#Him and Mobius are kind of owning my heart today.

[leos-regression-cove]

I looked up Ghosts UK on AO3 and searched for the age regression tag and I am very happy to report that everyone is in agreement that The Captain is an autistic little guy. A little guy who needs some attention and hugs.

[dewdropreader]

❦ ➷ get to know your fellow fanfic writers better ༊ ✧.*

I was tagged by @bebx and @loki-is-my-kink-awakening for this “get to know the writer” tag! Thank you! 😊

when did you post your first ever fanfic?

I believe in 2012-2013? I was around 13-14 years old, so around then anyway (my first one doesn’t exist online anymore as far as I know so I can’t double check.) it was the usual middle school fandom girl era lol. First for my current account was February of 2022!

first character you wrote for:

It would have been Rin Matsuoka from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club! Specifically him and Nitori, they were one of my fave ships in that series!

main character(s) you’re currently writing for:

Basically anyone from the Loki series but especially Loki and Mobius and Sylvie, not necessarily in that order or all together but some combo of them 💚

character(s) you haven’t written about before but plan on writing about soon:

I haven’t written for OFMD but would really like to! I’ve had a lot of feels s2, no solid ideas yet but maybe something will spark some inspiration! Also Red White and Royal Blue! I haven’t gotten a chance to read the book yet but I watched the movie and got hooked and love those boys too 💕 so maybe one or both of them if the Loki series even temporarily gets it’s hooks out of me (with s2 though I’ve been as bad if not worse than before with my obsession so who knows lol)

And for within marvel the ship that got me into fanfic and got me to make this current ao3 account was Stucky so even though I only read for them and never wrote, they always have a place in my heart!

fandom(s) you’re currently writing for:

Also just Loki atm! But who knows for the future.

platonic pairing(s) you currently write for:

Mobius and any of the void Lokis as the best found family ever (Mobius and kid, Mobius and classic, Mobius and all of them my beloveds)

I haven’t written it recently but also wrote B-15 and Sylvie in a non romantic context and even though I think they’re also cute romantically I love them as a platonic pair and want to do more with them too! Similarly Sylvie and C-20, I wish they could have been friends if things had gone a bit differently 🥺

romantic pairing(s) you currently write for:

Lokius and Sylkius! Haven’t written any pure Sylki but who knows (I just like Mobius too much to not include him atm)

your top 3 tags on AO3 (if you post your works on AO3):

Hurt/comfort, fluff, and hugs 😂 sounds about right to me! I like some pain and crying and working through stuff but need the hugs and comfort alongside it/after it for sure.

your current platform where you post your works

AO3 is the same as my name here!

I try to post my fics links on tumblr too but don’t always remember so ao3 is always best bet if you want to read my stuff!! 😍

snippet of the wip you’re currently working on:

Right now I’m most heavily focused on a character study type fic cataloging different moments with Sylvie adapting to her McDonald’s life but specifically looking at her relationship with Jack, I think she would have such a great big sister vibe and they could learn a lot from each other 🥹

“Good job today, Sylvie,” Jack says, his lopsided smile clear even before Sylvie glances his way. He’s always got compliments and kindness at the ready, and he’s young and gentle enough that they’re always believable.

“Thanks, Jack,” she feels a smile curl onto her face. She still, even after knowing Loki and Mobius and B-15, feels like she doesn’t know how to have friends or family or any genuine connections at all. But Jack is the first in a long time to feel so real to her, to feel like a relationship she can stick with, with these new more permanent circumstances and her distance from the trauma of the TVA. She doesn’t remember what it’s like to be a sister, her memories of Thor long gone beyond the occasional glimmers in her dreams, let alone what being the older sister would be like, but this is what she suspects it is. A fierce protectiveness and gentle care, the ignoring of any silly flaws or naïveté because you just care about the person. That’s what she has for Jack, ever since he took her under his wing as an employee, she’s done the same for him as just a person.

“Mind if I stay here for a bit? My ma is going to be a few more minutes.”

Sylvie just smiles softly and scoots over on the wide hood of her truck, gesturing to the empty spot.

Jack nods rather sagely as he awkwardly hoists himself on to the hood of the truck, pushing himself up with his arms and then practically throwing himself on to it.

He pants softly as he adjusts to lay on his back a foot or two away from Sylvie, giving her another boyish grin. “Hey.”

“Very smooth, Jack,” Sylvie snorts.

“Your truck is huge! I’ve ridden in trucks before but yours is massive! I’m not sure how you even get up here, you’re shorter than me!” He laughs.

“My little secret, I guess,” Sylvie shrugs with a slight smile, returning her gaze to the inky sky, dotted with a trillion stars.

I’m excited to keep writing this, I’ve got some Lokius ideas in the works too but this one has been my focus for a few days!!

I’d love to see anyone do this that is interested but I’ll tag my usual group!!

@insert-witty-user-name-here @starport-seven-five @lgwilt @mirilyawrites @cha-melodius @chaos-monkeyy @waterhorseyblues-ao3 @blackbirdofasgard @dreamycloud @queen-of-meows

[daisybell17]

day 89: Loki Season Finale

I write daily entries but today is an exception because im going to ramble about loki (ok besides getting taylor swift tickets today)

Something about this ending has left a sore ache in my chest (i literally had to leave the room because i watched with my mom)

As O.B. puts it best, it’s like a snake eating its own tail. Loki is burdened with glorious purpose…THIS was that, this NEEDED to happen, yes even Sylvie killing He Who Remains NEEDED to happen. i hope others agree with me when i say that i do NOT want a season 3, what would it even be about? THIS was the ending. Loki being Yggdrasil, him seeing, holding this role, this responsibility, is such an amazing end to a character that has had go grown and change,

mature and fulfil his glorious purpose…and can we talk about how Loki heard Mobius? he’s watching over the people he loves, the “who” in the equation, even if we did not get lokius…i’d like to think Loki watches over Mobius especially…there is a special place in Loki’s heart for him AND his friends

If anyone told 2012 avengers obsessed me that this is what Loki would turn out to be? i’d probably call you insane, something inside me both broke and healed from this ending

I have never loved a character as much as him in my entire life and to see that this is where his

story concludes? it’s a bittersweet ending that leaves you wanting more, but when you ask yourself what else do you want from this…it’s kind of hard to answer.

I still cannot articulate everything i feel, ngl i wand to cry my eyes out but my family is here

god…what a show. what a character. i love loki so much…and I LOVE TOM HIDDLESTON THIS MAN IS THE DEFINITION OF PERFECTION AND TALENT

AND HE NAILED THIS PERFECTLY. ABSOLUTE ART. LITERALLY A MASTERPIECE. THE BIGGEST ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THE MAN OF THE SHOW. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. I LOVE HIM AS LOKI.

and with that…this might be it, and i’m alright with that.

[lailyn]

MTH 2022 Auction Fill

@marveltrumpshate auction fill for @arabesqueangel

A Face In The Crowd (Chapter 1/3)

Summary:

Embarking on missions to track down errant Loki Variants is a dangerous endeavour, one that has landed Loki in the care of Doctor Strange, TVA's very own medical expert, time and time again.

To say that their engagement got off to a rocky start would be an understatement.

"I don’t want you getting any ideas. The infirmary is just as secure as anywhere else here at the TVA."

"Just what do you think I'm going to do, Mobius?" Loki asked in exasperation. “Please, give me ideas. I don’t have near enough in my head already.”

"Loki, I mean it. Don't get on his nerves. He can make your life very easy, or very difficult," Mobius warned. "Both our lives, actually."

"What absolutely unnecessary advice," Loki said. "When am I ever not on my best behaviour?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Mobius deadpanned. 

"Yes," Loki crossed his arms petulantly. "In writing."

Mobius shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"If this guy is so unpleasant, why are we going to him in the first place?"

“You gotta ask?” Mobius pointed at Loki's blood-soaked sleeve. "You're bleeding all over the floor. And that is a brand-new jacket."

"If I had my magic, this would have healed ages ago," Loki huffed, fingering the cut gingerly.

"But you don't have your magic, do you?” Mobius challenged. “Besides, Vincent’s real pedantic about seeing the new Variants and giving them the all clear before sending them out into the field."

"Why bother?" Loki muttered. “You’re going to do away with us all in the end.”

"It's standard procedure. I can't have you drop dead from an undiagnosed heart condition or something and jeopardise the mission." 

Loki's nose crinkled. "Have I ever done that before?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Mobius said. “Once or twice.”

"You can't be serious."

"It's the truth. I remember one time, it was smallpox that did you in." Mobius shuddered at the memory. "It really wasn't pretty."

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

______________________________________________

“Agent Mobius! What have you brought for me today?" 

A tall man dressed in a white coat waltzed through the sterile orange doors. There was no mistaking the glee in his steps. "You caught a rather big fish, I hear." 

"News travels fast," Mobius said dryly. "Vincent, meet Loki. Loki, meet Vincent Strange."

The man with the frosty eyes smiled. His striking good looks made him appear even more aloof. "Doctor Vincent Strange. For now. Haven't had the chance to get acquainted with each other, have we?"

Mobius snorted. "Somehow I can see that happening in no time. He's a bit clumsy, this one."

"Perfect," Vincent purred, flashing his perfect teeth in a grin as wide as it was false. "My favourite kind of variant."

"Let's see what we have, shall we?” Vincent patted the stool next to him. "Sit yourself down right here."

Loki reluctantly did as he was told. 

"Take your jacket off," Vincent ordered.

No sooner had Loki shrugged the offending garment off than the doctor started poking and prodding at the oozing cut on his forearm. "Now that is a beautiful wound. Clean edges, satisfyingly deep…and my, my, I haven't had a wound bed this pristine in a while. Did you inflict this on yourself?"

Loki wrenched his arm away. “Is this man for real?”

A strong hand snaked around Loki’s wrist and tugged it back down hard. “I didn’t say I was done with you, sweetheart.”

“Sweet - oh for the love of - Mobius, just kill me,” Loki begged.

“That’s what you always say,” Vincent sighed. “Still you lot refuse to die the most.”

“Strange,” Mobius warned.

"Oh, we're not talking about that, are we?" The man's eyebrows shot up to meet his hairline. "When is this one from? Fresh from the fall?"

"A bit further down the timeline, but he's still a little raw."

"I'm sure your stint at the TVA will toughen you up in no time."

“I’m simply dying with anticipation,” Loki said, voice dripping with acid. 

Mobius clucked his tongue. “Yeah, he’s a bit mouthy, this one.”

“Aren’t they all? Except for the last Loki you brought me. Now she was all mouth...literally.” Vincent chuckled at what Loki suspected was an inside joke, judging by the way Mobius allowed himself a faint smile.

“Oh, but this one - he had his muzzle on for quite some time too.” Vincent held Loki's chin in a pincer grip and turned his patient’s head from side to side. “I can see the marks.”

“Just long enough for us to collar him. Didn’t see the point of putting it back on,” Mobius explained. “We kinda needed him to talk.”

"You're my favourite analyst, you know that?" Vincent said. "You handle your assets beautifully."

"Can't let the goods get too damaged," Mobius said modestly.

"Of course, of course. But these Lokis, they’re ten a penny these days." Vincent's piercing gaze roamed Loki's face in naked fascination. "How long are you going to last, I wonder?"

"I hope that's a rhetorical question, Strange," Mobius said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. "You know that's above my pay grade."

Vincent tsk-tsked. “What’s taking you so long, Mobius? You need to climb up that ladder and climb it fast while you’ve still got Renslayer wrapped around your little finger.”

