The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

An Unlikely Meeting

~~~Loki's pov~~~

It was a brisk winter evening in late January, the kind where the air nipped at your cheeks and steam rose from the mouths of hurried pedestrians. I decided to take a solitary walk around the city, hoping the chill would cool my temper. Thor was being particularly insufferable, and with each booming laugh, I felt a surge of irritation that threatened my self-control.

I had been with the Avengers for four years, but they still didn't trust me—especially Stark and Barton.

After my forced invasion of New York and the mind control that had held me captive wore off, Fury had determined that instead of being escorted back to Asgard, it would be safer to confine me within the cold, metallic walls of a cell in Avengers Tower. His reasoning? That there was a lesser chance of my escape—a fact that stung more than I cared to admit. I wasn't even allowed back on my home planet.

For three long years, I was imprisoned there, released only for select assignments or to provide information. Yet, over time, I noticed a shift. Most of the Almighty Avengers began to lower their defenses around me.

Romanoff seemed quick to forgive after I explained the mind control situation to her, as did Rogers.

Thor has been, well, Thor. He was welcoming from the start. How he hasn't been killed yet, I am not sure.

However, Banner, Stark, and Barton remained steadfast in their distrust, and I had come to accept this. At least half of the team didn't outright despise me. They trusted me enough, after all, to make me an Avenger—a reality that still baffled me and made me suspect that Fury may have threatened them into submission.

As I strolled down a bustling sidewalk, the cacophony of New York surrounded me—horns blaring, laughter ringing, the scent of roasted chestnuts wafting through the air. My attention was drawn to a woman struggling to keep her balance while managing an unwieldy tray of steaming coffee. It was a common sight, yet something compelled me to observe. Just as I was about to avert my gaze, she stumbled, toppling to the snow-covered ground, a cascade of coffee threatening to spill.

Well, that just won't do.

With a flick of my wrist, I used my magic to suspend the cups in mid-air as I teleported to her side. "Looks like you could use some help there." I extended my hand, my voice tinged with an unexpected gentleness.

She looked up at me, surprise mingling with curiosity in her hazel eyes, before she took my hand. "Yeah, thanks, um..."

"Loki," I gave my name, momentarily lost in the warmth of her gaze, her features illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlights. The snowflakes danced around her—each flake a gentle caress upon her dark hair and delicate eyelashes, making her all the more captivating.

In that moment, a peculiar feeling washed over me, as if my heart—long imprisoned in icy solitude—was being thawed, returning to a state of warmth I had long thought impossible.

"Catherine," she said, her gratitude evident as she shook my outstretched hand before retrieving her coffee tray. "It's, uh, really hard to balance a tray of hot coffee in a New York street crowd."

I chuckled softly, the sound surprising even myself. "I bet it is. So, where are you headed?" I tried to brush away the swirling emotions that were brewing within me.

"Just to work. My boss wanted me to pick up some coffee for a meeting," she sighed, brushing a strand of snow-covered hair behind her ear. "Apparently, he didn't notice it was 25 degrees and snowing when he sent me out."

"Do you work far from here?" I asked. I may not have noticed the temperature, considering I am in fact a Frost Giant, but it must have felt freezing for a regular mortal.

"No, just a few blocks away. I work as an assistant at—" Before she could finish, her phone rang, cutting off her words. "I'm sorry, I need to take this. It's my boss. But it was nice meeting you, Loki. Thanks again." She smiled at me once more before answering the call and walking away, her voice fading into the night.

As I turned and made my way back to the tower, Catherine lingered in my thoughts, her image etched in my mind.

I scarcely understood the connection I felt. I had known her for mere moments, something as simple as her last name alluding me, yet her presence ignited an inexplicable spark within me.

Perhaps it was the way she had looked at me, unflinching, as though the weight of my past held no power. She spoke to me as if the shadows of 2012 had never darkened our world.

That feeling—the one I desperately tried to dismiss—refused to fade, and what unnerved me to my core was that I didn't hate it.

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

So that was Loki. I didn't know much about him aside from the fact that my dad positively loathed his existence. I never quite grasped the reason behind that animosity.

The Loki I met was a gentleman, not at all resembling the villain my father painted him to be—a ruthless god who took pleasure in terrorizing and slaughtering others.

Yet, here was this stranger, a god, who offered me his help without hesitation, a kindness that defied my expectations.

Shaking off my conflicting thoughts of the infamous god, I stepped into the lofty structure of Avengers Tower. "Hey, Forehead of Security!" I greeted Happy, who was stationed at the front desk, his face a mask of mild annoyance.

"Hey, Catherine. Did Tony send you out for coffee again?" he asked, taking the heavy tray from my hands with a sigh.

"Yeah. So, what did I miss while I was gone?" I pressed the button for the elevator, watching the doors slide open with a mechanical whoosh.

"Nothing much. Your dad just announced a party to celebrate finding Loki's scepter. It's happening in three days," he informed me.

I sighed, shaking my head as the elevator doors closed around us. "He will look for literally any reason to throw a party."

My father was such a child.