This one shot was written in response to a "NaughtyLokiConfession" seen on Tumblr. 

 I put one foot in front of the other. It was all I could do. I barely noticed the gravel of the path crunching beneath my sneakers. The breeze was picking up again, tugging at my hair, brushing across my tear-stained cheeks. What did it matter anyway?

“No one would miss you if you disappeared.”

The words whirled around my brain. I didn’t want to believe them.

Still…

The gravel gave way to dirt, and I paused. This wasn’t a part of the park I remembered. The path was always gravel. The trees seemed a bit thicker as well.

I shrugged. What did it matter? No one would miss me anyway. I hunched my shoulders, burrowed deeper into my hoodie, and kept walking.

The path turned, ending at a thick line of trees. Unable to go any further, I stopped, staring. Well, now what? I thought. A shadow moved through the trees…something wasn’t right. I frowned, taking one step off the path.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

I whirled, nearly jumping out of my skin. My eyes scanned the growing darkness for the owner of the voice, but there was no one there.

“O-k,” I whispered. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. “Keep it together.”

“Little girls who walk alone in the park should be more careful.”

That was a different voice…a deeper voice…darker, and at last I could make a definite shape out of the darkness.

I wished I hadn’t.

He was huge. He towered over me by almost a foot, and he looked to be able to crush me like a bug.

No one would miss you if you disappeared.

The words came back to mock me. Here was someone who could easily make that disappearance a reality. I fought down a shudder and puffed up in false bravado, “Does that make you the big bad wolf then?”

He laughed, and it was a dark ugly sound. I didn’t need any more urging, and did the only thing I could do: turned tail and ran as fast as I could.

I sprinted back the way I’d come, but it wasn’t the same. The path never changed to gravel. Having the bear of a man easily keeping up behind me didn’t help keep my panic under control…neither did his soft creepy laughter.  One meaty paw reached out and barely snagged my shoulder. I shouldn’t have glanced down, but I did, and tripped over my own feet. The ground came rushing up to greet me. I rolled, only to end up flat on my back with the big bad wolf on top of me.

No one would miss you if you disappeared.

“Now, little girl…” one meaty paw reached for my throat.

I couldn’t hope to fight him off. He was too strong and I was too small. I closed my eyes, and abruptly his weight was gone. I winced, waiting for the inevitable.

…and waited.

…and waited.

I cracked one eye open, and he was nowhere to be seen. A crash erupted within the tangle of trees to my right, followed by a scream. I scrambled to my feet, only to have pain race up my right leg. I tried to put my weight on it, and ended up on my backside in the dirt.

“You really should be more careful. I did try to warn you.”

I watched him walk out of the trees. He was as tall as the man who’d chased me, but he wasn’t nearly as over-muscled. Long black hair trailed to his shoulders, and he wore green armor, enhanced with gold here and there. Flecks of blood marred the green, and he was wiping his blood smeared hands on a towel. Once his hands were clean, he tossed the towel to the side. “Have you nothing to say?” he prompted, his eyes meeting mine.

I stared at him for a long moment. He killed big bad?

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I killed him. He would have…” he paused then shook his head. “Never mind.” He frowned, eyes narrowing at me still sitting. “You’re hurt,” he said, coming over to me.

I scooted back…or tried to. Pain shot up from my right ankle, and I sighed. He made a disparaging sound as he reached me. “It’s not me you need fear, little fool,” he chided, one hand reaching for my already swelling ankle.

 No one would miss you if you disappeared.

He looked up from investigating my ankle to meet my gaze. “Why would you think that?” he asked.

“What?” I asked, unable to stop looking at him. His touch was cool and gentle as his hands had moved over my ankle and then rested lightly as he sat back to study me.

“Why would you think no one would miss you?”

I blushed but didn’t respond. “Who are you?”

He rolled his eyes and muttered something about Midgardians before he sighed and said, “I am Loki.”