Mobius turned red. “I don’t - she and I - we’re not like that.”

"It's alright, Mobius,” Vincent interrupted him mid-sputter. “I can handle it from here."

"Are you sure?" Mobius asked sceptically. "Protocol says - "

"He doesn't pose any real danger," Vincent said mildly. "Look at him. He's harmless."

If the remark was meant to invoke a rise out of Loki, it fell short of the mark. To his credit, the former second prince of Asgard weathered the scrutiny with a poise that almost made Mobius proud. 

"Yes, Mobius. No harm will come to the good doctor," Loki promised. "Not today." 

"Did you hear that, Agent Mobius?" Vincent asked. "Best attend to your business and leave me to mine."

Mobius doubted it was the smartest thing to do, leaving the two men to their own devices, but what choice did he have? "I won't be long."

"Isn't that up to Judge Renslayer to decide?" Vincent asked impishly. "Tell her I will have the report on L1130 on her desk by the end of the day. And I will have to report you too for using the merchandise before proper inspection."

"Tell her yourself, jerk."

As soon as Mobius left, Vincent's wolfish smile sharpened. "He likes me. He just doesn't show it." 

Loki remained mute. 

"He likes you, that's for sure. I wonder why." Vincent tilted his head quizzically. "Why are you special? Why didn't they prune you?"

"Am I to answer any of those questions?" Loki asked politely.

"Oh, please don't. I was talking to myself and I don't like interruptions."

"My apologies."

"But it is indeed a curious thing. Do excuse me for saying this, but you're super ordinary," Vincent said critically. "Relatively speaking, of course."

"Met many Lokis, have you?" 

"I'm not complaining. You're easier to fix than most variants that pass through these doors,” Vincent said. “Your pieces are still in one piece. Mostly.”

True to his words, Vincent spent the next few minutes diligently cleaning the wound and suturing it with a deftness that bespoke decades of experience. He asked no questions about whom or what had inflicted the wound; it was clearly of no import to him.

The orchestral music in the background had died down, giving way to the dramatic tremolos of a familiar, haunting tune. A baritone soared and swelled above the trickling piano, rich and full. 

It was beautiful. Loki hated everything about it. How Vincent could hear anything through his stethoscope with all the noise was anyone's guess.

Loki tried to distract himself by focusing on his breathing. The stainless steel diaphragm burned like a thousand insects crawling underneath his skin.

But the song…the more time they spent not talking, the louder it became.

"Why do you listen to this drivel?" Loki asked, when he could stand the cacophony no longer.

Vincent did not answer immediately.

"It relaxes me," he said, once he had finished listening to Loki's chest. "What's the matter? I thought you, of all people, would appreciate my choice in music."

"Why would you think that?"

"The night you blinded that poor man in Stuttgart. The orchestra was playing this very piece."

"I don't remember it," Loki said flatly.

"I didn't expect you to," the doctor said with a shrug. "Selective amnesia is quite prevalent among you Variants."

Vincent pulled off his gloves and shoved his hands into his lab coat pockets, but not before Loki caught sight of the fine scars running down the back of the long, tapered fingers. 

As disfigured as they were, there was no mistaking the grace in them. They were a pianist’s hands, that much Loki could tell. “Do you play?”

Silence ensued. 

“What happened to your hands?” Loki pressed. 

Still Vincent said nothing.

Emboldened by the lack of response from the suddenly reticent man, Loki leaned forward eagerly.

“You taunt me, yet you deny me conversation. So much for a warm welcome, Doctor.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise my hospitality has left something to be desired,” Vincent said sarcastically. “Would you like me to bring out some tea?”

“I wouldn't be opposed to that idea. Nor would I mind something a little more merry.” Loki made a face. “Schubert’s brilliant but his sonatas grew too despondent toward the end.”

“He died too young, left the world wanting for more."

"By contrast, live too long and you risk the world cursing your existence."

Either Loki’s relentless questions had angered him, or something in the song had triggered the doctor, as it did Loki. 

"Lucky for you the world has very poor memory,” Vincent said sharply. “History will forget you soon enough, Loki Laufeyson."

Loki lunged but Vincent was ready. One second, Loki had the doctor thrust against the wall, the very next, he was contorted on the floor, spasming in agony.

“I am Doctor Vincent Strange of the TVA.” 

Vincent towered over the writhing form. He retrieved his hand from his pocket and opened his fist, revealing the Time Twister in his grasp. “I am not your friend. I don't make small talk. And I certainly do not serve tea." 

He crouched down, studying the veins in Loki’s neck as they swelled, engorged from his prisoner’s vain effort to dislodge the time displacement collar. "You…are Der Leiermann.” 

“What?” 

“A sad, wretched man tinkering with his hurdy-gurdy at the very edge of the world, but no one wants to hear him. No one wants to look at him." 

Vincent bent to whisper in Loki’s ear. “Not even the dogs."

Tears blurred Loki's vision, hot and stinging.

Kill me. 

“Your life is in my hands. You are at my mercy. Do we understand each other?”

“Go to Hel,” Loki spat furiously.

Vincent's frozen demeanour cracked. A sad smile glimmered through, softening his features. "You poor thing.”

He thumbed the wetness dewing along Loki’s lashes and flicked the tears away. 

"Hell can't fit the both of us," he said gently. "And right now, you're in it."

Loki struggled against his invisible bonds but no matter how he roared and screamed and prayed, it went unheard. 

Schubert's Winterreise played on, sombre and never ending.

TBC

[pinknatural]

CASTIEL, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN, Michael says. YOU WILL JOIN THE ELITE GARRISON--LED BY ME, OF COURSE, TO RETRIEVE MY SWORD FROM HELL.

YES, MICHAEL, Castiel says.

--

“Are you sure you wanna go by yourself?” Sam asks.

“It’s gotta be me,” Dean says. He looks between Sam and Eileen and Jack and Claire and Kaia, tries to memorize their faces. He smiles weakly. “I’ll be back soon.”

He turns around. Michael lifts his hands. Dean takes a moment to commit his youngest brother’s face to memory. “Ready?”

“Yes,” Dean says, and Michael opens the portal.

--

Hell is loud. Screams from the tortured souls fill the air. Cries from demons fill the sound, and overtop are wails from the Cage. Castiel shudders at the sound of angelic screeching, grating and unexpected against his grace. He grips his blade tighter and dives between a layer of racks. 

He has his orders--fight the demons. Find the Righteous Man. Call Michael, allow him to retrieve his sword. Losses of angelic lives are unfortunate but perhaps necessary. Castiel recites them like a mantra, and a swarm of demons leaps for him. He flares his wings wide and bares his teeth and turns the full force of his hundreds of eyes onto them, and he fights.

--

The Empty is quiet. Eerily so. Every footstep Dean takes is muffled. He cannot hear himself breathe, cannot hear his heart, beating against his chest. For a moment, he’s certain he is dead, but when he puts his palm over his breast, he feels it, a steady tattoo against his ribcage. Dean tightens his grip on his angel blade, and he keeps walking forward. 

--

In the distance, Castiel spots Sarah fall. He dives sideways. He has always been smaller than his siblings, has always been a bit faster, and he slips between the cracks of the first circle, and descends deeper into the pit.

--

OOHH...LITTLE HUMAN, a voice, slimy and awful, says, curling around him like the worst kind of hug. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

“I’m here for my angel,” Dean says. He stares up at nothing, defiant. He’s glad he can hear his own voice.

THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG, the voice says. HE IS MY ANGEL NOW. SLEEPING BESIDE HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, TUCKED IN A LINE, DREAMING OF HIS GREAT REGRETS. AND OH, LITTLE HUMAN, HE HAS MANY. 

“I ain’t leaving without him,” Dean says, clenching his fist. His shoulder feels like it’s burning. 

LITTLE HUMAN, YOU ARE NOT MEANT FOR THE EMPTY. NOT WHILE THAT HEART BEAT-BEAT-BEATS INSIDE YOUR CHEST. LEAVE. YOU MAY RETURN WHEN YOU DIE. YOU WERE PROMISED TO ME, YOU KNOW. 

“You don’t want me stuck inside you forever,” Dean says, then he winces because okay, that was kinda dirty. “I’m kind of an expert at being annoying. I’m also an expert in tearing up afterlives.”

OH, HUMAN. YOU POOR THING. HOW EMBARRASSING. YOUR DESIRE FOR THE ANGEL LEAKS OUT OF YOUR PORES. 

Dean snarls. “Who are your greatest prizes?” he asks. “Which angels and demons do you have the most pride in keeping here? And who handed them directly to you?”

--

Castiel isn’t sure where Michael is. He isn’t even sure where he is. He assumes the Righteous Man is in the seventh circle, but he’s been through so many, been pushed back and pulled forward, and he could be anywhere. 

Angels do not get tired. Castiel thinks that if he could be, he would be. He feels another of his brothers die. A hoard of demons is attempting to sneak up on him. Castiel whirls around, flaring his wings, and he smites them all.

There are millions of angels. There are billions of demons. 

This will take a while.

--

HERE’S THE DEAL, LITTLE HUMAN. IF YOU FIND YOUR ANGEL, YOU CAN DRAG HIM OUT OF HERE AND NEITHER OF YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO RETURN. BUT IF YOU CHOOSE THE WRONG ANGEL, I WILL TAKE YOU TODAY AND NEVER LET YOU GO. BUT DON’T WORRY--I’LL MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR SLEEPING RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR BELOVED ANGEL. 

“Deal,” Dean says, because of course he knows who Cas is, of course he does, but all of a sudden the darkness of the Empty is lit up in a brilliant white light, and thousands and thousands of--shapes--are before him. Angels, Dean realizes. In their true form. And he has to find one specific one, that he’s never seen before. 

This will take a while.

--

Castiel sneaks into a new circle. He will be found, sooner or later, but for now he is undetected. He inspects his surroundings--blood and fire and souls writhing on their racks. His grace brightens for a moment before he tampers it back down. This is the seventh circle! The Righteous Man could be any of these souls. Castiel creeps forward. 

--

Rows and rows of angels, floating before him, all blue-white with grace, all dormant and asleep. They are hard to look at, too bright and too confusing, constantly twisting and shifting. They look like something outta Escher, or a Mobius strip, or maybe just a tangled mass of wires. Four or five animal heads or no heads at all, thousands of eyes or maybe just a mass of wings, tucked over and over each other. Dean can only really look at each one with a glance. And he’s sure none of them are his.

--

The Righteous Man’s soul burns bright, brighter than any human soul Castiel has ever seen. He is doing the torturing, not being tortured, and the cheeks of the humanoid shape the golden soul has taken shine with tears. He is in agony, and he loves what he does as he carves into the soul before him.

--

There’s a smaller angel than the others. When Dean looks at it, it looks kind of like a conch shell, curling and swirling, and kind of like a bird, and kind of like a knot, twisted and tangled. It is small, but it is bright. Blue-white with grace but braided with other colors too, red and orange and yellow and green and purple and pink and colors Dean’s never even heard of. His left shoulder throbs painfully, and Dean stares at the angel with awe.

--

Castiel knows he is supposed to call Michael. He knows Michael is supposed to lift his sword from perdition. But--

the Righteous Man is so beautiful. So brilliant. Castiel cannot help it.

--

Dean’s shoulder is painful and the angel shifts and changes and Dean has to be 100% sure, but this angel is the most beautiful thing Dean’s ever seen. He can’t tear his gaze away.

