The Morning After
Six hours later, Loki found himself sitting at the kitchen counter, attempting to unlock Zozo’s phone by viciously shaking it and throwing it at the wall. Not long after he woke up, he noticed that his hand, specifically, his brand new blood pact related injury, was leaking blue puss, which, considering that he was in his frost giant form all night, wasn’t that weird at all. What was weird, however, was that Zozo’s scar was also leaking blue puss. And she wasn’t a frost giant.
Even though he could vaguely recall some sort of sanitizing ritual, involving vodka being poured into plates and keeping both of their hands in their respective vodka plates until they cried, he assumed this was some sort of infection that they’ve given each other. Typical.
Not longer than twenty minutes after he’d noticed the stinking wound, Zozo’s mother called her phone and he made the mistake of picking up and having a rather awkward conversation with the very angry Slavic woman, who advised him to “kick her lazy daughter out of bed to walk the damn dog.”
He did not have the heart to tell her that her “lazy daughter” was probably feverish and battling some frost giant infection in her sleep. Oh well. The worst part of it all was that due to the stupid blood pact, now all of the girl’s morning responsibilities fell on him. Charlie was practically begging to be let outside, so much that he didn’t leave the god any time to get dressed or even take a sip of water. Thankfully, due to Loki’s magic, within five minutes of noticing the dog’s distress they were outside, walking calmly across the nearby park.
Just a couple of days ago, he thought he had some sort of glorious duty to the universe, multiverse, hell, whatever it was he and Sylvie we’re fighting for. Or rather, what Sylvie was fighting for, because he didn’t care, really. All that mattered was that he was there to make sure she and Mobius were okay. But that could no longer be an attainable goal, could it? When trapped in a cage as large and incomprehensible as the multiverse, the only purpose he could possibly focus on without losing his mind was a small, seemingly meaningless one. One like helping Zozo get back home. Or alternatively, walking her dog in the park. Or making breakfast for his sick friend. Yes, breakfast. It’s only fair he makes breakfast for them this time, it’s what Frigga would have encouraged him to do. Though that girl was quite the opposite of royalty, and so painfully, insufferably human, Frigga would take care of her with the same kindness she offered to her own sons when they were sick. Perhaps stepping into her footsteps would make the whole self-improvement thing a bit easier? Mobius said that he could be anything he wanted, even someone good. Zozo definitely deserved someone good to care for her. Maybe taking Frigga as an example could help him achieve that.
With that weirdly positive mindset, Loki and the pup returned to the apartment, where he found himself sitting at the counter, trying to unlock Zozo’s phone. He wasn’t exactly sure when he got the wonderful idea to transform into Zozo and trick the vicious “Face ID” that had been blocking his access to the machine, but it worked like a charm. Now the question was, who to call? Loki hated asking for help, but he was also positive that his tech-savvy survival skills won’t help him with the task of making breakfast. He rarely made breakfast for himself, if ever, and Asgardian breakfasts consisted of a variety of meats, which he supposed a feverish Zozo would find hard to digest on an empty stomach. She was a fragile Midgardian after all.
As he scrolled through the phone’s contact list, he decided against calling her mother, and instead turned his attention to the fact that under the letter “R”, there were four contacts called “Rain Email”, “Rain” with a red heart, “Rainy” with a pink heart, and “Rainy phone number.” He chuckled at that, thinking about how this woman childishly treasured her friends to the point of trashing her contact list with garbage like that. If he had a phone and a contact list, he simply wouldn’t save anyone’s phone number on it except for Frigga’s, but even this one he wouldn’t save four times. Zozo must truly care about these people, to treat them like that, and given the snippets of conversations and all the things she has said about them, they loved her back with equal passion.
This thought gave him a wicked idea, and without further thinking, he clicked on the “Rain email” contact (as it was on the very top of the list), and wrote “Call me immediately. This is a matter of utmost importance.” He proceeded to ignore the next fifteen texts that had appeared in response, only picking the phone up when Rain had actually called the phone.
“Zozo are you safe? Is everything alright?” They asked in a very worried tone that made Loki cringe.
“Hello Rain email,” he greeted, “Would you mind telling me how-“
“WAH!” Rain shrieked in surprise, rudely interrupting Loki’s question, “Who is this, is Zozo okay? Give her the fucking phone, who the hell are you?” Loki sighed loudly, causing Rain to gasp in realization, “You’re that Loki guy she told us about! Is Zozo okay?”
