Meow

Tower Universe - Part 1 of 2

It was late, and Gwen had been working on her research notes in the common area for hours. She could no longer keep her eyes open, so she put her head down on the table, just to rest for a moment, and fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Loki was bored.

He wandered the tower searching for something to keep himself occupied. With a smirk and a shimmer of magic, he turned himself into a cat. 

In the common area, he spotted Gwen asleep, and curious, he slowly approached her, hopping onto the table. After cautiously sniffing her hair, he settled in next to her head.

Then he meowed.

Loudly.

Gwen startled awake, eyes wide. It was morning. She had slept all night at the table.

"A cat?” She blinked and looked around. “Where did you come from?" 

No one appeared to claim him. 

Her eyes settled back on the cat as he looked up at her with an innocent-looking eyes. He purred and meowed again, and nuzzled his head against her hand insisting on her attention.

"Well, aren't you too cute?” Gwen lit up with delight and scratched him behind his ears. 

He was gorgeous—sleek black fur, sharp, bright blue eyes, a little gold collar. 

“Do you belong to someone here?" she asked. The cat meowed in response.

Loki leaned into her touch, rubbing his head against her hand enthusiastically, giving just the right amount of playful affection to make her melt. His blue eyes locked with hers, radiating innocent charm and begging for even more affection.

Gwen smiled wider, completely taken in by the little creature, without a single clue that this was more than just a cat.

"You are just the sweetest, aren't you? You want to stay with me today? I just might keep you."

Loki nuzzled against her even more, purring contentedly. He rolled on his back, offering his belly to be rubbed, knowing that it's an irresistible request.

His eyes gleamed, enjoying the fact that Gwen did not know who he really was. This little game had just become quite entertaining.

Gwen's phone buzzed, and she ignored the cat for a moment to check it. Thor had just sent her a photo of himself with some leaves stuck in his hair. Gwen laughed and talked to the cat while she texted Thor back. "That's a good look for him. Who knew the God of Thunder was so adorable?"

Loki internally rolled his eyes in annoyance. Thor was clearly trying to flirt with her, and the mere thought irritated him.

He huffed and then, making sure Gwen wasn't looking, he nipped her finger, as if to remind her to focus on him instead of Thor.

"Ouch! Feisty little thing, hmm? I'll pay attention to you in one sec." Gwen continued texting Thor in a good mood. Cute pictures from Thor and an even cuter cat finding her? This was a good morning.

Cat Loki wasn’t going to let Thor take Gwen’s attention away from him, so he moved closer to Gwen's lap and pawed at her thighs, trying to make it impossible for her to focus on anything but him.

He meowed loudly, demanding to be picked up.

"Okay, okay..." Gwen picked up the cat and tucked him under her chin, cuddling the needy little thing, and took a photo to send to Thor. She finally set her phone down. "You want to come with me to the greenhouse?"

Loki, now satisfied that he had stolen her attention back, purred contentedly as Gwen picked him up. The fact that she was sharing pictures of him with Thor didn't go unnoticed by him, though he decided to just let that slide for now.

He nuzzled against her chin, enjoying the feeling of her warmth. At the mention of the greenhouse, he perked up, his ears twitching in curiosity.

"Alright, little buddy, let's go." Gwen carried the cat in her arms to the greenhouse, forgetting her phone on the table.

Loki allowed himself to be carried, enjoying the close proximity to her. He looked around with curiosity, taking in the sight of the different plants and flowers around the greenhouse and he started sniffing curiously in multiple directions.

Gwen set the cat down, letting him explore while she got to work.

"I suppose if you are going to be spending time with me, I should figure out what to call you..."

He padded softly over the soil as he sniffed at random plants. As Gwen spoke, he turned his head, ears perking up to listen to her.

He couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing that she was trying to name him. After all, he already had a very distinctive name. But he remained silent, playing the part of the innocent cat a bit longer.

She took care of the plants while she talked to the cat, musing about potential names. "Hmm... I think you look like an 'Ash'. Is that okay?'

Loki froze mid-step, his tail flicking indignantly at the name "Ash." The mere suggestion was insulting—he was a god, not some common house pet with a dull name!

With a dramatic huff, he lifted his chin and turned away, tail high as he strutted toward the more exotic plants, as if to say, "Absolutely not."

"Not that then. I'll keep thinking."

She let the cat wander around and play in the greenhouse while she worked for the next few hours. Eventually, she picked the cat up and looked into its eyes.