“Loki?” I asked. I knew the name. Who didn’t? He was the God of Mischief…the Sly One…then there was that whole thing in New York.

But what was he doing here? Why me?

“Because someone would miss you if you disappeared,” he answered. “I would.”

I really didn’t like that he could read my mind. “Stop that.” He smiled, and I felt my cheeks heat again. “How could you miss me? You don’t even know me.”

He shrugged, climbed to his feet, and held out his hand. “I do know you. I’ve watched you…and your ankle should be fine now.”

I tentatively took his hand and he helped me to my feet. I gingerly stepped on my right foot, and it bore my weight easily. The pain was gone. “What did you do?” I asked, looking up at him surprised.

He looked confused. “It was a simple thing.” He shrugged. “It feels better now?” I nodded. “Then does it really matter what I did?”

Fair enough, I thought, and shook my head.

Loki started off down the path, and since he was still holding my hand, I took a few steps before I realized and dug my heels in. I skidded a few steps before he stopped and looked at me, one raven brow raised in question.

No one would miss you if you disappeared.

“Someone would miss you if you disappeared…I would…I do know you. I’ve watched you.”

“When did you watch me?” I found myself asking, “why?

He looked at me as if I was demented, and at the moment, I wasn’t sure he would be wrong. He blew out a breath, “it matters that much to you?”I nodded. After a moment, he nodded as well. “I started watching you when…when I first saw the loneliness in you.” He looked down at our still joined hands. He hadn’t let go. Why hadn’t I? I didn’t know. “It was…familiar.”

We were quiet for a moment. I looked down at our joined hands, found myself fascinated as his thumb traced some symbol I didn’t recognize. “I don’t want to go back,” I said. I hadn’t planned to say it; hadn’t known the truth in the words until I’d spoken them.

“You should go back. They will miss you when you don’t come home,” he said softly.

No one would miss you if you disappeared.

I knew the truth of those words even if he didn’t. I looked up into his eyes. “Would you miss me if went back?”

He nodded once, “but I would still watch you.”

“Would I know you were there?” I asked softly. My heart broke at the loneliness in his eyes as he shook his head. I thought about it for a moment, and, gripping his hand more firmly, I started down the path.

We walked in silence, and it wasn’t long before we came to a fork that, in my panic, I hadn’t noticed before. I stopped, and I felt Loki stop beside me. I looked at both paths. There didn’t seem any difference between them. Each was a dirt path lined with different plants or weeds or flowers that I had no clue what they were. There wasn’t anything I could see, but I could feel there was a difference. I looked at Loki for confirmation, and I found him watching me. I could see the mix of sadness, loneliness and curiosity in his eyes. “Which path would take me back?” I asked softly.

He let go of my hand and pointed.

I looked again at the path he’d pointed at. I still couldn’t see any discernible difference between the paths, but I trusted Loki. With a small nod, I reclaimed his hand and started down the other path, the one that wouldn’t take me back. It was my turn to be tugged to a stop as Loki dragged his feet behind me. A small smile curved my lips as I turned to look at him, one brow raised in question.

He didn’t miss the mimicry and smiled back, but his smile was fleeting. “You don’t want to go home?” he asked, glancing at the other path.

I held up our joined hands. “I am home.” Again, I hadn’t meant to say the words, but I knew the truth of them as soon as they’d fallen from my lips. I started down the path again, carefully avoiding the one that would take me back. After a few steps, he followed me. I glanced up at him and found myself smiling at the bemused smile on his lips. He twined his fingers with mine, gripping my hand tightly. “So,” I asked, “where do we go?”

“Where ever we want, I suppose,” he replied. “Where do you want to start?”

I had no clue, and it didn’t matter. Maybe no one back there would miss me if I disappeared, but he would…Loki would. With him was where I wanted to be. “Up to you.”

Loki grinned, and, gripping my hand tightly, took the lead down the path.