--

Castiel reaches out.

--

Dean reaches out.

--

When Dean wakes up, he is alone.

--

When Cas wakes up, he has only time to inhale before he’s tucked into Dean’s arms, face pressed into his neck, held tighter, and tigher, and Cas reaches his arms around Dean and digs his fingers into his jacket and inhales Dean’s scent and breathes, breathes. 

[myysaints]

late nights (mobius)

mobius m. mobius x reader

summary: you and mobius spend a late night at the TVA office.

contains: fluff, no plot whatsoever, just pining

notes: no idea what this is, not proofread, i just love mobius and missed him in ep. 3. also! considering turning this into a mini-series? maybe reader and mobius in europe 👀 

masterlist

Late nights at the office are always tedious, especially as Mobius M. Mobius’s secretary. 

While your co-workers get to leave for their homes and partners and families and all that is warm and comforting, you’re stuck in the cold, empty office, seated behind a mountain of paperwork, toiling away till you physically can’t prop your head up any longer. 

At which point, you fall asleep right on your desk, and wait for Mobius to wake you before he leaves. 

You suppose you have a rather odd relationship with the analyst. 

Ask around, and you’ll quickly learn that each high-ranking analyst has their own respective secretary, and that none of them are as close as you are to Mobius. 

Perhaps it’s the fact that the both of you have nothing but your work to keep you company. You have no family waiting for you back home, just a small, hollow apartment, and to your knowledge, that’s exactly what it’s like for Mobius too. 

Except he lives in a penthouse while you’re crammed into a shoebox sized studio, but that’s besides the point. 

The idea that he’s as equally lonely as you, that that’s the reason behind your out-of-the-ordinary working relationship… It’s a thought you like to mull on, especially when you want to quell the rapid beating of your heart that starts up only when he’s nearby, and especially on particularly lonely nights at the office. 

Like tonight. 

Tonight has been even worse than the typical all-nighter. The arrival of a Loki variant, even if he is somewhat cooperative, has been a nightmare for you - Mobius runs around on the field whilst you’re all but chained to your desk by the paperwork that comes with. 

You yawn loudly as you stretch, legs feeling wobbly as you stand for the first time in what feels like hours. I say “feels like”, because there is truly no way of telling how long it’s been since you first sat down at your desk today. 

Time, of course, works differently here in the TVA. 

“Tired already?” 

Whipping around, you find yourself face to face with an equally exhausted-looking Mobius, who, despite the obvious fatigue on his face, cracks a soft smile. He waves two cups of coffee carelessly in the air. 

“Maybe I should let you do your own paperwork next time, hmm?” you tease, before murmuring a soft thanks as he hands you a cup of piping hot coffee. 

After a small sip, you look up at him in delight. 

“You got my favourite,” you exclaim in pleasant surprise, secretly enjoying the flush that creeps upon his face. You’d never tell him this, but he’s agonisingly cute when he’s embarrassed. Is that odd to think? Of your boss, especially?

He rubs the back of his neck almost sheepishly, shrugging. “What kind of boss would I be if I didn’t know my own secretary’s coffee order?” 

Gosh, are you thankful that the dimmed lights mask the uncontrollable smile on your face. 

“Anyways, I sent Loki off to ransack the pantry,” Mobius says, noticing your distracted gaze. Slightly embarrassed at having been caught with your mind wandering, you nod apprehensively. 

Raising an eyebrow, you ask, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Letting him wander by himself?” 

Mobius merely chuckles, shaking his head in amusement. “He’s got a good heart. The worst that could happen is that he clears out the place, which I already expect him to do. He isn’t a threat.” 

You smile into your coffee, eyes flicking towards the folder on your table. “LOKI - VARIANT L1130” is printed on it in neat letters. You remember the hours you and Mobius spent pouring over it, learning everything you could about the variant. “You really trust him, huh?” 

Without looking up, you can feel his eyes on you. “Yeah, I do.” 

You turn to face him, watching as the world outside the office window is reflected in the deep brown of his eyes. With a quick intake of air and a smile too affectionate to be considered work-appropriate, you reply confidently, “Okay. Then so do I.” 

The two of you stay like this, Mobius perched on your desk and you in your chair, watching the lights outside the office window flicker on and off. In this serene glow, everything feels at peace. 

You let yourself indulge in the idea of a future with him -  the man you’ve worked under for so long, the man whose coffee order you have memorised and he yours, the man who slips his coat jacket over your sleeping figure when you work late, the man who constantly praises you and cheers you on, the man you feel like you’ve known your entire existence - 

You and him. Together. 

Till the end of time. 

---

Mobius M. Mobius is not typically one to count his blessings. But there’s one blessing he makes sure to be thankful for, every single day. 

Often, he’s too caught up in chasing after some troublesome variant, but that doesn’t mean he can ignore the godsend presence in his life that is you. 

In a way, you are literally a godsend - created by the Time-Keepers with an exceptional knack for multitasking, incredible patience, and an unparalleled sense of humor. 

And of course, a personality he could not help but be drawn to. 

So as he sits beside you, the troubles of this new variant pushed to the back of his mind, he struggles not to let his gaze wander and linger on you. 

You are gorgeous. You are beautiful. You are amazing and kind and genuine and imperfectly perfect in every way possible. 

In this rushed profession, Mobius doesn’t usually have much time to stop and thank the people in his work - He owes Hunter B-15 maybe fifteen cups of coffee, and Renslayer three favours (and maybe more, depending on how this Loki mission goes). And there are a bunch of other people in the office whose names he can’t quite remember. 

But he makes an effort for you. 

He memorised your coffee order and favourite pastry, and picks it up alongside his own breakfast every morning. He leaves it on your desk without a note, but you always know it’s him. He always stays late, always makes sure that you leave the office before he does. 

On occasions where missions take him to places and times you’re particularly interested in, he makes it a point to bring home a little trinket. Your desk is adorned with memorabilia spanning across decades, centuries even. 

“You ever wonder what it’d be like to… To leave?” 

His head snaps over at the sound of your voice. You don’t meet his gaze; Instead, your eyes are focused on the scenery before you, the sprawling landscape of time entrapped within time. The non-existent place, the in-between moment in the universe in which you reside. 

Free from humanity. Free from the horrors of the real world. Free from the mistakes and errs and slip-ups that abound everywhere else in the universes, but are only momentary blips in the TVA. 

“I can’t say I have,” he finally replies, curious to where this conversation is going, “Have you?” 

You smile, and there’s a hint of sadness, of the yearning for something more in your eyes. “I have. Everyday.” 

A moment of silence passes, and Mobius’s mind races. Thinking, thinking. Is this life not enough for you? Do you really want to escape the TVA so badly? Is it because of him? Sure, he doesn’t always finish his own paperwork, and yes, the paperwork trail he leaves behind can be a little nightmarish, but he tries. And he tries to help you where he can. But maybe he’s in the wrong. 

“Am I really that bad of a boss?” he quips, only half-joking, silently praying that his worst fears won’t come true. Thankfully, to his immense relief, you shake your head frantically. 

“No, no, of course not! Mobius, you’re… You’re the reason I still come to work each day,” you say quietly, and Mobius truly has no idea if that’s meant as a joke, or if you’re being genuine. Either way, he blushes, desperately hoping that the flush creeping onto his face is masked in the darkness. 

“It’s just… Earth… It feels like home, you know?” You shrug. “It’s silly, but sometimes it feels like it’s calling to me. Like I left something behind there. I dunno.” 

“So what would you do on Earth?” 

A dreamy smile spreads across your face. “I’d travel all over Europe. I want to see everything, to see it all; The hills, the history, the sights, the smells, the animals, and the beautiful, beautiful people. I want to feel the sun. I want to see nature.” 

He chuckles. “Europe. Hmm, you know, I can kinda see it. You’d look pretty in France” 

Though the office is dark, and though you’re ducking away, he swears he sees a flicker of a bashful smile on your face. It’s enough to make him stand a little taller, a little prouder. 

And you would. Look pretty in France, I mean. He can picture it now: You, wrapped in a beautiful dress, standing on a balcony, the Parisian landscape unfolding behind you. You, illuminated by the thousands of stars that hang in the sky, instead of the office lights. You, smiling and alive. You, hand wrapped in his. 

You, and him. 

“Whaddya say, Mobius? You, me, France, Italy, Germany, Greece… We’ll go everywhere,” you beam up at him.

“And just what would we do all over Europe, bunny?” 

The nickname comes as a surprise to you, and for a second Mobius instantly regrets ever saying it. 

But then you’re laughing, doubling over, hand reaching to squeeze his. “Bunny? Europe getting you excited too, hmm?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves it off, a little embarrassed but nonetheless enjoying the sight of you doubled over in a fit of laughter. You look pretty when you laugh. You look pretty doing anything. 

Wiping a tear from your eye, you calm yourself and say, “We’d do everything. Anything and everything. There’s so much to do on Earth, and we can’t possibly do them all - But we can try!” 

You grin mischievously, stretching a hand out to him. “Shake my hand,” you put on a gravelly voice, a playful glint in your eye. “Won’t you shake a poor sinner’s hand?” 

At his confused frown, you shake your head, making a mock-disappointed “Tssk, tssk,” sound. 

“Princess and the Frog? Hello? It’s a Disney classic?” 

“Oh! It’s one of those little… The little animated movies, right?” 

You sigh, but a small smile tugs at the corners of your lips. “We really have to brush up on your Disney knowledge.” 

He laughs, smiling fondly back at you. “Well, we can do all that in Europe, and more.” 

With an equally bright and affectionate smile, you whisper, leaning in towards him, “In Europe, and more.” 

And he repeats, his face grinning and only inches from yours, “In Europe, and more.”

[monicashipslokius]

“Kneel.”

Loki looks at them, these simple mortal beings. So primitive. Like ants, running loose, lost without a queen. But they needn’t fear any longer. Loki is here, and will be their leader now. They will find purpose - glorious purpose - under their rule.

“Kneel!” Loki says again, louder, and finally they fall into line. One after the next, down to their knees, to praise -

“Um. Excuse me. Uh, sorry. This is awkward.” A man steps away from the rest. He’s wearing a dreary brown suit with a tie that needs fixing. Gray hair. Mustache. A typical, everyday Midgardian.

Loki should silence him at once. And yet - they still their hand. There’s something oddly... compelling about this fumbling oaf. Perhaps it’s the way he’s looking at Loki. Not with fear, but with interest. Curiosity. Almost a quiet understanding.

No one ever looks at Loki like that.

The man rubs the back of his neck. “It’s just that. Well. I think I might be your soulmate?”

Someone in the crowd shushes him.

Another asks, “Are you crazy?”

A woman hisses, “Mobius. There’s no way -”

The man - Mobius - glances back at her and shrugs. “So they’re ambitious.”

“They’re going to kill you.”

“Nah.” Mobius turns back to Loki. “Just a little pussycat.”

He starts forward, gently moving through the kneeling crowd, whispering, “Excuse me, pardon me, coming through,” on his way to the front.

Loki tracks his every step, watchful for any sign of trickery, but they can detect no magic on this mortal. The absolute gall of this man, to approach Loki - child of Asgard, god of mischief - as if they are equals.

Loki shouldn’t just silence him, they should scorch him from the whole of the realms.

But then Mobius smiles at Loki, a big, wide thing that twists Loki up inside. Perhaps they will wait to destroy him, if only for a moment, if only to hear him out. Loki considers themself a fair god, after all.

