When she stood this close he could see the anger in her eyes and how much she hated him in that moment. It was an expression he had seen so often on various people that it didn't take much to recognize. But there was also something else, something she tried to hide from him. Once he had noticed it in her eyes, it appeared to be the most obvious thing and he couldn't believe how he had missed it before. Something about this deeply hidden expression felt so oddly familiar to him that he didn't dare questioning her about it.
Right in this moment as she stood in front of him, only illuminated by the moonlight occasionally breaking through the clouds, he felt defeated. The anger in her eyes, caused by his previous remarks, was squeezing the air right out of his lungs and he wanted it to stop.
"I don't regret it." His voice was quiet now and almost calm.
Ivy blinked a few times as if only now waking up from a dreamlike state of mind. "What?" The anger had vanished from her voice; it was now just as calm as Loki's.
"I don't regret that I saved you." He said once more, more certain this time, before breaking the connection by looking to his left, then his right, anywhere but at her.
"But I do." She whispered a few seconds later, making Loki's eyes turn right back to hers. The sincerity he found in them caught him like a cold lightning from within, making his lips part ever so slightly.
Now it was Ivy's turn to look away, clearing her throat, and taking a few steps backwards once she realized how close she stood to Loki.
In an instant he had caught himself again, going back to his normal stoic self. But he wouldn't forget what he had seen in her eyes that short moment ago, nor would he ever forget how it had made him feel.
"We should really leave this place." Ivy said then, pulling herself together once more. She hadn't meant to say what she did, she hadn't even noticed the words leaving her lips until it was too late. It was something she kept hidden deep within her, only to surface when she was sure no one would notice. No, she was strong, she was playful and she was smart. That's what she had to show. That's who she had to be right now.
"We should really leave this place." She said once more, repeating herself involuntarily. Of course Loki noticed, but he decided to keep quiet about it. Just like he decided to keep quiet about everything that had just happened. If he were to remark on it, he would risk giving away too much of himself and that was not an option.
"Where are we going?" He finally asked, for once forgetting about his urge to be in control. The whole situation had thrown him off quite a bit.
"Do you trust me?" Ivy asked, back to her ever so present smirk. And before Loki could answer, she had already grabbed his wrist and gone they were, only a short moment before the door to Sif's chambers was opened.
Loki found himself at the outer rim of the forest, surrounded by darkness. Ivy stood right next to him, frowning a little.
"Are you alright?" He asked and turned towards her before he could stop this expression of concern from showing.
Ivy smiled at him. "Do I hear worry in your voice?" She teased, but when his expression went from neutral to clearly annoyed, she stopped smirking. "Yes, I am fine. I'm just not specifically used to..." Her mind caught on, making her stop mid-sentence. "This situation is rather new to me." She finally said calmly.
"But is this..." Loki mentioned to their surroundings, "...really where you wanted us to go?"
"Actually, yes!" She smiled, satisfied with herself.
"Then not all hope is lost on you..." Loki muttered under his breath while looking around with a frown.
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing, dear..." Dear! There it was again, adding much to Loki's annoyance with himself.
Ivy smiled to herself, liking this effect she seemed to have on him. It was either annoyed, angry or flirtatious coming from him at most times and Ivy would gladly take the later.
Without any further questions she took hold of his wrist once more and started walking.
Loki rolled his eyes, but let her drag him through the forest without complaining. For some reason their little moment in Sif's chambers had taken most of the anger he had felt for her and simply erased it from his body, leaving him with curiosity and maybe the slightest bit of adoration which he yet tried to suppress.
Suddenly, Ivy stopped a few feet away from a huge boulder. It was almost double the height of Loki and more than ten feet wide. There was nothing special about it and Loki started to frown.
"Did I hit you head too hard while fighting? Oh geez, you must have gone mad..." He sighed dramatically, making Ivy chuckle. Yes, he enjoyed that; making her laugh.
When she started dragging him towards the boulder, he came to realize that she had indeed almost exactly copied his own magic barrier and thus created the illusion of a solid stone wall. It didn't even look half bad, and he was only able to tell it was a doorway because of long years of experience. A normal guard surely would have missed it, even if they had stood right in front of it. Somehow, seeing her copying his magic this well made him proud.