"Black cats with blue eyes are kind of rare. You remind me of someone. I don't think he'd like a cat named after him, but I don't care...Thor." She laughed at her own joke. Clearly, this dark cat with the feisty attitude was not Thor. "I'm kidding. You remind me of Loki. That's weird, right?"

Loki stiffened in her arms, his blue eyes widening slightly before narrowing in amusement. Oh, this was too good. He tilted his head, staring back at her with an eerily intelligent gaze—almost as if he understood exactly what she was saying.

Then, slowly, he raised a paw and gently booped her nose with it, as if confirming her suspicions in the most mischievous way possible.

"That one, then? Fine. I'll call you Loki, but if the real one shows up, don't tell him I named a cat after him, okay?" She whispered conspiratorially to the cat.

Loki felt a pang of...something, hearing her say his name so casually. But he quickly dismissed the feeling, reminding himself that he was here playing the part of a cat.

Gwen leaned down and gave the cat a little kiss on the head, and he involuntarily purred in response. It was nice, in a strange sort of way.

He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the simple affection before looking back up at her, as if to say, "Your secret is safe with me."

"Oh! My phone!" She suddenly remembered she had left it on the table in the common room that morning. "Come on, let's go get it."

She set the cat back down and held the greenhouse door open. Loki, ever the curious one, couldn't help but follow her back to the common room. He padded after her with a graceful, fluid motion.

Once they reached the table, he leapt up on it and made himself comfortable, eyes fixed on her as she picked up her phone. She scrolled through her missed messages and then she stopped suddenly, looking completely confused. She had to read the latest ones from Thor a few ‌times before they finally sank in. 

"LOKI?!" Gwen exclaimed, looking over at the cat. “Are you serious? Is that you?”

Thor recognized his brother in cat form and thought it was hilarious that Gwen was holding him in her arms in the picture she sent that morning.

Loki, who had been lounging on the table, sat up straight when he heard her sudden exclamation. He froze for a moment, surprised by the realization that his little game was up.

He looked up at her, almost innocently...if it weren't for the mischievous gleam in his eyes. He let out a soft meow, as if to say, "Surprise..?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes at the cat and studied him carefully. "I see it. I knew you looked like Loki. Alright, change back, your little meow-gesty."

Loki hesitated for just a moment before letting out a dramatic sigh—one that sounded far too human for a cat. Then, with a shimmer of green magic, he shifted back into his usual form, sitting on the table with a smirk.

"Guilty as charged," he said smoothly, flicking a strand of hair out of his face. "Though I must say, 'Little Meow-gesty' is...creative." He tilted his head, studying her reaction with amusement.

"What was this about, Loki? Did you just need your head scratched?" Gwen crossed her arms. She didn’t know whether to be amused at his creativity or annoyed that she had been fooled.

Loki chuckled at her response, leaning back casually. "Hardly, my dear. Though I will admit, the head scratches were pleasant." He met her gaze with a smirk, eyes glittering with mischief.

"Let's just say I was curious. I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out, and it was quite amusing to watch you dote on me without realizing you had a god at your mercy."

"I'll admit, you do make a very cute cat, but if you wanted to follow me around, you could have just said so." Gwen finally smiled. It was pretty funny now knowing that she was treating the God of Mischief like a cuddly creature.

Loki's smirk widened at her response, amused by her unexpected reaction. He let out a low chuckle, eyes gleaming with his usual roguish charm.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" he replied smoothly. "Besides, I rather enjoyed watching you fawn over me as if I were just a common house pet. It was adorable."

He leaned a little closer, the edge of his mouth curling upwards even further. "Admit it, you liked having a god on your lap. Don't think I didn't notice the way you couldn't keep your hands off me as a cat."

"That I won't admit...but if you want to visit me as a cat again, I won't object." Gwen turned to go. “I was this close to keeping you.”

Loki finally stood up from the table, arms crossed over his chest as he shot her a confident smile. He knew there was a part of her that had enjoyed the entire charade.

"And what would you have done had you kept me, hm? Kept me by your side as your personal pet? Given me all the head scratches and treats my little godly heart desired?” He asked playfully, clearly teasing.

"I would have even let you sleep in my bed." With that, Gwen walked away. "Goodbye, Loki," she called back over her shoulder.

Loki blinked, caught off guard by her bold remark—something he didn’t experience often. A slow, intrigued smirk spread across his face as he watched her leave.

"Now that’s a tempting offer," he called back, his voice dripping with amusement. "Perhaps I’ll take you up on it … as a cat, of course."

With a flick of his fingers, green magic swirled around him, and he vanished into thin air, leaving only the faint echo of his laughter behind.