The Meeting
“Loki?”
The god of mischief never thought that the sound of his own name would ever bring him such comfort and fill him with euphoria. He thought he had lost everything. Mobius didn’t remember him, Sylvie betrayed him, no one in the TVA even remembered him, and he was alone, so completely alone, in the face of a maniac, or rather, hundreds of variants of said maniac. And he was exhausted. Despite his stamina and strength, his body craved sleep, and perhaps a warm bath. Even with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Loki could feel how heavy his eyelids were, and how stiff his legs were, and how now, combined with all of those horrible and conflicting emotions in his head, there was nothing his body wanted more than a soft pillow and a place to lay down safely and rest for a bit.
At least that was what he thought, until he heard a quiet, feminine voice behind him, calling his name out in disbelief. Immediately, all thoughts of rest were abandoned, and he turned to face the direction of the voice, where instead of a TVA agent, or anyone else really, stood a tall young woman in a pair of dirty, yellow sneakers, and a jean jacket over her rather short white dress. She couldn’t have been older than twenty, that Loki was sure of. There was also a small dog attached to her waist through a blue leash, but even with the miniscule protection it guaranteed, the pair looked about as intimidating as a child’s toy. Still, they were the only thing Loki had at the moment.
“Who are you?” Loki asked, his voice raspy and gravelly, and he suddenly became aware of just how dry his throat was. Maybe the lack of water also contributed to just how exhausted he was. The girl’s eyes went wide, as if being noticed by the god she had just called filled her with fear.
“Oh shit.” She muttered, and immediately turned around and began running from him. Naturally, Loki followed.
“Hey! Wait!” He called, but the girl didn’t listen, making countless turns through the file cabinets in a poor attempt to lose him. Thankfully for him, even exhausted beyond limits, Loki was a much faster runner than the Midgardian girl, and after just a couple of minutes, he had her cornered between two cabinets and a wall. The small dog was growling and barking, protecting his owner with everything he had in his small body despite his own fear. In a way, that loyalty warmed Loki’s heart. He lifted both of his arms up, allowing the girl to think him unarmed as he moved closer towards her.
“I won’t hurt you, girl, just please, tell me who you are and where you know me from.” He pleaded, letting his tiredness simmer through his voice. The dog’s barking started ringing in his ears, and now that the adrenaline was starting to fade from his system, the loud noise started to anger him slightly. “And for Norns sake, do something about the dog.”
The girl picked up the dog, murmuring something to him in a language Loki was not familiar with, and pressed a kiss on the top of his head.
“Sorry about that.” She finally spoke, avoiding Loki’s gaze as if she was embarrassed to face him. “Charlie isn’t a big fan of strangers. Though I doubt he will bite if you pet him.”
Now that he moved slightly closer to her, Loki noticed that she too, looked miserable. Her eyes were swollen and red, and the cuffs of her jacket were covered in tear stains. She had definitely cried recently.
“Where do you know me from, girl?” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in defeat. Not so long ago, he was a valued prince of Asgard. How low he had stooped, to so desperately crave recognition from someone who looked as if they had just barely exited childhood. It was pathetic, but he was much too tired to care. The girl looked at the ceiling.
“Uh, from New York.” She stammered, “You tried to destroy it and take over the Earth, remember? In 2012. It was kind of a loud case, you were all over the TV.”
Of course. Who was he to think fate would suddenly be on his side and grant him a friend, this was just another variant from Midgard who recognized him from the news. Feeling even more defeated than he did before, Loki slumped down onto the floor, and sat there, hiding his tear-stained face in his hands. He didn’t feel it when the girl sat down next to him, or her curious stare finally landing on him as he cried helplessly. If he were to be honest, he would have much preferred if she would just go away and leave him alone to rot in his misery. But unfortunately for him, she didn’t.
“I like your hat.” She said, carefully, as if she was handling an egg with her words. Loki glanced at her, his vision blurry with tears.
“What?” He asked, aware of the lack of any hat-like object on his head. The girl‘s face flushed in embarrassment, and she turned away, hiding herself in her dog’s curls.