Listening. Then destruction.

“Speak, mortal,” Loki commands. “If that is what you desire. But know your life hangs on your words.”

Mobius looks at Loki, watching for a moment, smile never dimming. “Oh, yeah. You’re definitely the one.”

“I am all things,” Loki says, ever magnanimous.

Mobius points at them. “You’re my soulmate.”

Loki frowns. “I am not.” Then they frown harder. They know lies well, and that  felt like a big one.

But that couldn’t be.

“I have no soulmate,” Loki says, ignoring the familiar sting that comes with the words. Words repeated again and again, as all the seers in Asgard looked into their future and saw them standing alone.

Mobius’s smile softens. “Are you sure about that?”

No. Not really. How many years have passed since Loki last had the seers check? Is it possible... perhaps Mobius had been born in that time? He is but a mortal. How old could he be? 40 years? 50? The blink of an eye.

Mobius holds out a hand. “Wouldn’t you like to check?” That suit truly is ridiculous, outdated and well-worn. If they are soulmates, Loki will take him to Asgard at once and buy him -

Loki forces an abrupt stop to their own thoughts. This is deception, meant to shake them from their true purpose.

“Once I discover you are deceiving me, I will purge you from existence.”

“Okay, sure. Whatever you want.” Mobius waves his hand impatiently. “Isn’t worth trying? Then, you know, purge from existence and all that...”

“Mobius,” the same woman whisper-yells from the crowd.

Mobius rolls his eyes. “Work friend. She’s very protective.”

“She has reason to be,” Loki says, looking at that offered hand. At the long, steady fingers, the delicate wrist. Mortals are such fragile things. Beings to be conquered. Not loved.

And yet.

Loki lifts a hand. They rub their thumb and forefinger together. They will attempt a small touch for curiosity’s sake. Then, the promised destruction.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Loki asks.

“No. Excited, maybe. Not everyday you meet your soulmate.”

“You keep saying that.”

“I’m feeling confident.”

Loki swallows hard. Then they reach out. They don’t take Mobius’s hand, not fully. They merely brush the pad of one finger to the edge of his thumb.

It is enough.

Visions flood through their mind. Mobius laughing. Mobius taking Loki’s hand, pressing his lips to their knuckles, one after the next. Mobius leaning in and kissing them on their lips. Mobius pressing Loki against a wall, and Loki letting themself be pressed.

“I love you,” Mobius says under cover of darkness, in the light of day, out in the ocean on the back of some type of motorized water vehicle. “I love you,” again and again, filling the dark depths of Loki’s heart until it overflows, bursting with happiness. With immeasurable love.

Loki snaps back to the present and slowly, so slowly, withdraws their hand.

Mobius’s smile could light the whole city. “I knew it was you.”

Loki opens their mouth to speak, but what comes out is a gasped breath, very near a sob. The love from the vision has vanished, but the phantom feel of it has Loki wanting.

Deception. Has to be. But they are immune to enchantment. And there’s no magic on this man.

To be loved like that. To be held and... cherished. Even now, Mobius looks at them like they hold of all of his hopes and dreams. Loki wonders how they are looking back.

“It’s okay.” Mobius holds up both hands now, like placating a wounded animal. “I know it’s overwhelming.” Mobius takes a small step forward. Loki does too. Mobius is right there. A promise of a life Loki never thought they’d have - right there.

“Mobius,” Loki says, and the name is perfect on their tongue. They could say it a hundred times more, a thousand. They are desperate to. “Mobius.”

“I’m right here.” Mobius steps closer. Loki reaches and grabs his forearm, bunching a handful of that ugly sleeve into their fist. “I’ve got you.”

“You cannot imagine how long -”

“Step away from him,” comes a new, authoritative voice. This one, like Mobius, lacks fear, but unlike Mobius, is decidedly not Loki’s soulmate.

“We’re kind of in the middle of something,” Mobius says over his shoulder, to Captain America. “Could you give us a minute?”

Captain America does not give them a minute. “Release the citizen, Loki.”

“Wow, you are really misreading the situation,” Mobius says.

In the sky, a flying vehicle arms its weapons. Every nerve in Loki’s body stands on end, seeing Mobius in the way of it.

Loki yanks Mobius forward, closer to him, then behind him, shielding him with their body.

“Loki!” Mobius starts.

But its too late. Captain America is moving closer. Loki blocks some of his blows, misses a few others. He’s strong, but not on the level of a god. Not usually. But Loki keeps leaving themself open to protect the vulnerable mortal behind them. Loki doesn’t think Captain America would hurt Mobius, but the risk is too great. The cost is too high for Loki to guess wrong.

The sudden arrival of Tony Stark only makes matters more difficult.

When Loki raises their hands in defeat, Mobius storms around them.

“Mobius,” Loki says in alarm. Mobius is now in the way of far too many weapons. Does he not understand how fragile he is? Or how important?

“I got this, Loki,” Mobius tells them. To the others, “Now everybody hold on a minute.”

“Please move yourself to safety, citizen,” Captain America says.

“I’m perfectly safe right here.”

“Standing right there is how you get a knife in the back,” Tony Stark says.

“Loki won’t hurt me.”

“He must be brainwashed,” Captain America says.

Mobius huffs out a frustrated breath. “You aren’t listening. Loki is my soulmate.”

Tony Stark looks at Captain America. “Definitely brainwashed.” He clears his throat. “But I’ll bite. Who exactly are you?”

“Mobius M. Mobius.”

“Uh, huh. So your parents hated you,” Tony Stark says. Before Mobius can answer, Tony asks, “And what do you do, Mobius M. Mobius?”

“I’m a data analyst for a corporate conglomerate.”

“Right,” Tony Stark says. “Loki of Asgard forever bound to Mobius M. Mobius, the data analyst. Sounds fake, but okay.”

Mobius’s shoulders sink. “You don’t have to be rude about it.”

Annoyance flares hot under Loki’s skin. Mobius is perfect and how dare these simpletons insinuate otherwise. How dare they make him feel anything less than he is.

Loki takes a strong step forward, but Mobius catches sight of them first and places a hand on their chest, stilling them. Loki holds, only for Mobius’s sake.

“It’s no big deal,” Mobius says.

“They cannot speak to you like that. You are the soulmate of a god.”

“I’m not thrilled about it either. Data analysis is a respectable line of work. I’ve saved my company hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Loki nods along, hoping they look impressed enough to spare Mobius’s feelings, when truly they have no idea what he is talking about. But whatever restores Mobius’s confidence is what they will do.

“Huh,” says Tony Stark. “Pencil pusher just stopped the god of mischief with a touch. You see that?”

“I saw it,” says Captain America. “I don’t think they’re lying.”

Mobius presses his lips together in a hard line before taking a breath and saying, “Loki, you have magic, right? Can you like...” He holds up his hands and waggles his fingers. “Magic us out of here. I think it’s getting a little crowded. Some conversations are supposed to be private.”

Loki likes the idea of... talking, but they had a plan when they came here today.

Loki looks at the scepter. At the people, no longer kneeling. At Captain America and Tony Stark, arguing about Mobius. And then, finally, they look at Mobius himself, with his calm, steady presence, ever-soft smile, and ill-fitting suit.

Loki meant to conquer all of Midgard. And this, being captured, was part of the plan. But. Perhaps. What’s waiting another day? Or two.

They very well can’t let Mobius be captured. To think of it, most of their plans might need changing now.

“Hold onto me,” Loki says.

“Happily.” Mobius goes easily into their arms.

And Loki holds tight as they magic away.

[syllvane]

muscle memory pt. 3- sylvie x reader

a/n: i said i was going to post tomorrow but i couldn’t help myself. anyways, spoilers for episode 2 and 3 of loki, minor spoilers for the beginning of episode 3. final word count is 1.7k words!

read the previous part  read the next part   read the series  

“How is Loki doing?” You asked Mobius, walking with him to the mess hall.

“He’s doing great. Making real progress, I would say.”

“Didn’t you have to have a meeting with Renslayer this morning because of his actions?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. His face scrunched up for a second.

“It’s like every time he is making progress, he takes two steps back.”

“That sounds more believable. You still think he’s worth all the trouble though?”

Mobius sighed slightly. “I really do believe in him. It’s not just an issue of whether I believe in him though, it’s whether Ravonna and the Timekeepers do.”

“Oh, you’re on first name basis now, with Renslayer?” You turned and grinned at Mobius, who immediately flushed after realizing his mistake.

“Not a word of this to anyone.” He said strictly, although there was a smile on his face as well.

“Yeah, yeah.” You said, standing in line with Mobius as he ordered his lunch before sitting down at a two-seat table. “Ravonna and Mobius-”

“C-7.” Mobius said strictly, although you could tell he was partly amused by your antics.

You continued in the same quiet, sing-songy voice as before.

“-on a jet ski. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

Mobius finished taking a sip of his drink and then applauded quietly, so as to not draw attention.

“Has anyone ever told you that you truly have all the originality of a grade-schooler?”

Before you could answer, you were interrupted by a tall man with long dark hair speed walking over to where Mobius and you were sitting.

Although he seemed to be in a hurry, you could tell that he was sizing up everybody in the room, including yourself.

“I found- oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there. Would you mind moving so that me and my partner could discuss something?” He asked politely, even smiling.

You locked eyes with him, smiling back at him.

“I’m good, thanks. You can just pull up a chair.”

His smile wavered and he maintained eye contact for a couple of moments longer before breaking it, going to a different table and pulling over a chair.

(You ignored the pointed look Mobius shot at you, like he was asking you to be the bigger person here. Unfortunately for him, you had no such intentions.)

“Right. I know how the Variant is hiding.”

Mobius leaned back.

“Talk about burying the lead. How?”

Loki smiled slightly, this smile much different from his last- he was proud of himself.

“He’s hiding in apocalypses.” 

There was a moment of silence. You and Mobius exchanged a glance.

“Which one? There’s like a million all across history.” Mobius pointed out and Loki took a second to compose himself before starting his explanation.

You sat back as he explained his reasoning, watching with amusement as he put more salt and pepper into Mobius’ salad, handing him your own drink when he realized that Mobius’ drink was empty.

He gave you a nod of recognition and Mobius sent you another, even more exasperated glance as Loki poured your drink into the salad (although, in your opinion, seeing Loki grin like that made it worth it).

                                                             —— “How was Pompeii?” You asked, not even having to look up from the apocalypse case files to figure out that it was Loki who was approaching you.

He stopped for a minute, almost taken aback by your observation, before continuing and taking a seat in front of you.

“I was right, naturally.”

You scoffed slightly.

“Naturally.”

You looked up at him to find that his piercing eyes were already looking at you, almost curiously.

“You’re already sorting through the apocalypse files.”

“Naturally occurring disasters with no survivors, cross-referenced with the candy that Mobius picked up. You were confident that you were right so I figured I should start looking.”

Loki raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly.

“You’re smarter than you look. Could’ve saved me and Mobius some time.” 

“He forgot to cross-reference?”

He nodded, hesitating for a moment before he grabbed some of the files that you hadn’t started looking over yet.

You looked at him appreciatively, though he wasn’t looking at you anymore. 

The two of you sat there, looking at the case files in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Mobius walked into your office as well.

“What’s this?” Mobius asked, taking a cursory glance at the file on top.

“Kablooie.” You said simply and Mobius sighed slightly, frustrated that he hadn’t thought of it.

He grabbed a couple of files as well, standing up as he started reading.

