"Hogun?"
"No."
"Fandral?"
"No."
"Idunn?"
"No,"
Sif stared at Loki where he was reclining on the bed, flipping nonchalantly through the pages of one of his larger tomes. Sif hated when he ignored her. She hated it with a passion. She hated it because she knew that he was only pretending to ignore her, Loki could never actually ignore another person invading his space, but the farce always got under her skin. She would demand that he simply tell her if he was bored with their conversation, but Loki was no stranger to saying his thoughts, especially if he could do so in a manner that was rude and condescending, and she was not about to open that gate for him.
She crossed her arms, standing at the foot of his bed and glaring. "So no one from Asgard," She concluded. "You could have simply said so."
"I thought it best to let you exhaust your options," Loki replied. He kept his eyes firmly on his book, as if responding to her was a mere after thought. "And there was always a chance you would think of someone I was interested in."
"Liar."
Loki grinned, but he still refused to look at her.
"If you are not interested in doing this, you can simply say so!" She demanded.
"I am!" Loki objected, turning to face her finally. "I assure you, Sif, I am. Just... not anyone on Asgard."
If she had stopped to think of it, she may have come to this conclusion on her own. Loki was not the most well liked on Asgard and those that could stand him were those he had already taken to bed. Loki, she had learned, was not into repeat performances. Except, of course, for her.
Loki went through lovers like Thor went through sparing partners, giving them a thorough thrashing and feeling little need to face them again. He found most woman too meek, except for Amora, who was instead too obsessive, and most men could not keep his interest. Fandral had come the closest, but Loki was possessive and Fandral was too loose for his liking.
Sif sighed. It was always fun having someone else share their bed for a while. Whether for a single night or a handful, she enjoyed every aspect of it. Watching Loki overwhelm another was a sight more intoxicating than most. The rare times that someone had overtaken him had left her breathless and she was truly hoping that such a thing could be seen again.
Sif sat down on the bed beside him. "Where would you like to look instead?" She asked. "Midgard?"
"Do you have your eye on some Midgardian?" He asked, avoiding her gaze. That meant that he had his eye on some Midgardian. Maybe more than one. He wouldn't answer if she asked him outright. Loki was contrary on the best of days.
"What of Thor and his woman?" She asked. Sif knew he would reject that idea without a doubt, but she was hoping that if she started with the wrong answered he'd be more willing to talk by the time she got to the right ones. He scrunched up his nose immediately. "We could perhaps ask them-"
"I have no interest in my brother or his leftovers," Loki growled, glaring at her.
Sif wasn't intimated in the slightest. She returned his look with a calm one of her own. "What of their hyper friend?"
Loki waved a dismissive hand. "She is nice enough for the eyes, but not for the mind."
Sif laughed. "I find her... amusing."
"You find my irritation of her amusing," Loki corrected.
"I do," Sif agreed. "Are you going to make me go through the list of every Midgardian rather than telling me which ones you might fancy?"
Loki shrugged, laying back down on his bed and looking at, but not likely reading, the pages of his book. "This is not about me, Sif. This is about your own fancy."
"Liar!" She accused again, this time more vehemently. "You enjoy this as much as I do. Don't you dare say that you don't!"
"I never said that I did not enjoy it," He replied in that too calm tone of his, trying to make her seem more irrational than she was by being calm in comparison. "I said that it was not about me."
"Which is also false."
"It is not," Loki answered. "It is not as if I could name anyone and you simply agree to them."
Sif growled. "This is a discussion, Loki! We are suppose to discuss it. Whether it is my choice or yours!"
"And we are," He replied. "We are discussing your choice."
Sif grabbed him, flipped him onto his back, and pinned him beneath her body. She held his hands down by his wrist and growled angrily in his face. "I will not play this game with you, Loki!"
"Oh, but we are playing such a lovely game," He purred in response. He was enjoying her angry. He almost always did and she almost never wanted him to.
"Can you not have a normal discussion for once?"
"What can be more normal for us than this?" He asked her. He bucked his hips, causing her to lose her balance enough that he could reverse their positions. "You, lovely and angry. Myself, delighted and evasive." He grinned down at her.
Sif let out a stressed breath. She was not suppose to let Loki under her skin, but he was right that this was the norm for them. Loki would not be Loki if he did not push her buttons and Sif was known for her temper, second only to the princes. Though both princes displayed their anger in vastly different ways.