They walked right through the boulder, a small tunnel leading them to the other side. An opening not unsimilar to his own greeted was not as spacious nor as beautiful as his, but it would do. It even had a small lake in the far back. He had to admit it was a rather good place for a hideout.
"I thought it would be only fair to show you my version of a secret place." She smiled while walking right over to a little spot where he saw a bag and blankets lying on the mossy ground. "You know, after you threw me out of yours I had to build my own place."
Loki looked around rather sternly. He wasn't even that unimpressed, he just hadn't ever thought of his place as a place to live in. Which obviously was what Ivy used it for.
"So... You live here?" He tried to hide his distaste for the rather dirty surroundings.
"Not everyone is blessed with a palace and a nice bed." She laughed slightly, but he noticed the strain in her voice.
"Why don't you live in the city or just build your own home?" He questioned while Ivy mentioned for him to sit next to her on the dusty blanket. Loki couldn't help but make a face at it, but when Ivy glared at him he rolled his eyes and plopped down next to her.
"I can't afford building or buying anything at the moment. And well, I'm not welcome in the city. I despise being surrounded by so many people more than anything."
"What do you mean you are not welcome?" He asked in disbelief.
"I mean that I'm not welcome and now shut up about it." The harsh tone of her voice surprised even Ivy herself. She didn't like talking about it. And certainly she didn't want to talk to Loki of all people about her past and origin.
"If it makes you feel any better, the people of Asgard certainly despise me more than anyone else." Loki finally said, staring at the opposed stone wall.
"And how would you know?" Ivy asked and rubbed her hands on her legs, trying to warm them up. Nobody ever told you that living in the wild nature was shitty as hell when it came to the weather and temperature.
"They would never dare as much as outright tell me, as I'm still their prince and they ought to pay me respect." He started, earning a snort from Ivy which again makes him look at her amused face.
"I told you you were an asshole right away. A puny excuse of a prince, a total loser, a..."
"Yes, I know that Ivy, now shut your mouth while I try to answer your question. Will you do that?" He asked with a sarcastic undertone and Ivy made a move that looked like she was zipping her mouth shut.
Loki sighed. "They always put on a smile when it comes to meeting me. But nearly all of them forget their eyes. The eyes tell me so much more than their words ever would. They are full of hatred, anger and usually also... fear."
"Why would they fear you?" Ivy frowned.
Loki let out a sincere, but dark laugh. "If you even have to ask, then you must truly be blind. Or insane!" He winked at her and smiled.
"Oh, I'm clearly and utterly bonkers!" She laughed back and shoved her still freezing hands into the pockets of the jacket. "What do you see in my eyes?" Ivy asked after a while.
A cold shiver ran down Loki's spine. Why did she have to ask just this question... Of course he had and did see something in her eyes, but he wasn't so sure it was something meant for him to see. Usually he would for that sole reason tease and torment her. But he just couldn't. Not after what he had seen.
"I see that you're cold!" He finally said and his face clearly showed the discomfort he felt.
Ivy rolled her eyes and decided to let it go for now. Seeing Loki all flustered amused her and that was enough for now. But she was cold indeed and buried her hands deeper inside her pockets until her hands touched something cold inside. She flinched back, making a small squeaking noise.
"What is it?" Loki asked, following her gaze to her hands where she just pulled out a little metal device. It was not larger than her hand, flat and had a black glassy surface.
"What the heck is this?!" Ivy twisted the little object in her hands, inspecting it from all sides.
Loki on the other hand let out a loud laugh. He honestly had no idea how or why Sif had an ipod in her pocket, but it didn't surprise him either. She often ventured to Midgard, thus probably also the jacket...
Ivy was still staring between Loki and the ipod, unsure of what to think or say. Suddenly she touched a button per accident and the screen lit up brightly in her face. With a small yelp she dropped the device in her lap and in her shock tightly grabbed onto Loki's arm. He smirked at her and picked up the ipod from her lap. A second later when Ivy realized what she was doing she let go of Loki's arm and eyed the device with a frown.
"This..." Loki held the ipod so that Ivy could see the screen. "...is a device to play music with, mainly. It's Midgardian technology."
"But it doesn't look like technology." Ivy said quietly, feeling utterly stupid.
Still smiling, Loki unlocked the thing (for whatever reason Sif had not minded to put a code to it) and scrolled through the playlist. He let out a disapproving sigh after another while inwardly making a note to criticize Sif for her taste in music.
