You were sitting in a cafe and sipping coffee when a stranger sat next to you. He was dressed in a suite and his fedora covered his face. You saw empty tables all around you and were confused.
“Sorry, hope you don’t mind. It’s just one of those days where i don’t really want to be alone,” he said to you.
You nodded.
“I get it,” you said.
“I’m Tom,” the stranger said.
“Y/N,” you responded.
“Nice to meet you, Y/N. How’s life treating you?” he asked.
You could tell he was trying to make light conversation, so you decided to bite.
“Pretty rough. I honestly thought i knew what i wanted, but something happened and i… It all changed,” you sighed.
“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking,” he responded.
Your heart leapt when you realized that sitting beside you was someone who actually cared. Someone who wanted to listen. And he was a stranger. That made your heart yearn to know him.
“It was the battle of New York and i was walking home from school. One of the aliens came down and almost shot me, but… Loki, the guy in charge of the invasion stepped in front of me and stopped it. He said i was off limits. And then he took my hand and i was suddenly in England. And i don’t know. Being in that situation made me realize life is too short to go after the easiest thing. You should go after what you want. Even if it seems impossible. Because it’ll be worth it,” you said, staring at your coffee.
“So you’re living life to the fullest?” Tom asked.
You nodded and offered him a smile.
“What about you?” you asked.
“Oh, i’m not so sure you would want to hear my story,” he chuckled.
“You listened to mine. It’s only fair. I promise I’m a good listener,” you insisted.
“Well, i guess you could say i’m trapped in a cage. Like a criminal. Because i’m not like my perfect brother. And my father only sees me as a shadow. He thinks i’m just an attention seeker, a child throwing a tantrum. But what i did was try and impress him. To earn his love and respect, but he did not like what i did. He thought it was nothing compared to what my brother could ever do,” he said, bitterly.
But you could see that the bitterness was just a cover for the deep sadness.
“Can i offer some advice?” you asked.
You could see the nod of Tom’s head.
“Don’t let your yearning for your father’s approval destroy your relationship with your brother. He probably doesn’t see what’s going on. And if your father can't love you for you and you have to change yourself for him, then he isn’t a very good father. And you just need to find someone else very special to show you the love you deserve,” you said, smiling at him.
“Thank you, Y/N. I will take your advice to heart,” he responded, “May i offer you advice?”
“Sure,” you said, nodding.
“Keep living. But set a goal. Work towards that go. And if love comes in your direction, accept it. In any form it’s in,” he said.
“I didn’t mention anything about love,” you said, confused.
You saw Tom shimmer and he revealed himself to be Loki. Loki himself. The god who tried to destroy the planet. But also the man who had saved you.
“Are you scared?” he asked.
“No,” you said, shaking your head.
“I may not always be myself, but that doesn’t mean i will never see you again. Or you will never see me again,” he told you, “Love lasts forever.”
Loki stood and leaned over, kissing you gently.
He disappeared and you looked up into the sky, wondering where he could be.
The view of you from his cell in Asgard was so clear, that it made Loki smile. And he could see in your eyes that you loved him too. And that warmed his heart.
