Requested by Laer111ee
Not the title being a Hozier song 🤭
Anyways, enjoy!
.
.
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It's a tedious thing to be anonymous.
Keeping track of your identities, for one. You have a whole spreadsheet (physical, of course) of your used "people", so to speak.
You had their names, their jobs, their families, their likes and dislikes, and the probable ways they could have died. All entitely fictional, by the way. You thought it best not to draw inspiration from reality, just in case it catches up to you.
You weren't technically on the run. You weren't running away from something— or someone. Still, it kind of feels that way.
You found yourself a lucky spot in rural Norway. You found a quiant house with a landlord who couldn't care less who lived in his property. He didn't know your real name, but you're sure that even if he did, he wouldn't rat you out so long as you paid your rent.
Perhaps he didn't care because that was just his demeanor.
Or, he forgot how to care after The Blip.
You were one of the lucky ones who didn't get dissipated during the snap. Still, you thought you were one of the unlucky ones who had to see humanity become worse before it got better.
That's why you resorted to anonymity and hiding after half of the universal population vanished. You knew it would get ugly. And, as a mutant, you really didn't want to get roped into any recruitment nonsense or worse, experiments.
So, a small little cottage in rural Norway was your best plan.
It was a nice day today. You had good progress with growing your little herbs in your garden— which, quite frankly, still looks a bit haphazard, but you know you'll get there eventually.
Wherever there was.
Your neighbors were the quiet kind, they minded their own business as you did yours. They would only really smile and wave at you on the rare occasion that you leave your houses at the same time.
You didn't know their names, and they didn't know yours.
Something weird happened a few days ago though. There was this sudden earthquake. Nothing too bad, just harsh enough to make the glasses in your cupboard shake for a few seconds. It wasn't reported on the news, though. Since they found no actual evidence of seismic or volcanic activity.
Regardless, you'd probably forget about it in a fortnight's time.
"What are you doing here?" You cooed at the little black cat nestling itself into a particularly flowery bush in your yard. You were just about to spray all of the vegetation in your garden with water, luckily you spotted the little guy.
The cat hissed, baring its adorable little canines to you.
Still, you didn't let its grumpy demeanor stop you. You reached out your garden-gloved hands towards it, beckoning the cat to gently get out of the bush.
It hissed again.
"If you don't get out now, you're going to be more upset and a hundred times more wet." You threatened the creature. Its bright green eyes widened, seemingly understanding your words.
Without another gesture or threat from you, it galloped out of the bush and sat itself on your porch.
"Good." You said, more to yourself than to the cat, and began to shower all of your lovely vegetation with their daily dose of water.
The cat just sat there on your porch, observing your human-ly antics. If it were human, you'd think it was sizing you up.
Given that it's a black cat, it probably was. It was probably assessing whether or not you were a threat to its being.
Once you were finished watering your yard, you walked towards your front door. The cat was still there, waiting, almost expectantly.
You looked down at it, noticing its once slitted green eyes become much softer.
You sighed. "I don't know if I have any food for you." You said to it. It meowed in response.
You squatted down to its level, offering your now ungloved hand to pet it. Curious, the cat walked towards you, sniffing your hand. By all the graces of the gods, it allowed you to pet it.
"That's a good boy." You cooed, a smile on your face as you stroked its lovely black coat.
"Do you want food?" You asked. The cat really seemed to understand and shook its head no.
A little bewildered, you respected its boundaries.
"Alright, if you say so." You stood up and headed for your door. The cat began to walk away from your porch and out into the pavement.
You just prayed that it would be safe.
-
Even as an experienced sorcerer and shapeshifter, Loki still finds it particularly exhausting to be anything other than his preferred self.
It was difficult to get himself untangled from all the Time Variance Authority nonsense. But, he finally did after pulling a few ropes (and by severing many more).
So, Asgard was gone.
Jotunnheim would probably eat him alive.
The Elves didn't like him much, nor did the Vanir.
He wasn't eager to see his sister, Hel, in Helheim either.
So, Midgard it is.
If he was going to survive on this planet, he was going to have to play his cards right.
He needed a country where there would be traces of Ancient Nordic sorcery, so he can still perform his seidr without sending alarm bells everywhere.
