Dark Stars [A Loki Fanfiction]

Chapter 12

"Yeah..." He finally said, leaning his arms on his knees. "I have never talked to anyone about them. At least not honestly." He chuckled lightly.

"So... What's up with you and Thor?"

Loki rolled his eyes. Of course she would ask about his brother... "You saw everything that happened between him and me." He answered rather stiffly.

"Yes and yet I saw that you care for him. Very much so indeed." She placed a hand on his arm and he took the chance to take her hand in his, squeezing it gently before interwinding their fingers. The sensation made Ivy's skin tingle pleasurably; she adored his touch very much and appreciated every moment they could enjoy like this.

"I don't care for a lot of people, Ivy, and I like even less. Sometimes one has no say in who we care about and who not."

"But you care about me."

"Obviously."

"And you care about yourself."

"Nah, I wouldn't say that. I have a strong interest in guiding things into paths that bears the best outcome for myself. For us... But there have been plenty times I didn't care whether I die or what would become of me."

"I know..." She said sadly, "I have been there as well."

"I know..." He caressed her hand with his thumb.

"But just tell me this... Do you trust Thor?" She asked.

"Why would you ask that?" He frowned.

"Because I'm starving and I need someone in the palace to set the table for me." She winked at him.

Loki smiled. "Yeah a meal would be nice..." Then he thought for a while. "I don't trust anyone besides myself. Sometimes not even that. But I think I do trust Thor, in my own kind of way. He is very keen on obeying Odin's wishes. I'm very keen on doing the opposite of what he wishes."

That made Ivy chuckle. "You did trust me though. I could see every secret, every thought and every feeling of yours."

"Yeah and it was by far the scariest thing I have done in a long time. But it made you feel better. That made it worth it."

"Alright..." Ivy said slightly flustered at how far he would go to make her feel better, before she emptied the wine bottle. "On to the next one!"

"Oh no, you've had enough, I want some as well!" Loki protested with a laugh and opened the second bottle, taking a large sip from it. "Geez, that stuff is so sweet!" He squeezed his eyes shut and stuck his tongue out. Then, he quickly took another gulp and shook his head in disgust.

"C'mon it's not even sweet wine! Stop acting as if it was disgust!" She pushed him lightly in the shoulder.

"What?! It's horribly sweet and I'm not even exaggerating." He frowned at her.

Ivy took the bottle from him and smelled it. "Wow, it does smell sweet! But I'm sure I picked two bottles of the same kind..."

Then she watched Loki's eyes widen for a second, before he closed them in pure annoyance or maybe anger, Ivy couldn't really tell.

"Don't drink it." Loki said sternly. "Put that down, now."

"What?" Ivy laughed, incredulous at his sudden change of mood. But yet she closed the bottle anyway and set it down.

"Now listen carefully, this is very important." He said, grabbing her shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes. "I will most likely pass out in very few moments. There was something in the wine... It's called Atropa belladonna. It can kill mortals in a small dose, it's a Midgardian plant. But I highly assume that a higher dose will kill me just the same. Anyway, you will need to use magic and heal me. Or get rid of my body. Depends on your timing." His voice was too high pitched, he sounded breathless and his face was starting to get really red.

Ivy only stared at him in confusion and shock. "If that's some kind of joke I will kill you myself..." She said warily.

Loki rolled his eyes and his fingers dug even deeper into her shoulders. "Ivy, please. You can also let me die if you want, but I would highly prefer you do something to prevent it. It's in your hands now."

"But I can't!" Her voice was now high pitched as well, desperate and her eyes started to water involuntarily. "I... My magic can only kill and destroy! I couldn't possibly save you."

Loki managed to smile sadly, before his face gained a bluish tint and he coughed, laying down on the blanket beneath him.

"Why the heck do you even know so much about poisonous Midgardian plants?" Ivy asked in her confused state, not knowing what else to say.

"I read a lot." He tried to wink at her, but his body didn't obey him any longer and he let out a small pained noise. His body began to shake and his muscles twitched, before finally he fell silent and his eyes closed.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god... Ivy didn't know what to do. In all honesty, she was very good in hurting people, but healing them wasn't something she ever had to do to others than herself. Fuck.

First thing, she checked his pulse. His heart was beating way too fast, but at least it was still beating at all. His body was losing heat rapidly, which seemed rather ironic due to the fact that he was indeed a creature of the cold. But she covered his body with the blanket she had been sitting on anyway. But now? She tried a normal healing process on him, her hands on his chest, but it showed no effect at all. Slowly she started to panic. Why hadn't he just healed himself when he still was able to and spared her the agony of watching him die because she was unable to do anything about it.

Damn him. Damn wine.

Ivy promised herself in that moment to find whoever was running around the city, merrily poisoning people, and to end them in the most gruesome ways imaginable. She looked down at Loki. He seemed like he was sleeping, his face now peaceful, but still a little blue.

No, she couldn't just sit around while he died.

He said he reads a lot... Ivy remembered the incredible amount of book he stored in his room. Maybe one of them would give her a clue about how to save Loki, but she couldn't possibly go through them all and still be back with him in time. She needed help and she quite possibly knew how to get it.