Dark Stars [A Loki Fanfiction]

Chapter 14

"Don't be embarrassed, my dear." He whispered as he gently pushed her hair from her shoulder and leaned so close that his lips were brushing against Ivy's neck. "I feel just the same about you." Then he pressed a small kiss to the sensitive spot where Ivy's neck connected with her shoulder.

Ivy only blushed even more and felt the goosebumps rise all over her skin. She hadn't known that a simple and oh so gentle kiss could set her whole body on fire and make her long for more. So much more...

"Ivy?" Loki's voice snapped her out of her daydream and back into reality. He was sitting so close to her, her shoulder touched his arm and their thighs were only an inch apart, which she immediately closed before she could stop herself. But she wanted to feel more of his body against hers.

"How did you do that?" He asked once more, eyes locking with hers. "How did you speak to me in my mind?"

"I didn't know I was doing that..." She answered honestly, still a little dazed from the rather titillating thoughts she had let herself indulge in for the shortest moment.

Loki frowned, placing his hand on her knee and drawing circles with his thumb. He enjoyed touching her, not only because it made her all flustered but also because he could be sure that she was still there with him, alive and well. Now that he had let himself get this attached to someone he was not going to lose her, he would make sure of that. In the shortest time she had become his anchor, the focus point his universe orbited around, the one thing he couldn't live without. The suddenness of his feelings for her scared him, but he also couldn't bring himself to really care. He wasn't one to fall easily, but if he did it happened fast and hard.

"Maybe I could try again? You know, talk to you without words." Now it was Ivy's turn to pull him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, do that..." He answered, still caressing her knee. "I'm curious."

Ivy closed her eyes and tried to think of something to say. She let her mind wander to what she had done before, how she had gotten into his mind.

'I enjoy that.' Her voice echoed through his mind.

"You enjoy what?" He asked with a smirk, making Ivy look at him.

"It worked?!" She smiled brightly, her eyes shining with excitement. "I meant I... enjoyed trying this mind thing."

"Are you sure?" He murmured, letting his hand wander from her knee to her inner thigh, drawing lazy lines so softly it annoyed her.

A small sigh escaped her lips and her head fell back against the stone wall behind her. Loki relished the sight, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Stop that..." She breathed, 'Don't stop.' Her mind responded and Loki couldn't help himself but laugh. Ivy sat up straight and frowned at him. "Stop laughing!"

"But it's adorable to see you try to resist your own mind." He winked at her.

"It would surprise me if you did any better!" She smirked, but decided to validate it at a different time. Instead she scooted a few feet away from him, earning a small noise of disapproval which made her smirk even more.

She retrieved the book of plants from her bag and threw it over to Loki who caught it with one hand and flipped it open with a smile. "That's how you saved me?"

"Yup..." Ivy answered, making a popping noise on the 'p' before she sat down cross-legged, facing Loki this time. That way they could have a serious conversation without getting distracted.

"We searched for that damn book forever. Took six people to find it in time." Ivy explained.

"I hate that I'll have to thank them for helping you..." Loki huffed.

"I wouldn't if I were you. They kept complaining about me, you know..." Ivy grinned, earning an eye-roll from Loki.

"What did they say?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, just how much I reminded them of you and how utterly and terribly it disgusted them." Ivy laughed, remembering their faces.

"I would've assumed it was a compliment."

"So did I!" They laughed, shaking their heads at the bunch who once were Loki's friends.

Then, Ivy remembered what beard guy had said. "Loki, the man with the huge beard..."

"Volstagg." Loki commented in between.

"Well, Volstagg said that there have been quite a few incidents of poisoning in the city. They can't figure out who does it or how to help the victims, since they seem to be unable to identify the poison."

Loki averted his eyes, but listened carefully to every word Ivy was saying.

"They think it's coincidence, but I came to believe otherwise. I mean, we both have been unlucky enough to be poisoned and both times they used Midgardian plants!" Ivy said with excitement in her voice, clearly engrossed in her thoughts. "How could there possibly be such a coincidence? It's a different plant every time and the poison is spread randomly around the city. I mean, at first I thought it was only an attack on the royal family. A one time thing I happened to stumble into. But then, with all the other incidents... I mean I'm not the kind of person who is selfless enough to save the people of Asgard from poisoning just because it's the right thing to do."

That statement made Loki snort, but Ivy continued anyway.

"I want to stop the one who does this. I have to. Not because it's the right thing to do, but because they hurt you." She said and poked his leg with her finger.

"I..." Loki started with a small smile, touched by her words. "You couldn't possibly punish everyone who ever hurt me."

"But I will try nonetheless." She smiled brightly at him, poking his leg again.

"They also poisoned you, does that mean I also have to end them?" He asked with a small laugh.

"Of course! I'm surprised you haven't come up with that before." Ivy grinned and once more poked his leg.

"If you do that one more time I will have to stop you and you won't enjoy that." He growled, but something in his voice told her that she would indeed enjoy it very much. But now wasn't the time to find out.

"I have thought of ending the person who did that to you every second since I first got word that you were hurt in my cell." He said calmly, yet without the previous flirtatious undertone.

"Your cell?" Ivy questioned.

"Yes, my cell. It's where they lock me up every time they feel like it. The barrier is slightly different than the other cells. The magic, you know..." He trailed off. "It's not important now. But yes indeed, I have had the thought a lot. Only that until now there was no indication as for where to look."

"Great. Let's go." Ivy said and poked him in the leg once more, just to annoy him. Then she got up and turned her back to him, slowly walking towards the middle of the opening. She could hear him get up as well and then also his footsteps following closely behind her. Once she stopped in the middle of the opening, he was right behind her.

"I told you not to do that." He whispered in her ear from behind her.

"And I never said I wouldn't." Ivy smirked, preparing herself for whatever was about to happen. But for what happened next she was not prepared at all.