He needed somewhere quiet.
He needed... that.
When he saw your house and felt chaotic energy within, he knew he secured his safety. Well, at least for a few decades or so.
Loki didn't initially understand why and how you emanated so much chaotic energy— it was almost like magic. You had a way of controlling it within your very being. If he didn't know any better, he wouldn't even think you're human.
He was conflicted. You didn't show any other evidence of being superhuman (at least).
Regardless of your identity, Loki didn't care at all.
He had found a safe haven.
He found sanctuary.
-
"Back already?" You spoke to the same black cat with the same bright green eyes who was laying down on the grass.
The cat rolled onto its stomach, replying with an adorable meow!
You grinned at the creature's antics.
"If you don't mind, your meowjesty, I just need a few sprigs of rosemary." You pointed at the growing plant pot of rosemary behind the little kitty.
The cat seemed to nod its head, unfazed as you entered its 'territory'.
Once you gathered enough rosemary to your liking, you gave the cat some pets for being so good and accomodating as to let you near it for the second time.
The kitty purred as you lightly scratched at its chin.
"Aren't you a gorgeous boy?" You murmured with delight.
The cat purred louder, stretching its neck to expose more of its chin to you.
"You're going to stick around aren't you?"
The black cat meowed.
You smiled in response.
"If I didn't have white sheets everywhere, I might've let you in at this point."
Meow!
"I know. I know. I'm sorry. It's my bad." You chuckled at the little feline creature.
-
A few days later, you spontaneously decided to do a little bit of research on black cats. Just for the hell of it, you thought. Totally not weighing your options of adopting a pet.
Yup.
Not at all.
These were what you found:
1.] Black cats were adorable.
2.] You really wanted one.
3.] There was already one that wants your attention.
4.] It literally keeps visiting you.
And,
5.] Black cats have a sort of genetic advantage with their dark coats. They make for better predators in the wild, as it does camouflage their bodies. They are much more likely to breed and remain healthy. Not to mention the fact that they are arguably more intelligent than their brightly colored counterparts.
Perhaps, that was why it felt easy to understand and converse with the little black kitty in your yard.
The feline creature felt awfully observant of your human-ly antics whenever you'd go and hang out in your yard. Its adorable little head would tilt ever so slightly whenever you'd test out a new plant hack you saw online.
It would sometimes glare at you, as if it were judging your most simplest of actions. Other times, it would blink slowly at you, when it looked particularly at peace.
Sometimes, though, you'd catch the little one off-guard, and it would mask its embarrassment by suddenly cleaning itself.
You smile and chuckle at it, telling the little creature that it was fine and that you saw nothing.
Usually, you'd be on the receiving end of a squint with a resentful gleam in its eye.
It would then ask for pets afterwards, though.
-
"I just realized," you said, sitting comfortably at your porch. The black cat lazily sprawled itself on the ledge of the fence, enjoying the Norwegian sun of the day, no matter how bleak it could get. It tilted its head curiously in response.
"I haven't decided on what I should call you."
The cat yawned.
"Yeah, I know you're not thrilled about it."
If the cat were human (or something else entirely, probably humanoid), it would have probably smirked.
You threw your head back in your chair, mulling different names over in your head.
"Meow if you don't like the name, alright?"
The cat didn't reply nor do anything that could count as any sort of response, but you knew it understood you clearly.
"Aston?"
Meow!
"George?"
Meow!
"Wilfred? You look like a Wilfred."
MEOW!!!
"Alright, I get it. You hated that one. Uhm... What about Merlin?"
Meow!
"Lucifer?"
Meow!
"You're impossible." The cat sat up, shaking out its fur.
"I guess I'm just going to have to call you 'Cat' until I find something you like, hm?"
The feline seemed to nod proudly, happy with its antics.
"You're sure you don't want food?"
The adorable creatured meowed in a negative tone.
"Alright." It stood on its four legs, stretching its back thoroughly before walking off of your fence and into the streets. "Happy hunting!" You called out.
You watched the little creature until it disappeared from your sight before you went back inside your house.
-
Loki, somewhere behind a thicket of trees and shrubbery, shook out from his feline form.
He always hated the dry sensation in his mouth after shapeshifting into a cat.