“I think I have something,” Loki said a couple of minutes later, splaying the case out on your desk so that everyone could see. “Class ten apocalypse. Alabama, 2050.”

You looked it over and even just with a cursory glance, you could tell that this is where the Variant was hiding- you looked over at Mobius and saw pride on his face.

“You’re gonna take my job if I’m not careful.”

“Now to pitch it to Renslayer.” You said and Mobius nodded, already halfway out of your office. He closed the door behind him and you looked at Loki. “I don’t think I’ve seen him this excited in a while. In fact, the last time I saw him this excited, I think we saw a jet ski on a mission.”

Loki smiled to himself, though the expression disappeared when he looked back at you.

“And what about you?”

“Hm?” You tilted your head slightly, caught off-guard by the question.

“What excites you?” 

You held his gaze for a couple of moments, feeling uncomfortable with how he looked at you, as if he knew something about you that you didn’t know about yourself. 

You finally looked away, standing up.

“We should go meet Mobius. We’ll be heading out as soon as he gets the approval.”

“You say this like it’s a sure thing.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Renslayer say no to him. Come on.”

                                                          ——

The rain sounded a hundred times louder when you were listening to it hit the roof of the Roxxcart, so loud that you could barely hear the sound of your own voice above the noise.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, positioning your reset baton defensively. The man standing by the plants seemed to hesitate slightly, although he was still much too calm for this kind of weather.

“Hurricane sale. Azaleas are half-off.”

“Could that be you?” You asked Loki, your eyes never leaving the man. Although his eyes continued to look between you and Loki, his gaze lingered on you longer.

“I… mean… I would’ve worn a suit, but it could be.”

You took a couple steps towards the man and he backed up, looking at you pleadingly.

“I don’t want to do this.” He said quietly and you tilted your head slightly, confused.

You took another step towards him.

“What-”

He grabbed your arm and a warm feeling came over your body.

A woman’s voice in your head lulled you to sleep, promising to bring you home and then everything went dark.

…

“Sylv, why are you acting so weird?” You asked, taking another sip of wine.

The blonde woman across from you smiled, although you could tell that she was forcing it for your sake.

“Another one of my suitors came and visited me today.” She said. You made a face and she laughed slightly.

“Complete fools, every one of them.”

“Fools for being deeply in love with me?” She asked, raising an eyebrow, almost as if she was allowing herself to play the part for a couple of brief moments.

“No, I’m above self-flagellation. They’re fools for thinking that they could ever win your heart.”

She laughed.

“And why is that?”

You leaned back in your chair.

“I have it on very good account that someone already has it.” You said and Sylvie‘s smile faded and her gaze didn’t quite meet yours, almost as if her mind was preoccupied elsewhere.

She looked back at you, her look apologetic.

The scene around you grew distorted, nothing quite clear anymore.

“I’m sorry.”

Her words repeated everywhere around you like you were in an echo chamber rather than…

Rather than…

Where were you?

The blonde woman that had been there a moment ago disappeared and with her, everything else.

…

When you came to, Mobius was kneeling beside you, waiting for you to wake up.

“C-7… are you okay?” He asked slowly, looking at you with more concern than you think anyone else ever has.

You propped yourself up and you looked around wildly for Loki or for the blonde woman- Sylvie- who had been in your head.

“Where are they?” You asked and you hated how desperate your voice sounded.

“They escaped. Take it easy, the Variant did a number on-”

“Mobius, I have to find her.” You said, trying to stand up only to be overwhelmed with nausea and dizziness.

Mobius supported you, keeping you from falling back onto the ground.

“I know. And we will, but we have more pressing issues right now. Come on.”

You didn’t protest, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to convince Mobius even if you promised to get him a jet ski afterwards.

What you had to do now, you would do alone.

He helped you through the portal back to the TVA and the rest of your team followed, all of them being immediately assigned to different Nexus events that were happening simultaneously.

You, being injured, were given the pass to stay back at the TVA. 

You wondered if the Timekeepers knew what you were about to do, if they could’ve predicted it- after all, they were the ones who had made you, right?

You headed to the sector of the TVA where they issued TemPads, looking at the data of where all the TemPads were jumping to and from when you stumbled upon something odd- there was a TemPad that only had one jump registered in its entire history.

TVA to Lamentis-1, 2077.

Huh.

The Variant- Sylvie- whatever her name was, must’ve found out a way to stop the TemPad from feeding data into the system, but it must’ve reset when she jumped to the TVA.

You grabbed one of the TemPad’s that were out of commission for charging, unplugging it. 

It was low on battery, but it would have to do.

You opened a portal for yourself using the exact same coordinates and time that they had put in and without any hesitation, you walked through.

[infinitebuckys]

Homework - Loki x reader

tva!loki x reader (no gender specified)

1,581 words

warnings: loki ep 2 spoilers!!

requested by @lareinedususpense: So I was thinking that maybe the reader is assigned to be Loki’s partner for his research “homework” that Mobius assigned Loki to do in the library/archives of TVA. The reader and Loki can have a teasing kind of friendship that slowly develops into attraction? Possibly the reader or Loki try to hide their feelings for the other one but Mobius is aware of their attraction and somehow helps them.

a/n: hope this is what you looked for, I enjoyed a lot writing this and hope you like it!

“So what type of archives do I have access to?”

The lady on the desk guided you and Loki to his own file on the library. You checked the main file with him shortly, after you saw him learn about the future of his own people and Asgard. Poor thing, you looked at Loki, who tried to hide the sadness on his face, but you knew better that he wasn't alright.

Loki might seem indifferent and cold hearted, but inside he really cared about Asgard. When he was a king, shortly before Thor left thinking he was dead, besides everything he had given joy to his people. You knew it because that's something supposed to happen in the timeline, something that had to be, and you'd wish you could tell him he was a good king after all.

In silence, you offered him your company through the night and the nights that followed after, and even for lunch you tried to be with him, but not pushing him to be with you all time, however you didn't know he enjoyed your company as well. You'd check the files from any future apocalypse as well, since Loki explained his crazy theory to you and Mobius, and the agent somehow agreed to try to prove his theory: his variant might be hiding in apocalyptic events to avoid the TVA to catch them.

Loki wasn't someone very friendly, but he was getting used to your company and to be with you, sitting at the other side of the desk reading, or just talking to Miss Minutes while you were there, or studying the files and trying to understand his theory. He was good at speaking after all.

One night, you yawned in the library, feeling tired of all this homework you had been assigned to. Loki just leaned on his desk for a moment, but now he looked like he was asleep. Never you have seen someone resting so peaceful on a desk, but you knew it was better to have him sleep on the room he was given.

“Loki?” you called, with a quiet voice. “Loki, wake up...”

You walked to him carefully to not make aby sound, and slowly you started to shake him by the shoulder. He opened his eyes and stared directly at you, sitting back on the chair.

“You need to go to your room, you can't sleep here,” you whispered.

“Why do you care about me so suddenly?” Loki inquired, with a playful voice.

“I don't, I just don't want our variant to have a bad rest. You're useful to us,” you answered, and began to take the files from the desk to save them for later.

Loki grinned to himself, knowing fully you cared about him, at least a little. Once you finished with the pile of papers and the desk was organized, you felt him staring at you intensely.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

Loki blinked a couple of times before replying to your sarcastic remark.

“No, I was just admiring the agent that cares about me having well rest.”

“Yeah, y'know, Mobius would do the same for you, unfortunately he's not here, so I have to take care of his variant,” you teased.

Loki just chuckled. You rolled your eyes, taking your jacket off and walking away, to hide your embarrassment.

Today you were visiting Pompeii. Loki was so excited, and you were surprised to see how passionate and energetic he was getting to prove his theory.

“C'mon, let's go.”

You had lunch together, without Mobius this time. Apparently he had something to do that was confidential, so you had no choice but to eat alone with the god of mischief himself. While having your salad, you felt his eyes staring at you, you tried to keep the eye contact with him, but it wasn't possible.

Inside, Loki enjoyed to make you nervous and flustered. He was sure you were corresponding to his actions, but he was too arrogant to admit it to you. Loki wouldn't do that, not yet though. But the tension was growing greatly between the two of you, and mostly anyone would see it, except for you. Maybe because you were still denying the fact that you were starting to like him, and that wasn't right or professional, you thought.

“Why are you staring? Do you want to ruin my salad?”

Loki chuckled, you didn't stop teasing him about that.

“You liked my explanation,” he commented. “And I am going to be right.”

“You always refuse to lose,” you rolled your eyes, a smirk was placed on your lips.

“Because I am not going to lose this time, you will see,” he smiled.

You finished your lunch together and after cleaning the table you walked to the elevator outside the cafeteria.

“Do you think we might have an answer today?” you whispered, once in the elevator to meet Mobius and looking at him. “Like, seriously.”

“I have a feeling, of course.”

You nodded, thinking to yourself what would happen later.

“I hope you're right, I really do,” you said.

You looked down to his chest, his tie was a little wrinkled and you fixed it with your hands without even thinking twice. It came naturally. Loki was caught by surprised, and felt his heart beat increased by your soft touch.

“You're welcome,” you smiled.

“Thank you, I guess.”

The elevator doors opened with you both still very close to each other, showing a not very surprised Mobius.

“Fine, lovebirds, let's get to work,” he ordered.

You rolled your eyes, following your boss.

“I don't like Y/N,” Loki hissed.

“Yeah, I know that,” Mobius agreed just to make him shut up, even if he knew Loki would go ahead and try to justify himself.

Mobius wasn't an idiot. He felt the tension before between you two and anyone who was smart enough could see it.

“Stay here, I'll be back,” Mobius ordered when you arrived to a enormous wood door that directed to Ravonna's office.

“So you don't like me now,” you broke the silence after a minute or two.

“I don't mean I don't like you,” Loki began. “But I do like you.”

You chuckled softly. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Do you like me?” Loki asked, brows furrowed and looking for any sign on your face.

“I like you, but do you like me?”

He flicked his tongue, thinking about an answer on his mind. Silence took around you in the aisle, no answer slipped from his mouth.

“Sorry, I know you don't have to reply if you don't want to-”

“Oh for the love of god, just kiss already!” Mobius' loud voice came from behind the closed doors. “I am tired, just admit it!” he said, going back to the aisle with you.

“Weren't you supposed to be inside that room?”

“Sorry I lied, Loki, just admit it!” Mobius insisted. “You like Y/N, Y/N likes you. Y/N cares about you, makes sure you rest and takes you to lunch, and you- you just keep staring like a fool and try to act like Y/N doesn't have any kind of effect on you, which is not true because I can see it, you like each other, I know it. You're welcome.”

You gasped softly, thinking if Mobius would be right. There were very few times he would be wrong, you hoped he was right for this, but at the sime time you wouldn’t. How would Loki react to this? He was deniying it before, it wasn’t like he was to change his opinion in a few seconds.

“No,” Loki sighed. “Can you leave us alone for a moment?”

“With all pleasure, five minutes,” Mobius locked himself again in the office before you could stop him.

“Listen-”

“This is non sense,” you both talked at the same time.

“What do you mean?”

“Loki, you’re a variant, our variant. This is for work, isn’t it?” you snapped.

“What if it wasn’t only for work?” the god said, taking a step closer to you.

“Explain that,” you breathed.

He was leaning to you, your heat pumping on your chest.

“That I maybe do like you too.”

You licked your lips, staring at his beautiful face mere inches apart, hoping for him to just kiss you. And finally he did. Your lips crashed in a soft kiss. You let yourself lose on his soft and suprisingly warm lips, his hand brushing in a delicate way on your neck, and eyes fully closed embraced in pleasure.