“Nothing, nevermind.” She muttered. Then, she took a shaky breath. “I’m Zozo, by the way. Nice to meet you. Do you, uh, would you like a tissue?”
The hesitance and slight intimidation in her voice made Loki chuckle slightly, and he extended his arm in her direction.
“Pleasure to meet you too, Zozo. And yes, I would like a tissue.”
In just a couple of seconds, he felt the girl press her hand into his, and the soft texture of the tissue in her palm filled him with relief. He hadn’t touched anything soft like this since Asgard. Since before Thanos. Involuntarily, he shivered at the memory. Maybe there was a maniac trying to conquer the freshly opened multiverse, but nothing could be as bad as what the titan had put him through. Nothing.
The feeling of the dog's wet nose touching his hand pulled Loki out of his thoughts, and he looked at the creature with curiosity. Charlie wasn’t really that small, when he thought about it. He came all the way up to Loki’s knee, and he knew that Midgardian dogs often came in sizes small enough to be picked up and carried in a bag. Still, on Asgard, Charlie would have been one of a kind, as Asgardian dogs were mostly used for battle or transport, and the smallest breeds were usually the size of a horse. Absent-mindedly, Loki reached forward to pet the small animal, who responded by ducking down to avoid his touch.
“He is a smart one.” The god complimented, feeling his heart twist in pain, “To be wary of strangers and not trust them. Smarter than most.” Smarter than me, he thought to himself. How could he have ever been so stupid as to let his guard down and trust and let himself get attached to someone he had met in such a short time? Especially if those people were a variant of himself and a member of an oppressive time police. The more he thought about it, the more angry he felt with himself. To think a stupid, Midgardian dog would be smart enough to not trust a Loki, but he himself wouldn’t. Through his anger, Loki failed to see how Zozo’s gaze softened as she looked at him, and how Charlie’s nose and pink tongue explored his hand with curiosity.
“Hey, uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but you look… terrible.” Zozo said, shifting closer to the god. “Do you have a place to rest? You could definitely use a nap.”
Yes, Loki could definitely use a nap. Every bone in his body hurt, and he could feel a stress-induced headache making its way to his temples. He shook his head.
“No, I don’t think I have a place to rest.” He answered. Mobius’s office would probably be the most comfortable and safe option, but he supposed that it was now out of the question.
“Well then,” Zozo muttered, and put her hand into her pocket, then took out a tempad. Loki was much too tired to question where she got it from. “Would you like to come with me? I’m just about to get some rest, you could tag along if you want.”
Loki stared at her for a second, and scoffed. This must have been some sort of trick, it had to be.
“I’m sorry, child, but are you sure that you are fully aware of who I am?” He asked, a hint of mockery in his voice. The girl looked down, slightly embarrassed, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the tempad.
“Yea, I know who you are. I just thought you’d appreciate some kindness right about now, when you feel like garbage.” She looked at him, assessing the condition of his clothes and hair, “You certainly look like you feel like garbage. And the place I’m headed to has a nice, large bathtub…”
Though Loki could tell that this was nothing more than a poor attempt at manipulation, he couldn’t help but be enticed. If he went with her, would it really be a risk? The girl certainly looked harmless, and he had fought worse things recently to be truly troubled by someone like her. Still, nothing comes for free.
“What’s in it for you?” He asked.
“Nothing much.” Zozo responded. “I just don’t really like the idea of leaving you here by yourself in this state. Call it moral superiority if you want.”
Loki let out a hoarse chuckle at that. Thor would never admit to such a thing, neither would anyone else he knew on Asgard. Being cynical was his thing, and though thankfully, the girl didn’t seem to be a variant of him, he found this nice.
“Alright, then.” He sighed, his voice resigned, though deep down he was in fact excited for the perspective of a warm bed and a bath. Being filthy brought back memories that were less than pleasant, and reliving those was the last thing Loki needed right now.
What’s the worst that could happen? He thought to himself, as he watched Zozo open a portal, and gave her his hand so she could guide him through it. I have nothing to lose after all.