He brushed himself clean from any residual cat fur that may have stuck to his leather garbs, before huffing in annoyance.
"Lucifer?" He questioned exasperatedly. "Wrong pantheon, mortal."
As annoyed as he seemed he was, he can't help but return to your home the next day.
And the day after that.
And the day that followed that.
And so on.
-
The next time Loki visits your home in cat form, he can't help but notice the dimmed lights from the windows. The chaotic energy feels dampened, like all he was feeling was its residues. Scrunching up his feline features, he went around your yard to investigate.
The garden remains undisturbed. Your signature spray bottle and little shovel were not moved an inch the last time Loki saw them. There were no newly plucked sprigs of herbs nor fruits nor flowers. The house was also uncharacteristically quiet. Usually, you'd play music on vinyl.
Not today, though.
Your house was empty. You weren't home.
Huh.
Loki thought.
You must've ran human errands... or something. Whatever it is that humans did after The Blip.
Loki didn't know.
He barely cared for the affairs of other people, now that his own affairs seemed much more complicated than the last time he had visited Earth.
He wondered how long you might possibly be gone.
And, he wondered how risky he could be whilst you were gone.
To answer his own question, it was pretty damn risky.
-
The line at the bank was awfully gruelling. There were far too many people and not enough bank tellers to accomodate you all. You've been standing in line for at least 30 minutes, with no hope of getting assisted within the next hour.
Huffing impatiently, you pulled out your phone, hoping to pass some time by scrolling through social media.
Upon unlocking your phone, you saw a notification.
"Motion activated lights are on?" You murmured to yourself quietly out of confusion.
You then opened the app which allowed you to see through your security cameras.
And gods, what you saw made your jaw drop to the floor.
Was that... a man? A man shapes figure? Transforming into A BLACK CAT?????
You were beyond confused.
And panicked.
Definitely panicked.
Who was that? Why did they know about your place? Are they another mutant? Were you about to get recruited?
Shit.
Fuck.
Fucking shit.
Shit. Fucking. Fuckity-FUCK!
Well. There goes another identity.
Too bad.
You liked this place too.
UGH!
You'll deal with it tomorrow. When the stupid black cat who may have been a sly shapeshifter visits your home again.
Tonight, though. You'd review the footage, you'd observe the person who goes from human form, to cat form, to snake form, and to whatever else it transformed itself to during the last hour.
-
There he is.
Or is it an it?
Doesn't matter. You didn't care. You were going to confront the not-so-little-shit before you'd run away again.
Yes, little kitty.
Just come a bit closer.
...A little closer.
...And...
GOTCHA!
You held the little black cat under its shoulders, letting its other limbs dangle in the air. Surprisingly, it didn't fight nor hiss at your manhandling.
"What are you?!" You yelled at the little thing. If your neighbors were home, they would probably think you were absolutely insane.
They wouldn't say it to your face.
But, they'd absolutely think you'd gone off the rails.
The black cat didn't answer so much as a single meow.
"WHAT. ARE. YOU?!" You gave the poor thing a little shake.
Still.
No answe—
"Wrong creature, mortal." A figure suddenly appeared behind you. By the volume of his voice, he was stood far too close for comfort.
His voice was cold, icy, and deep, much like the frozen lakes of your town during winter. He had a powerful thrum to his presence, you could feel it everywhere. It might've been overwhelming if you weren't what you were.
A mutant.
Your eyes widened as you inhaled a sharp breath, softly letting go of the other black cat.
"I was wondering when you'd catch on." You turned to see the owner of the baritone voice.
He looked like...
Loki.
The self-proclaimed god who attacked New York City all those years ago.
You were there.
You were there in the aftermath.
That's why you got your mutant abilities.
"You." You hissed, pure spite and anger in your voice. "If I weren't in hiding, I would cast fireball on your ass right now—"
"Now. Hang on," said Loki, holding up a finger. "Fireball?"
You looked at him incredulously. He was far too casual and it was annoying the hell out of you.
"Yeah!" You answered, frustrated.
"You do magic?"
"Genetically modified genes to do so, yeah."
"Huh."
"HUH?! THE FUCK YOU MEAN 'HUH'?!" You were yelling at this point. Loki was slightly taken aback by your reaction.