Pulling away after, your hand grabbed his jacket, keeping him in the same place. You didn’t want him to leave, not yet until you realised the kiss was real. The moment was real. Your lips parted, but no words came out. You were spechless.

“Sorry, I wanted to make sure this was real,” you breathed, giving a warm smile.

“It is.”

“Are you done?” Mobius interrupted behind the doors.

“Yes, you can come out.”

You laughed in embarrasment, watching your boss crossing the doors and motioning you two to follow him.

“Finally, I was starting to freak out, sorry I couldn’t wait longer for you to confess to each other, I am not sure if Loki’s plan is going to work. Now, let’s go to Pompeii.”

“I will be right,” Loki snapped behind Mobius back, dragging every word. “You’ll see.” He gave you a small wink with that smirk of his.

Yes, you liked him.

[simpforsersi]

Deja Vu - Mobius x gn!Reader

Hey look I wrote a thing! Granted, I wrote this thing in between busy moments at work, so there’s little to no plotline. Just a tired Mobius and a supportive reader.

Summary: Pre-the fall of TVA. I’m really unoriginal so this is yet another “Mobius and the reader were a thing before they were brought into the TVA” because I can’t get over that idea. Mobius is tired and has been having weird dreams.

Warnings: I can’t think of any warnings except that I think I used the words “grin” and “smile” WAY too much. Also, this is unedited. 

Word Count: 1.5k

Anyway, I’m clearly very brain-dead and I’ve always been bad at summaries/talking about things I’ve written so just here. Have this.

"Where did you go?"

You glance up from the file you're poring over, concentration broken by the sound of Mobius' voice. He's resting his chin in one hand and muttering to himself, eyebrows furrowed.  

"Who?"

He looks up sharply, startled.

"What?"

You can't help laughing. He's so discombobulated by being yanked out of his intense focus. Maybe pulling him back into reality was for the best, though. His tie is askew, his jacket was shed long ago, and there are dark circles under his eyes.

You could push, try to find out what he's so concerned about in this particular case, but you think it might be for the best to distract him for a bit.

"Want a coffee?"

He drops his pen and leans back in his chair, rubbing his face.

"Coffee might be a good idea," he agrees, and you scrape your chair back and stand up. He pouts at you, and you raise an eyebrow. "I don't wanna get up," he sighs, resting his head against the back of his chair and closing his eyes. "I'm tired."

"I know," you say, trying not to dwell on the soft feelings that flutter to life in your chest at the fact that he trusts you enough to be so vulnerable. "I'll be right back."

"Oh, gosh," he says, bracing his hands on the table and getting ready to pull himself up. "I'm not an invalid. I can get my own coffee."

"I know," you say again. "I'll get it anyway, though."

He looks like he wants to argue, but he doesn't, which proves how tired he is. You offer him a smile and leave to fetch the coffee, electing to ignore the pleasant tingling incited by his answering grin.

Balancing two coffee cups and a plate of cinnamon rolls isn’t easy, but you’re talented.

"Extra strong, because I know you like it that way. Also, I brought -- ”

You look up from the two paper cups you’re holding and lose the ability of speech.

Mobius’s face is buried in his arms, and he’s snoozing on the desk. You set the coffees and the plate down and fight the soft, feathery thing that is fluttering around inside your chest.

You could wake him up, but the poor man is clearly exhausted, and also he’s very adorable like this and you aren’t about to willingly relinquish listening to his soft snores. You sip your coffee and re-immerse yourself in your paperwork, but you end up knocking your empty mug over while you’re reaching for a cinnamon roll and Mobius wakes up with a snort.

“Sorry,” you say, wincing, righting the mug. “Just a clutz over here.”

He smiles sleepily, running a hand over his face and shifting in his seat. his hair is flat on one side and sticking up on the other, and he looks like he’s feeling a little nap-disoriented.

“That’s okay,” he says, voice raspy, and clears his throat. “You brought treats?”

“Yeah,” you say, reeling from his “just woke up” voice. “There was a tray of them beside the carafe, so I thought I’d snag some before they were gone.”

“Good thinking,” he says, reaching for one. He bites into it and makes a pleased noise that has no right doing what it does to your insides. It’s your turn to shift around in your seat. “These are amazing.”

“They’re very good,” you agree. “We should track down whoever made them and get the recipe.”

“Agreed,” Mobius says. He reaches for his coffee and swallows several mouthfuls before rubbing his face again.

“You okay?” you ask. He’s still a little bit off. It’s a different kind of “off,” but he’s not feeling right and that’s bothering you.

“Yeah -- yeah,” he says. “It’s just...”

“What?” you ask, a little too eagerly. You just want to know what’s going on so that you can try to fix it. You’re Mobius’s partner, and you always help him solve his problems. You want to do that now.

“This dream,” he says, frowning. “I keep having it. It’s so... It’s just weird.”

“Oh,” you say, taken aback. He’s been knocked off-kilter by a dream? “What’s it about?”

“You,” he says, and then, blushing a little, “and me. On Earth. Doing... stuff.”

You choke on your bite of cinnamon roll. That brings a lot of thoughts to your mind that you aren’t entirely comfortable with having. Mobius is your partner, your fellow analyst, your not boyfriend or husband or anything. You’re not even supposed to want that. Boy, this is bad, but thankfully Mobius interrupts your internal panic.

“Not... not that kind of stuff,” he says, and his face is bright red. “Just... I don’t know. Cleaning the kitchen. Hanging out in cities. Riding Jet Skis.” He gives you a lopsided grin.

Your heart is beating really quickly. You were not ready for him to say anything along those lines. You could never be ready for him to say anything along those lines. This is...

“Weird,” you manage, trying not to focus on the many and very intense physical and emotional feelings that are happening right now. “What a weird dream.”

“Exactly,” Mobius says, and he has a wild look in his eyes. “None of it happened, obviously -- ”

“Obviously,” you say quickly, grabbing onto this little piece of fact in the middle of all your stormy emotions.

“ -- but it feels like it could. Or it did. Or -- ”

“Woah,” you say, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. “None of that happened. None of it will happen. This is our life, Mobius,” you gesture at the table, strewn with paperwork and an empty plate and a couple of mugs, “and it’s all we’ve ever had and all we ever will.”

“Maybe not,” he says. “We could go to a city.”

“No, we couldn’t!” you say, panicking. You’ve never heard anyone talk like this. You work at the TVA and that’s... that’s it. That’s what you have. Mobius’s words are scaring you, not least because you can see yourself. You can see it in your head, and it feels familiar, like a movie that you’ve seen a hundred times.

“We could,” Mobius insists. “I’ll throw on some swim trunks, you grab a sunhat -- ”

"It's not like I have sunhats lying around," you interrupt him. “And do you even own a pair of swim trunks?”

“That’s not the point,” he says, sounding almost frustrated. He stands up from his seat and comes around to your side of the table. You can’t breathe, from either his proximity or the things he’s saying, you’re not sure which. “We could go,” he says. “We could just leave. Walk away from all of this and start a life of our own.”

“Mobius,” you say, shocked. You don’t know how to respond.

“What do you think?” he asks. He has a longing look in his eyes that he’s clearly trying to repress for your sake. You swallow hard.

“I think you need to go to bed,” you say, more sharply than you meant to. “I think I need to, too.”

Mobius’s face falls, and you feel the sharp sting of guilt for dashing his hopes like that. But what else can you do? Leave the TVA? That’s not happening.

“Yeah,” Mobius says with a sigh, “you’re probably right.”

You swallow again. You haven’t felt this rattled in a very long time -- probably since you and Mobius had to deal with that particularly unhinged Ultron variant -- and you just want to go to sleep and wake up with all of these strange feelings that are definitely disloyal to the TVA.

“I’m pretty sure I am,” you say.

“We just drank coffee, though,” Mobius points out, looking cautiously optimistic. “We should probably stay here and work until that wears off, right?”

You’re actually feeling very tired, and you’re willing to risk an hour of tossing and turning if it means that you can stretch out between crisp sheets and try to shake off the weirdness that has settled itself over you. But Mobius is wincing a little bit, bracing himself for rejection, and you’ve already shut him down once today.

“Okay,” you concede. “Fine. But as soon as you start snoring again, I’m gone.”

“Fair enough,” Mobius says, beaming at you.

You roll your eyes at him, trying very hard not to think about the many fluttery feelings you’re experiencing, and settle back in. He returns to his side of the table, and you shuffle your papers around until they look a bit more orderly.

“Hey,” Mobius says, and you look up at him. His eyes are tender, and your breath catches in your throat. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” you return, and he smiles again, kicking your foot lightly under the table.

You force your mind back onto your case, which is hard. It wants to stay where it is: thinking about a kitchen in a city where Mobius rests his hand on the small of your back when he’s reaching for something in the cupboard. You shake your head to clear it of the image, which is vivid enough that you can almost feel Mobius’s hand warm against your skin.

But that’s not your life, and it never will be, and it never was.

Right?

[sparrtington]

IN THIS HOUSE, WE WANT LOVE FOR LOKI IN EVERY REALM. *CHEF KISS**THROWS HANDS**WHY DO THEY ALL HAVE FACIAL HAIR*

Def a wip, I’ll probably clean it up later today as long as my entire be----ing decides to COOPERATE. (edit 2 hours later: apparently my brain turned off mid sentence)

More ranting under the cut...the ramblings of a very mentally unhinged quail WHO JUST LOVES THREE SPECIFIC LOKI SHIPS *CRIES*

In chronological order:

Dashingfrost is like...my OG Loki ship. Is it cause they’re both green based colour palettes? Both are narcissists' and like to dress well? That outfit to Jotunheim Josh Dallas wears in Thor 1? Fur shawl nonsense with double pauldron capes? HOLY SHIT. What a tool. Love it. And the Zachary Levi variant Fandral gets more intricate armor detailing and a full cape (which we respect) and his disheveled look is a great contrast to Loki with a more clean cut vibe. Again, the OG Asgard royalty/protector dynamic. The growing up to slow burn love each other over centuries. Easier to encapsulate a story about a more Norse myth centric story (If you don’t want to bother with super heroes in general). LOVE IT. Totally didn’t stay up till 11pm reading Dashingfrost. BTW, the name is charming. It’s a very Disney Prince(TM)-esque theme (lol cause Josh Dallas was Prince Charming in Once Upon a Time and Zachary Levi voices Flynn Rider in Tangled) It’s a very cute, charming name. It’s a charming ship that kinda ticks all the fairy tale, norse myth, potential centuries of tragedies, kinda stories. Also, out of all the Warriors Three, Fandral seems to be canonically (or fandom wise) the least hostile towards Loki as Thor’s best bros. He also has some banter with Loki in Dark World as well. We don’t talk about the untimely demise of the Three in Ragnarok. I felt so betrayed even tho I love Ragnarok as a movie.

---

Frostiron is that mid MCU ship that started with Loki throwing Tony out of a window by his neck, with one hand. (MARK ME DOWN AS SCARED AND HORNY) Fell for the ship hard even though it’s the most “never ever would be canon” air about it. 

Different height dynamic. Loki tall, Tony smol. Both have equally massive egos and big brain energy for their respective crafts. BOTH OF THEM HAVE BIG DADDY ISSUES. All that potential childhood traumatic angst. A lot of angst in this ship...now that I think about it. Exploring their individual PTSD issues either with Tony and his impromptu trip to space and his anxiety attacks or Loki being mind melted and tortured by Thanos....etc. a lot of potential healing and comfort uwu. More suffering ideas? The concept of mortality. Loki lives a long time, Tony no lives a long time. MORE SUFFERING.

