Day Five: Candles
One of the most annoying things about being in a relationship with Loki Odinson was, in fact, being in a relationship with Loki Odinson, and Sif was learning that lesson the hard way.
His penchant for pranks was apparent in each trick he played on her, joking or otherwise, and he never apologized for scaring the living daylights out of her-referring to the 'snake incident'. The rare moments he showed her genuine affection were dampened by the many instances that he ignored her attempts at a more intimate relationship, and he simply shrugged when she tried to start an argument with him. It was exhausting, and the worst part was that she could go to no one for advice, their involvement being a closely kept secret. She had often thought of going to Frigga, but any counsel from the queen would simply be something along the lines of 'have patience', which was an attribute Sif was running quite low on, as of late.
Loki, acting completely oblivious, glanced at her from across the large feast table, looking so horribly bored that even she felt a bit sorry for him, seated next to his brother with that look of dread flashing in his dark eyes. After around an hour of pointless conversation, he wiggled, just ever so slightly, his slender fingers, and while Thor remained ignorant, she knew.
Something bad was about to happen, and she could only hope she wouldn't be the victim of another joke.
Somewhere down the row of people beside her a woman shrieked, and Sif, after throwing a quick glare toward the smirking trickster, stood to find the source of the commotion. In the midst of the near chaos, she spotted a blonde, petite woman with youthful, bright brown eyes, her pale cheeks flustered as she struggled to cover herself, considering how she was only in her thin, low-collared nightgown, when a moment ago she'd been attired in her best dinner dress.
Turning with a heavy sigh, Sif saw Loki containing his laughter as Thor gaped beside him, giving him a knowing look that the dark haired magician returned innocently. Sif, however, didn't fall for it, and saw the way his eyes wandered every now and then to the fretful, embarrassed woman a ways down the table, the corners of his lips turning up far more than they should have.
Infuriated and annoyed, Sif stormed out of the feast hall, her hands curled into fists as she hurried down the corridor, muttering obscenities beneath her breath as the sting of jealousy sliced sharply through her, her thoughts straying. At the corner of the hallway, where the blood red curtains hung against the walls, was a spiraling column, and the orange, flickering light of the candles lining the passageway shone brightly on the revealed portion of the gold painted wall behind the curtain, which was halfway pulled back so that the writhing shadows behind it could be seen.
Curiously, she crept forward, careful to silence her footsteps the way Loki had taught her, intently eavesdropping and far too angry to care about the fact. Immediately, she could recognize the shape of Loki's body, his lanky silhouette a stark outlier in the burly, muscled population of Asgard, and she spotted, quickly, the shadow of a woman in front of Loki, her outline pressed so close to his that it was nearly impossible to differentiate the shapes.
Distantly, Sif heard quiet laughter and the gentle, soothing sound of Loki's small murmurs, and the furious pounding of her heart made fresh blood heat her cheeks.
Angrily, she reached out to pull the curtain farther aside, and just as the billowing fabric moved away, there was nothing behind it, and the shadows vanished, just like they were never there at all.
Stumbling back in confusion, Sif furrowed her brow, and stopped abruptly when her back thumped against something solid, and she twisted around defensively, ready to throw the person to the ground, before a pair of cold hands fell upon her hips, snaking around to her midriff as she gasped, surprised. The palms resting against her stomach felt all too familiar, and she at once relaxed against him, the bird-like fluttering of Loki's heart felt at her back as she swallowed.
He leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder, and she could feel his wide smile forming against the sensitive skin of her ear as he chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that vibrated down her spine, making her shiver.
"Lady Sif," he whispered enchantingly, the hot puffs of air landing against her jaw, and he brushed aside the curtain of dark hair resting atop her shoulder to reveal the pale, milky skin of her neck, bringing his lips down to it, "you shouldn't trust your eyes. Sights can be awfully deceiving."
Splayed out on her abdomen, his fingers became intoxicatingly warm from her body heat, and he snaked his hand up farther to rest just beneath the left side of her collarbone, his palm laid flat against the top swell of her breast. He could feel the weighty pounding of her heart, kissing the skin at the crook of her neck as he smiled.
"Perhaps you should put more faith in this," and he pressed his hand into the heated flesh of her chest for emphasis, the sensation of the drumming of her heart against his palm making his own beat noticeably faster, "rather than what your eyes tell you. It could work in your favor."
Swallowing past the growing lump in her throat, Sif turned in his tight embrace, stopping to face him as she glanced up, the light dancing with the shadows over his face.
"I might just take your word for it, Loki," she breathed huskily, and the true smile that flashed across his features had her chest aching for an entirely different reason.
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