Only slightly though.
"You made me like this and all you could say is Huh?!"
Loki's eyebrows were beginning to stitch together. "...I'm sorry?"
"Fuck off, Loki." You said, turning your back on the God of Mischief and heading for your door.
"Wait." Loki called out. It seemed like it was against his will.
You turned to face him again, certainly against your will. You were dreading another tedious runaway project, but now a fresh start seemed highly enticing.
"What." You said flatly.
"I-" Loki began, but promptly stopped. He didn't know what the right words were. He didn't know if there were any.
"You what?"
He grumbled a string of curses to himself.
"Don't leave, just yet. Please, I need you to listen to me." He said. If he wasn't the God of Lies, you would've believed him wholeheartedly.
"Get on with it. Don't waste my time."
Loki's lips formed a thin line. "Alright. Uh— A few years ago I died."
"So did a few trillion people, but go on."
"You misunderstand me. I died. I didn't get snapped away by the Mad Titan. I had well and truly died. Then, somehow, while the Avengers were trying to fix the mess that Thanos had made, I somehow managed to change my entire timeline by not dying... Like I was supposed to."
You nodded slowly, attempting to understand whatever the hell is coming out of his mouth.
"More mess came with me living than dying. I was prisoner for a good hour or two before they recruited me to help them chase me— It's a long story, mortal. I know you don't have all day," Loki sighed. "My main point, I'm also in hiding. I sensed enough chaotic energy here, where you live, so I can mask myself. In turn, I do— did protective wards upon your home to further to protect your energy."
"By protecting my energy, you also protected yours. How selfish do you want to sound? Aren't you quite literally proving your case to me right now?" You said, hands on your hips, looking rather impatient.
"If I sounded more than what I am, you'd think me a liar."
"And aren't you a liar?"
"Not right now, now."
You huffed.
"What do you want?" You asked him.
"What any of us want."
"And that is?"
"Safety. Security. Especially right after The Blip madness."
You pursed your lips in thought. "What are you proposing exactly?"
Loki sighed. It was always a difficult task to communicate what he needed, rather than manipulating people to just do what he needed.
"I propose that you make half the effort of being anonymous, while I do the other half. That way, the energies are vague enough for us not to get noticed."
That seemed... logical enough for you. You knew magical energies enough to notice if he were faking wards and making haphazard spells. It actually surprised you that you didn't notice magic emanating from him in his cat form.
Maybe, he was just that good.
"Alright." You said, then realized what it could have meant. "I haven't said yes yet. I'm... just mulling things over. I'm still very fucking pissed at you."
"Understandable." Loki admitted.
You sighed.
What the fuck.
He was your best chance at peace.
"Fine." You said after quite some time. "I could use the extra help."
Loki, being the God of Lies, can't help but be in disbelief. That he, indeed, detected no lies. Just shallow annoyance. Which, in all honesty, he found to be completely fair on your part.
If Loki wasn't in a dire situation, he would have smirked and told you cockily that you had made the right choice. But, he was in survival mode. One wrong step and it could cost him everything.
"Thank you." It was the simple response he settled with.
"Do you have... accomodations?" You asked.
"I don't really sleep these days."
Fucking hell. Fuck you and your sick need to be kind.
You groaned.
You were really one with the strays.
"I have a spare room."
"No, I couldn't possibly—"
"Take it or leave it."
Loki sighed. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." You waved a hand, turning back to your door. You opened it and gestured for Loki to come inside. "I guess you can finally come in now that you're not covered in black fur."
Loki grinned. "I'll have you know that I don't shed."
He breathed in the warm and comforting air of your home. It was slightly chaotic, a sort of constant unrest that people with magic surging through their veins always had. Yours was erratic, unkempt, and untamed if you willed it to be.
For the first time in a long time, Loki looked... at peace.
"What?" You asked, noticing how his features softened.
"Your energy is quite comforting."
You were taken aback by that sudden... Compliment? Admission? Regardless, it made something in your stomach churn longingly.
"Isn't it too unpredictable?" You asked. You knew how your abilities worked. It was hit or miss.
"That is the best part though." Loki said. "I feel at home."