“Look, I need to make breakfast-“
“Is Zozo okay?”
The god gritted his teeth in annoyance, and glanced at Zozo’s shivering body laying on the couch.
“Uhh... No? She is alive, but sick. Now what are some breakfast foods that human teenagers consume when they are ill?”
“Give her the phone, I need to talk to her.”
“Were you deaf when I told you that she is asleep and very ill?” Loki asked, growing steadily more annoyed. Perhaps texting Rain was a bad idea? Then again, from just the four contacts saved on Zozo’s phone, Loki could deduce that the two seemed to be very close, and if anything that bond could serve as a bargain to get Rain to do his bidding.
“I need to talk to her!” The teen insisted, turning the sparks of annoyance into anger. Well, almost. “Give her the phone, dude!”
“Fine then.” He spat out, before marching up to his companion’s side and setting the phone on her flushed cheek. “Go on, Rain, speak to her if you desire it so.”
Clearly not understanding the sarcasm in his words, Rain softy spoke,
“Zozo? Hello?”
The only thing they were met with was a pained groan. Loki chuckled at that, satisfied to be right.
“I am afraid she is not going to answer, I’ve taken it upon myself to put socks on her feet earlier, and she didn’t budge, she could as well be dead...to the world.” He cleared his throat, ridding his tone of any sarcasm or irony, and started brand new with a much more upbeat attitude. “Anyways, since this ridiculous charade of sentiment is clearly over, would you mind telling me what foods a sick human can safely digest?”
He could hear Rain swallow, and could practically see the gears turning in their head. Good.
“Where is her mom?” They asked, much to Loki’s disappointment. Clearly the gears were turning slow for them today.
“Now, why would you want to include her mother in this? You would not want her to get in trouble, would you?” He asked in a mocking tone, trying not to sound too intimidating, “I had put my trust in your and Zozo’s friendship, thinking you’d protect her from her parents’ wrath, but since you don’t seem too cooperative, I can always just call someone else instead, and warn them about your treacherous intentions.”
Rain cursed under their breath, and mumbled out something about holding on a second. Finally.
Soon enough, Loki was standing in the kitchen again, trying to turn the camera of the phone on, so that Rain could see the contents of the fridge.
“Alright,” the teen said, “I see toast bread, which is good, because Zozo loves sandwiches. There’s also ketchup, so that’s great.”
“That thing in the bag is considered bread?” Loki grumbled, staring at the blue bag of toast bread in disgust. Thankfully there was no mold on it, but it definitely didn’t look appetizing.
“Put it in the oven.” Rain suggested, “She likes her sandwich bread crunchy. Now, let’s see if there’s any cheese in there.”
Ignoring the comment about the oven completely, mostly due to the fact that he didn’t know what it looked like in a Midgardian home, Loki scanned the fridge for any sort of dairy to use as a cheese substitute in case Rain couldn’t find the actual thing. It proved to be the correct thing to do, as the teen started getting frustrated after about thirty seconds of looking.
“What the hell is all this shit?” Rain commented loudly, clearly unhappy with the selection of foods Zozo’s grandfather stored. “Why is it all in German?”
“Do you reckon this would do as a cheese substitute?” Loki asked, pointing to another plastic bag labeled “string cheese- mozzarella”, hidden in the back. Mortals had a serious problem with those plastic bags, he decided. No wonder their planet is trashed, if every single product they buy is covered in a layer of filth they need to throw away to use the thing inside. Perhaps it was good that he wasn’t destined to conquer this realm, if this is what he would have to remedy.
Judging by the look on Rain’s face, though, most Midgardians already knew about the consequences of covering their food in layers upon layers of garbage. That, or they simply weren’t a fan of whatever that string cheese mozzarella thing was. From what little information he could gather about Zozo’s grandfather, he was not a very pleasant man, perhaps he intentionally put that thing there to poison any unexpected travelers.
“It’ll do.”
Ah. So it wasn’t too bad of an idea after all.
It turned out that cooking with Rain was relatively easy once they both had calmed down, and it was even similar to cooperation with Zozo. Her words about how similar she and Rain were echoed through the god’s mind as he tried to listen to the vague instructions the teen gave him. They were similar. The warmth in their voice, how easy it was to read emotions from their face and tones, the loyalty and love they both held for the other. Even their curly hair was similar when tied back.