Tony and Loki can swap the sugar daddy role. If Loki is on midgard or if Tony is on Asgard, which ever poison you prefer. Uhhhh...I also enjoy the amount of snark you can get out of them. Both from completely different realms, but they are kind of the same kind of messed up, big brain, ego driven idiots. Also, their ship name is metal af. 

--

Lokius, not as cool of a ship name because it’s just a traditional melding of their names, but we respect simplicity. Also, the most canon ship we’re gonna get. The coolest ship potential because VARIANTS. Not the other ships can’t be in AU’s, but Lokius is basically “You want an alternate universe? VARIANT THAT SHIT”. Love it. 

Mobius is also a very patient, caring character in general. Besides knowing Loki’s entire story front to back, he’s just very sympathetic without being half hearted about it. Mobius is very much 1000% capybara energy. Loki, the hostile alligator sitting with a chill capybara. That’s it, thats why I love this ship. Capybara energy~

BUT THEN THEY ENDED THE SERIES WITH MOBIUS BEING LIKE “Who are you?” and I bout fuckin punched my monitor and screamed. I could eat my own teeth. LET. HIM. KISS. THE. COWBOY. anyway....Lokius, yesssss. A lot of potential with infinite and veritable possibilities. 

Ok, that’s all. Thanks for coming to my ted talk, I need to lay down and cry over Loki shipping now.

[lokislittlesigyn]

You and Me - Loki x Reader [Oneshot]

Part 2 of Sigyn’s Angst-to-Fluff Drabbles

Inspired by Cozy’s Fluff-to-Angst Fun and Games!

Pairing: Loki / Female reader

Warnings: Strong themes of depression and suicidal ideation/a near attempt. Mention of Infinity War and Endgame and all the things that happen there. Fluff awaits at the end.

Author’s Note: A nearly-impossible prompt to turn happy, but I tried my best without taking an easier route like “it was just a dream” etc! I wanted to give it my all. This is the most.. sensitive-topic fic I’ve posted here, so please, skip it or skim it if you need to. <3

@silver-lupines:

Ohohohohoho Loki’s permanent death and the reader is left as a widow. No resurrections.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You still remember it.

You’ll never forget.

Never.

The smell of the air. Thick smoke in your lungs. The colors. The sounds. Death, all around you. Permeating you. You begged for it to end.

He was not so kind.

No, He was not the kind type.

He killed half of every whole. And Loki - Loki had made you feel whole.

What were you now?

You were still a full person, but broken nonetheless. A ghost. Yes, you were a ghost of who you were before. You haunted your own body, desperate for it to stop. Stop aching, stop hurting, stop feeling - let you go, release you to the endlessness of whatever unexistence was, because any unknown it held was surely better than knowing Loki was gone.

You had lived five painfully long years without him. Your husband. The boy you’d known on Asgard, fallen in love with, married and loved and lived through the pain of losing. Twice. 

No, thrice. But the third you had to watch.

You had to watch everything. Leg pinned under the rubble on the Statesman, no more than entertainment for the creatures around you as you screamed at the top of your lungs, unwilling witness to-

You couldn’t bear to think of it.

Sure, you weren’t completely alone. You had your remaining friends: the ones that were not also ripped from you, destroyed for the sake of an asinine plan that made you want to scream and cry and unleash all your anger on the monster who caused it.

You never got the chance.

The others fought. You joined, but you never were close enough to attack The One You Wanted. You were wounded early on. And now He was nothing. No more than dust.

But you felt more despair than comfort.

When the portals had opened, you’d turned, tears pricking your eyes as you scanned them. Loki would be there, you were sure of it. He’d find you. He had to. They knew what he meant to you - they knew to bring him back, too. You pushed through oncoming allies, looking for him. But with every new face you saw only made your heart sink further.

He wasn’t there.

He’d never be there again.

That realization dragged your hope away with it. 

Now you’d made the preparations. Everything was laid out. You even left notes. Your friends would know it was nothing they’d done, because it wasn’t up to them. You didn’t blame anyone that was left. They hadn’t taken Loki from you, that Creature had. And carrying on without him? It was just all too much for you, now - you needed an escape.

But as soon as you closed the door of your room, intent on your next action, someone behind you spoke. With a jolt, you faced them.

“On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, I hereby charge you with crimes against the sacred timeline.”

You went agape. How did they get into your room? Officers of some sort, suddenly standing before you. A glowing orange door pulsated behind them.

This had to be a dream. Yes, you must be dreaming. Your mind was cooking up something bizarre in a last-ditch effort to pull you back to the land of the living. Not that it would matter. The gleaming sword on your bed held promise. You just had to reach it.

“What?!” Was all you could manage. One of the people moved forward, hand outstretched- Now this, this you could do. Life on Asgard trained you for combat. You grabbed them, leveraging your body weight to flip them over. But the other agent swung, hitting you with a baton-

Time stopped.

Or, slowed, to the point that you felt as though you were frozen in place, yet you listened as the one officer brushed themselves off, grumbling about Asgardians, while the one who hit you secured something around your neck. 

“Let’s get her back.”