"The Avengers," She said, trying to bring the conversation back to topic. "Do you wish for any of them?"
"Why don't you tell me, dear Sif?"
Sif lurched upward and hurled him off the side of the bed. "I cannot read your mind, Loki, and I refuse to try." She looked over to see him picking himself up with a grin.
"Which Avenger do you have on your mind?" He asked her.
She hated when he made her play his games. She wanted to toss him off the bed all over again. She folded her legs and faced him, as he did the same. There were very few conversations between them that were not held simultaneous to some physical dispute of theirs. Sif was aggressive and Loki was an instigator. He liked watching her rage, taking her blows, and sometimes he even liked to return them. That did not mean that they did not still get things done, even if it was a slower process with her complaints and Loki's stalling.
"The red head?" She asked.
"The little spider?" Loki laughed. "She would never have me."
"But would you have her?"
"Would I?" He asked in turn.
She scowled, contemplated, and came to an answer far more quickly than she was expecting. "You adore liars," She told him. "You would have her. You would want to see her try and conquer you." Sif did not add that he would be furious if she succeeded.
"And you would enjoy the good captain," Loki said. "He is the Asgardian ideal."
Which meant that Loki would hate him for his resemblance to Thor. He wouldn't admit that, she was sure. He would allow her to enjoy a night in the man's bed, would even join her despite his disdain of it, then he would resent her for her choice. Loki was known for these sorts of traps and she wished he wouldn't lay them, but he was the type of man to cut off his nose to spite his face if his mood called for it. Sif couldn't really change that, though she did endeavor to try.
"If you had not noticed," She told him with a pointed look, "I do not enjoy the Asgardian ideal all that much."
He was watching her too closely. Enough years in his presence had taught her how to read him most of the time. He had relaxed his guard over time, didn't try as hard to fool her, and she had learned to pay much more attention to him. Even after all this time, Loki still doubted her. She wanted to reach out and physically comfort him, but she was afraid that he would feel pitied from the action and so she she resisted.
"There is only one Avenger left," She told him.
"Two," He corrected with a smile.
"One," she insisted. "If the spy would not have you, the hawk would not either."
"Then you are correct," Loki said. "There is only one."
"So the Iron Man is the one you wanted?" She asked.
"I thought you established that I wanted the Widow, as well?"
"As well," She repeated with a grin. "That I did do."
Loki sighed. "Well?"
"Well, what?"
"You have not made mention of your desire."
Sif pretended to think about it, though she already knew that she would agree. "His is a pleasant enough sight," She mused.
"And he has wit to spare," Loki added. She could tell that he was trying to seem indifferent, but his excitement was shining through. Loki was excited. When was the last time he displayed this much excitement? Fandral, perhaps, before he realized that Fandral was an insatiable fool. Perhaps Loki had a type.
"I suppose we would not want for creativity."
"We never want for creativity," Loki argued. "Anyone lucky enough to have us spend only an hour in their bed will have a million new experiences minimum."
Sif laughed. Loki never failed to have her in good spirits, even if only in the little ways. She reached out for him and he unfolded so that she could draw him near. She kissed him gently, holding him close to her. "We will approach the Iron Man," She told him. "We will ask him if he would enjoy a night with us."
"He won't say no," Loki told her. "Stark rarely reclines request as attractive as ours."
"Mortals rarely do," Sif reminded.
"Ah, but mortals of this day and age are somewhat different. Irreverent and ungrateful."
"You say that only because they are not receptive to you."
"Not so!" He argued. She laughed, making herself comfortable in his arms. "What shall we do if we take a liking to him?"
This question surprised Sif and she pulled away enough to see his face. "Have you... already taken a liking to him?" She questioned.
Loki shrugged. His avoidance was always an answer to her.
"What would you like us to do, if that is the case?" She asked.
He refused to meet her eyes. He had felt this way with very few others and those instances had eventually turned out poorly, and Loki only ever cared about the end result of a situation, not how it came about. It made him bitter and resentful, but she could not tell if he was either of those things now.
Sif relaxed against him once more, wanting to put him at ease. "I am open to the possibilities, Loki."
She felt him nod and decided against prodding his thoughts. Sometimes it was better to let Loki settle his thoughts on his own. They both remained silent, slowly relaxing into sleep.