In a way, their bond and similarities reminded him of himself and Sylvie. Clearly very different, both from completely different backgrounds, and yet they seemed to just get each other without the need for additional words. It was sweet, and pure, and he wished he still had it in himself to resent Rain for having that kind of connection with Zozo. It would be a lot easier to be resentful. Now, he was just sad, looking at the screen with a mixture of happiness, envy, and regret, knowing that due to Sylvie’s betrayal, he would never experience such a thing again, and in a way, a part of him wished he never had.
When finally all the food, meaning a cooked egg, two pieces of toast, and three pieces of string cheese, was ready to be served, Loki magicked it away to his pocket dimension, and sat by Zozo’s sleeping body, as per Rain’s request.
“She doesn’t look too good…” Rain whispered, honest worry in their voice. Unconsciously, Loki reached out to touch the girl, and put some loose strands of hair behind her ear.
“I told you.” He muttered, which did not seem to bother Rain at all. Instead, they sighed, and continued looking at Zozo with a sad face.
“Take care of her for me, okay?” They asked, “She’s been through some stuff, and she seems to really like you. Don’t let her down, alright?”
Was this Rain’s way of giving him their blessing to befriend Zozo? Either way, it was cute, and after promising to take care of his new friend, Loki once again sat back in silence.
Friendship.
What even was friendship? Did he even know how to be someone’s friend? In his life before the TVA, he had betrayed everyone who got close enough to call him that. Even Thor, though he, out of all of those around him, was the closest thing he had to a friend, lost his faith in him at some point. Then there were Sylvie and Mobius. One of them betrayed him, one forgot who he was. And yet before that, he trusted both of them.
You go, I go.
It sounded ridiculous now, from a different perspective. But Loki wasn’t angry at himself anymore, for trusting. Embarrassed? Absolutely. Regretful? Definitely. But angry? No, not anymore. Now, he needs to forget about them for a moment, take this opportunity with the Midgardian girl, and teach himself how to be a good friend, for whatever amount of time the Norns will give him before he needs to face the mess he helped make. Perhaps in the future he’ll get Mobius and Sylvie back, and then he can show them just how much he changed and how now, he can be trusted.
It’s not like he can go back on that blood pact, too. Now, he is eternally bonded with that girl, as he promised her his friendship in an oath sealed with blood. Surely, when Mobius will see it, he’ll be proud.
A soft groan took Loki out of his thoughts.
“Why the fuck does my hand look like I jacked off a smurf?” Zozo asked, staring at her injured palm. Her eyes were swollen and red, however, she didn’t seem as feverish anymore, which was clearly a sign of her getting better.
“Welcome back to the world of the living.” Loki smiled, “And I believe it looks like that because of our little blood pact.”
The girl groaned again, bringing her uninjured arm up to cover her eyes. Loki could only smile at that reaction, suddenly filled with a sense of glee.
“Come on.” He said, picking her up from the sofa bed, still tucked neatly in the blankets, and forcing her to sit up. “I took it upon myself to make you breakfast.”
“Thanks.” Zozo grumbled, but the corners of her lips turned upwards in a slight smile when she saw the breakfast Loki had magicked onto her lap. “Cheese strings? Really?”
“It was the only type of cheese your grandfather had in his refrigerator.” Loki explained. “You can ask Rain, they helped me make this.”
“It’s fantastic.” Zozo praised. “I genuinely can't believe you put so much effort into this. Like, making breakfast is one thing, but calling Rain to get it right? You’re one fantastic friend, my guy.”
Hearing her say those words made Loki’s heart swell, and he could feel the niceness inside growing until it enveloped his entire body. It was different from the warmth he felt before, but also felt good. If this is what it felt like to be a hero, he now understood why Thor bothered.
Maybe being a hero to just one person is enough. Maybe he didn’t need crowds cheering his name after all. Maybe he could let the entire universe hate him, just to see this one person in front of him smiling with gratitude and pride in her eyes. Maybe he had it in him to be a good friend after all.
He didn’t notice when Zozo finished the food, but in what felt like just a couple of moments, she got up, dressed herself in her usual attire with Charlie’s leash around her waist, and stood in front of him, tempad in hand.
“You ready to do some actual work and try to get me home?” She asked.
“Sure.” Loki responded, still not really knowing what exactly he was agreeing to