make work of removing his shirt. Freygrid's fingers trailed further and further up her leg, causing Izora to cry out and-
"Ah!"
Darcy screamed out as two strong hands clasped her shoulders suddenly. She was so immersed in the book that Darcy didn't hear anything, or anyone, moving behind her. Darcy desperately wanted to know, what happened next?
"Darcy, what are you..." Loki looked at the familiar black book in her hands. A faint tinge of red flushed his cheeks and Loki took the book from Darcy's hands. His mouth opened and closed, looking to speak words but finding none.
A faint laugh escaped her lips. Darcy put her hands up to her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter but it seemed impossible. It was just so funny, this situation. The perceived vengeful Norse God from Asgard...enjoys sappy romance novels!
"So, what happened?" Darcy teased. "Was it hot?"
Darcy started to laugh and Loki waved his hand once more, allowing the book to fade away. Darcy stood up from the ground, smiling. She took both of Loki's hands in hers and took a step forwards so that her body was pressed up against him.
The faint blush on Loki's cheeks grew even redder and Darcy put her arms around his neck.
"It was supposed to be...private, Darcy," Loki mumbled.
Darcy swept a hand across his warm cheek and brushed back his long black hair.
"Loki, you don't have to hide anything from me, and there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I want to be able to share everything with you."
Loki laid a gentle touch on her waist. "It has been a guilty pleasure of mine... I've told nobody that my favourite stories are romance novels."
Darcy looked into his emerald eyes. "I shouldn't have done that, Loki. If you wanted it to be private, I shouldn't have gone looking for it." Darcy thought to herself for a second. "You know, I have quite the romance collection myself, you should..." Darcy's words trailed off.
"You've already read them all, haven't you?" Darcy said, laughing.
Loki smirked and nodded his head, shifting his gaze to the carpeted floor. Darcy stood on her tip toes and reached up to kiss his lips. Loki returned her kiss and pulled her closer to his body.
Darcy broke the kiss and spoke softly. "I love the fact that you love romantic novels, Loki. That's one more item to add to the list of things that I love about you." Darcy's lips met Loki's once more and her fingers grazed the bare skin around his collar.
This time, Loki pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"I love you, Darcy," Loki confessed as he peppered kisses on Darcy's lips.
"Why don't I show you how the novel ends?" Loki suggested, grinning mischievously.
Darcy laughed and her heart started to beat faster.
"Now this is a story that I'd like to write."
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I hope you enjoyed :) Please review! Cheers!