"Let me see!" Ivy grabbed it from his hands, now almost too eager to find out what the mysterious device did. She pressed down on the screen and a faint music started to blare from the tiny speakers. "It's so quiet!" She said and looked at Loki expectantly.
"Good Lord..." Loki sighed and rolled his eyes, before finally waving his hand over the little screen. Suddenly the music was all around them, well to be heard all over the opening.
Ivy looked around, very fascinated by the foreign music.
The music Ivy had picked by accident was not more than a loud blaring of various instruments, not at all Loki's taste. He picked up the ipod once more and his eyes fell upon a playlist called 'good'. Wow, how very creative of Sif.
Loki scrolled through the songs and found one he liked, selecting it and a few moments later it was to be heard all around them.
Every time I stare into the sun
Trying to find a reason to go on
All I ever get is burned and blind
Until the sky bleeds the pouring rain
Ivy got up from her place on the blanket and started strolling around the opening with Loki's eyes following her every step. Then she slowly started dancing to the music.
"What are you doing?!" Loki asked with wide eyes full of surprise and a little amusement.
Ivy only laughed and continued moving. "It helps against the cold. You should try it!"
When you came along the time was right
Pulled me like an apple red and ripe
Wasn't very long you took a bite
And did me wrong, and it serves me right
The lyrics made Ivy wonder whether he had chosen the song intentionally. But then she shook her head at herself, probably reading something into his choice of music. It was a good song after all. She looked over at him and found him watching her, his head to one side and his arms resting on his bent up knees. He seemed to enjoy watching her dance.
"I'm serious, come on dance with me or I will forever haunt and torment you!" Ivy said and smirked him. "You'll feel much better once you start! Or can Loki the almighty god of cowardice not dance with a lady?" Loki rolled his eyes once more, but got up from the blanket as well. She surely would be the end of him...
And I nearly forgot my broken heart
It's taking me miles away
From the memory of how we broke apart
Here we go round again
He walked over to her, his arms crossed behind his back, smirking slightly. In rush of excitement Ivy pulled him closer and tried to get him to dance, which eventually he did. Ivy had expected it to be awkward and hilarious, since he had refused to dance at first, but gosh was she wrong. He moved with such an ease, it was elegant and rather mesmerizing to see. She watched a few seconds and then joined in once again.
It was nothing special really, and it must have looked utterly ridiculous to anyone who would watch, but Ivy enjoyed it and she was fairly sure Loki did as well. Even though he desperately suppressed the smile that tried to take over his features. Maybe, Ivy thought, maybe he's just as broken as I am.
When the song had ended they both remained silent for a while, listening to the softer tunes that now started playing.
"May I?" Loki asked with a polite smile, holding his hand out for Ivy to take. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. Where was his mind? His common sense? His normal self?!
She returned the smile, placed her hand in his and he pulled her close to his chest. Oh, he must be insane... But then at least they could be insane together for a while.
Loki placed one hand on the small of her back, the other capturing hers and holding it gently. Ivy on the other hand had no idea what to do; she had never danced with someone before. But out of instinct she placed her free hand against his chest and hoped he wouldn't cut it off or something for daring to touch him. Like that they moved to the music, slowly and without any more words.
Ivy didn't know what had overcome Loki, but she was more than certain to enjoy it while it lasted. She didn't dare to look at his face for she feared to see the same cold darkness in his eyes she had faced before. On the other hand, she didn't want him to see how much his touch affected her and how much she wished to just let him in.
Loki for his part was glad that she didn't look up to meet his eyes. He knew that his face would give away what he thought, what he felt... And right in that moment, with her in his arms and that comforting heat radiating off her like his own personal sun, he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold up his masquerade any longer if only she looked at him with her beautiful green eyes. He was not ready for that to happen, he was not ready for any of the things Ivy was stirring up inside him. So he took a deep breath, sadly noticing the heavenly smell of lavender mixed with something utterly Ivy. Then with every strength he had he dropped her hand, letting his arms fall to his sides and took a few steps back.
"Enough of this." He said gravely and turned around so he wouldn't have to see her confused face any longer. Without another word he left the opening through the secret door, taking the sound of the music with him.
A.N.: The song is called 'Nearly forgot my broken heart' by Chris Cornell