As you were escorted through the door, you turned and growled in your throat, arm outstretched to grab your sword - but as soon as you were through the door, it closed. 

~~~

The next minutes - hours? - were a blur. You were escorted through a strange place you didn’t recognize - you figured it must be the TVA your captors spoke of, whatever that was - but before you could ask any proper questions, you were tossed into a room. And another room. And another.

In fact, you had been to so many places that were all the same drab beige, and had your clothes removed and replaced with a horrific jumpsuit, you weren’t sure where you were until at last you were taken to a long room, flanked with booths. Down at the end of the room sat someone who was clearly a judge. 

A trial. This was a trial.

So what in Odin’s name were you guilty of?

You were pushed onto a small podium, glaring up at your captor. You’d already tried to escape - but had been overpowered, the collar firmly around your neck offering no chance of liberation.

The woman before you, now clearly visible - or, part of her was, as most of her person was concealed behind the mountain of wood between you. 

She was well-dressed. Professional. Her hair drawn back, her gaze stern. She looked like a leader, and practically radiated power. 

But she was wrong. You were blameless. Why were you here?

“(Y/N) Lokiwife,” The judge spoke, gazing down her nose at you. “Or Leifdottir, if you prefer.”

Your glare didn’t waver.

She cleared her throat.

“You are charged with sequence violation seven-thirty forty-one. How do you plead?”

You sighed. “You must be mistaken. I have done nothing wrong.”

The judge tapped her pen against the paper below her.

“Are you guilty or not guilty?”

“Of a sequence violation, whatever that means? No. No, I am not. I was in my room, minding my own business, when your goons barged in and brought me here.” You clenched your jaw. 

The judge smiled - a forced, strained sort of smile, where her teeth remained hidden behind her lips. You matched her expression with one just the same.

“Those goons, as you call them, were tasked with bringing a criminal,” She pointed the pen at you, “To justice. How. Do you. Plead?”

“Not guilty.” You hissed.

“I highly doubt-”

She was cut off by a new individual running over, whispering into her ear. The judge tensed. You saw her brow furrow, her jaw clench. 

“Thank you.” Her voice was curt.

Silence hung over the courtroom as the other individual left. 

The judge shook her head. “I sentence you as not guilty.” She took her gavel, pounding it in a swift, final motion.

Your breath caught in your chest. “Not guilty?”

“Yes, that’s what I said. Not guilty. I suppose this was all more for formality, anyway;” Renslayer motioned to the trial room and straightened a stack of papers, “You’re merely assurance.”

“Assurance for what exactly?”

“A mission.”

You felt like screaming. Everything was so vague, so mysterious - couldn’t they just let you go? Or else kill you and get it over with?

“Fantastic. Glad to know I can help your cause.” You sneered.

The judge raised a brow, then looked past you. “You’d better be right about this, Mobius.”

“Not to worry, I can handle it from here.” 

A new voice sounded behind you. You whipped around to face it. 

“Woah, hey there.” A man walked toward you, his hands raised. Wearing a suit - much like those you had seen on Midgard, yet somehow different - his short hair streaked silver, a mustache over his crooked-smile lips. Mobius. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“What do you want with me?” You glared, not moving from your place.

“Not one to trust easily. I get it. Listen, I’ve got someone you’ll want to see. But you need to trust me now, okay?”

He held his hands out, palms up. You looked at them. Then back at his face. His brows were raised, he seemed hopeful - expectant. You sighed through your nose, and took a wary step toward him.

“That’s better.” He looked at the judge, pointing at her. “I owe you one, Ravonna. I’m telling you - irreplaceable help, you gave today. Irreplaceable!”

The judge rolled her eyes, but a smile played on her lips.

Mobius turned to you. “Shall we?”

~~

Your next journey was far more welcome. Mobius didn’t manhandle you, thank the Norns, though you did sense the eyes of surrounding agents on you. Agents, dressed in the same black armor as those who had fetched you. You stared ahead, avoiding their gaze.

“Where is this place?” Finally, you broke the silence.

“Where, not what?” Mobius answered, smirking.

“This is the TVA, whatever that means. But where is it?”

“You thinking of running away?”

You looked at him.

“Right. Of course you are.. Outside of space and time, if it matters.”

You raised a brow. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

Mobius exhaled through his lips, chuckling softly. “Ideally, yeah.” The two of you walked through a corridor, apparently intent on a destination you had no idea about.

“Well- Well why am I here?” You stopped in your tracks. Mobius turned to face you, hands in his pockets. You continued, “The judge ruled me not guilty. Said I was assurance - assurance for what?”

“A mission.” Mobius spoke carefully. You narrowed your eyes.

“What?” He asked. “You weren’t exactly busy.”

“Actually, I was in the middle of something.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I was! I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be anywhere-” You stopped yourself. You felt heat rush to your eyes and nose, but forced yourself to swallow the knot in your throat. You couldn’t, wouldn’t break. Not here. Not in front of countless strangers.

You just wanted to go back to Loki, wherever he was. You didn’t care where.

Mobius watched you. “Come on, I think this will help.”

Giving him a look, you let your shoulders slump, then followed him. Felt your eyes go dull. When you reached a door flanked by two guards, which Mobius quickly dismissed, you straightened up.

Mobius turned to you. “Now, this is going to be a little weird, okay? But bear with me. Just, go with the process, laugh or cry or whatever you need. Got it?”

You stared at him. “I.. What are you even getting at? I told you, I don’t want to be here! I don’t want to be anywhere. I don’t want to be alive, I don’t care if it’s here, or on Earth, or anywhere else, I do not want it-”

Mobius sighed, placed his hand on the small of your back, and urged you into the room, shutting the door behind you. You gasped at the motion and moved to stop the door - but it shut with a resounding thud. Tears betrayed you, streaming down your face. 

“Let me out!” You pounded your fist against the door, “I don’t want to be part of your sick game- Do you understand me? I have nothing to live for, nothing-”

“(Y/N)?” A quivering voice pulled you back to reality.

No, not just any voice.

That voice.

The voice you knew. The voice you missed.

You turned on the spot. Your body froze. There, before you, stood Loki.

“Loki?”

Loki rushed to you. You were frozen, staring up at him. Afraid to touch him. Afraid that if you dared to feel his embrace again he may disappear.

He looked familiar, but not the same as when you last saw him - thank the Norns for that.

No, he looked almost.. Younger? His hair was shorter, not so long nor so wavy as the tresses you remember playing with on the Statesman before He came.

And his clothes. The same as yours: a demeaning jumpsuit. They must’ve put him through all this, too.

What could he possibly be guilty of?

You looked at his face. Your vision, blurry, your body, shaking - you reached for him. He met you. His hand touched your face, cupping your cheek. You felt yourself sob without fully realizing, certainly not controlling it.

He was here. He was alive.

You broke. Melted into his touch, embracing him.

“My love.. Oh, my darling…” His arms enveloped you, his hand sliding to the back of your head, cradling it against his chest.

Your ear pressed to his body, you smiled past your tears, gripping his clothes as though he could disappear at any moment. But you could hear his heartbeat. You savored it, the rhythmic beat, which seemed to steady as you held him in turn. You wanted to stay in this moment forever.

“L-Loki, you.. You were gone,” your voice cracked, “You... He took you from me.”

“I know.” Loki kissed the top of your head, “I know, I saw it all.”

“You - what?”

Loki pulled away, gazing into your eyes, though never letting you go. He swallowed. “I saw it. All of it. My entire life, as it was, apparently, meant to be. I know what you had to endure.”

Tears formed in your eyes again.

“My love, I am so sorry.”

“N-No, I..” You cupped his face, hands stroking his cheeks. One of his hands found yours, and grasped it for him to press a kiss to your knuckles. You smiled. “I have you. You’re back, you’re alive, you…” You huffed a soft laugh and leaned in to kiss him. His lips met yours, and you could feel a tear from his cheek slide onto yours. He broke the kiss, pressing your foreheads together.

“I love you. I missed you terribly. Darling, I can’t express how good it is to see you,” he let himself grin, another tear squeezing out onto his cheek at the movement. He steadied himself, watching you with adoration shining in his eyes.

“I-I missed you too.. Norns, I.. I thought they would kill me or something.. I wished for it.” You swallowed.

Loki’s expression stayed composed, but you saw fear flash in his eyes. Pain. “I heard.”

“I.. I’m sorry-”

“No. You don’t have to apologize for that. It’s not your fault. Neither of us caused the pain we were put through, do you understand? And I am never leaving you again. Never.”

You stared into his eyes. Somehow, the surety with which he spoke seemed… Real.

He wasn’t leaving.

He’d never leave you again.

Silently, you nodded. “And I’ll never leave you.”

He smiled. “I know, my sweet. I know you never will. ”

You remained a moment, until the both of you calmed enough to part - now standing near each other, the tears ceasing. 

You wiped the back of your hand across your cheek. “I can’t believe you’re real,” you joked, weakly, “You’re here.”

Loki smiled, letting out a small chuckle. He gave you another small, loving kiss.

“I’m here.”

[mimisempai]

I love the way it feels when you sleep next to me

Summary:

5 times where Mobius is awake before Loki and once where Loki wakes up before him. Let's dive into the night life and sleeping habits of our two boys.

🌈 Happy Pride month ! 🌈

To celebrate, 1 day, 1 story.

Be ready for smiles, laugh, fluff, tooth rotthing fluff, positive vibes and a lot of love!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32247766

1990 words - Rating G

1.

Mobius woke up with the feeling that something was not right.

He opened his eyes, becoming aware of his surroundings.

"I...can't...breathe…any...more..."

Mobius turned to the man at his side.  Loki had brought his hands to his neck as if trying to break free of a hold.

Thanos. Loki was having a nightmare about his own death.

Loki had talked a lot about what he had seen of his future life, of the Loki of the sacred Timeline.About his mother's death and his father's death, about his failures, but the subject he talked about the least was his own death, and who could blame him? This explained the recurrence of this kind of nightmare.

Mobius turned completely towards him, then delicately, he loosened one by one Loki's fingers, being careful not to wake him up abruptly.

He turned Loki against him, put his head against his chest and wrapped his arms around him, enclosing him in a comfort cocoon. He then murmured with his mouth against his hair, like a mantra, over and over again, "You are safe, you are alive." until he felt his lover relax against him, his breathing becoming more and more steady and the tension slowly fading.

Finally conscious and calmed, Loki wrapped his long arms around Mobius' waist and muttered against his chest, "Mobius, I... I."

"Shhh love. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I know. Don't worry, I know."

Loki said nothing more, simply tightened his embrace and it was only a few moments later, when Mobius felt Loki's steady breathing against his heart, that he allowed himself to close his eyes.

2.

It was not uncommon for Mobius to wake up feeling like he was entwined in a tangle of arms and legs.

If there was one thing he would not have imagined, it was that once comfortable in their relationship, Loki would be such a hugger. Especially when he was sleeping or rather since they were sleeping in the same bed.

No matter how they fell asleep, Mobius often ended up with Loki tangling his legs with his and wrapping his long arms around him.

If Mobius was honest, he rather enjoyed it. Mostly because it was a physical way for Loki to show his affection.

The problem was when Mobius wanted to get up in the morning. It was hard to get out of the tangle of Loki's arms and legs without waking him up. It was sometimes a puzzle to figure out which limb to move first so that the next one could be moved. Mobius had come to program his alarm clock a little earlier to be able to do it without hurrying.

Sometimes, like today, impatience got the better of him.

"Loki, wake up..."

Loki groaned, "Don't wanna..." and the man tightened his grip again. "Besides, we don't have to work today!"

"So you want to spend your whole day like this?"

He felt Loki nodding against him.

"Don't you want to do something more thrilling?" asked Mobius, a fond smile on his lips.

"What could be more thrilling than wrapping my arms and legs around the love of my life and cuddling him all day?"

"The love of your life?"

"Any objection?"

Mobius shook his head, amazed.

As his beloved octopus once again wrapped himself around him, he figured it was Loki who had him wrapped around his fingers.

3.

Loki takes a few steps toward the time portal.

The lights partially come back on, some white, some backup red. Mobius and the team run up the aisle behind him. Loki looks back at them.

Mobius runs and starts shouting, "Loki! Loki, wait! Wait! Loki, wait! No! Wait, Loki!"

Loki takes one last look back and steps through the Timedoor and it closes behind him.

Loki!

Mobius woke up with a start, his heart pounding and his breathing short as if he had indeed just run.

Having a little difficulty calming down, he sat on the edge of the bed in order not to wake up his sleeping lover next to him and forced himself to breathe slowly in order to make the anguish that was gripping his heart disappear.

He knew that it was stupid, that Loki was well there, that at the time when it had happened the bond between them was not such that Loki owed him to stay. But the nightmare made everything so clear, that he still felt the anguish and disappointment of that split second.

He suddenly felt the bed move behind him and two arms wrapped around him from behind and pulled him back until he was sitting against Loki's chest.

"I heard you shout 'Loki', do you want to talk about it?" whispered his lover's voice in his ear.

Mobius murmured in a slightly hoarse voice, "This is so ridiculous. It's the nightmare of the time you followed Sylvie through the portal, or you watch me approach and turn around to go through the portal."

"And why do you think it's ridiculous?" asked Loki softly as he traced curves with his fingertips on the back of Mobius' hand.

"Because I felt like you were abandoning me and there was no reason for me to think that way. At that time nothing really said that we would end up the way we are today."

"I think you're minimizing what you were feeling.What you felt and feel is completely valid, love, you told me that you became attracted to me during the viewing of my life, there were those moments we shared, where we grew closer.  You had every right to feel that way."

Mobius sighed, "Yes, but I don't understand why I felt that way in this extreme."

Loki put his chin on his shoulder, "I think it would help you if I told you what I felt at that moment, would you listen?"

Mobius nodded.

"Actually, the moment I turned around and saw you coming, I was scared."

"Scared?" of all the things Loki could have felt at that moment, Mobius didn't think it was fear he felt.

"Yes scared. Scared that I had disappointed you, disappointed the one person who was on my side. The one person who had seen that there was good in me."

Loki kissed Mobius' hair before continuing, "That's why I say that what you felt at that moment is just as valid. I think our hearts knew long before our brains what we felt for each other."

Mobius remained in silence for long minutes, contemplating what Loki had just told him.

Then Loki let go of him, went to resume his place on the bed and lay on his side holding his arms out to him.

"Come back to bed Mobius."

He obeyed, and lay down again, his back against the chest of Loki who wrapped his arms around him.

"Come love, let go, I got you."

Then Mobius let go, letting the last remnants of his nightmare evaporate in the embrace of his love.

4.

Since that famous night in the archive room, Mobius' favorite time in the world was watching Loki sleep.

Some might say ironically because it was the only time Loki didn't talk, but that wasn't why Mobius liked these moments so much.

The first time, in the archive room, he had been completely baffled by the fact that Loki had fallen asleep like that in his presence. While he later admitted that he couldn't sleep in the presence of anyone he didn't trust, Mobius was honored to be humbly included in the closed circle of those whom Loki trusted.

That's why it was almost always Loki who fell asleep first, because Mobius liked to watch him fall asleep. It made him feel like he was witnessing a special moment. It made him feel as if he had something precious.

He liked to feel Loki fall asleep, when the energy that seemed to animate him most of the time, slowly left his body to let him succumb to the call of the tiredness. He liked to feel Loki's head become heavy on his arm. He liked to feel his whole body letting go. He liked to feel his grip loosen on his hand. He liked to hear his breathing take on the steady rhythm of a sleeping person.

It was usually at this time that Mobius would also give himself over to the grip of sleep and surrender to it completely, for he knew that the one he loved and was loved by was resting in his arms.

5 .

Something tickled his nose.

Without opening his eyes Mobius put his hand there to meet only a few strands of hair and smiled tenderly.

He inhaled deeply the cedar scent emanating from the hair of his lover whose head was resting on the pillow in front of him and could not resist putting his hands on it.

From the moment he ran his fingers through the slightly tangled strands, Loki began to make little sounds of well-being like purring. Mobius didn't know if it was an automatic reaction in sleep or if Loki was awake, but from the way his head was leaning against his hands, he figured he didn't need to stop.

He continued to gently untangle each strand. He loved the silky texture of his lover's hair.

"I wouldn't mind being woken up like this every morning," Loki yawned as he stretched before facing Mobius, his head resting on his hand.

Mobius couldn't help but touch Loki's hair again, this time smoothing all his strands back and letting them slide through his fingers. Loki closed his eyes and seemed to enjoy Mobius' ministrations.

Mobius buried his hand in Loki's hair, pressing the back of his neck to bring him closer to him, so he could take his lips in a tender kiss.

When they parted, Loki said mischievously, "It looks like you have a hair thing."

Loki shook his head and replied, "Nope, I have a thing for Loki."

"You're killing me here Mobius!"

With a dexterous move, he straddled Mobius and framed Mobius' head with his arms, his eyes dark with desire.

Mobius replied, eyebrow raised, "It looks like you're the one moving in for the kill."

The room echoed with their joyful laughter for a few more moments.

+1

"Well, here's a fun theory. You lure me out into the field, and then you stab me in the back. And that's a theory I don't wanna test."

"I'd never stab anyone in the back. That's such a boring form of betrayal."

"Loki, I've studied almost every moment of your entire life. You've literally stabbed people in the back, like, 50 times."

When he thought back on that conversation, Loki still wondered how they had come all this way.

The man who had seen him literally and figuratively stab more than 50 people in the back was now resting in his arms.

In the arms of Loki who couldn't sleep in the presence of someone he didn't trust.

It was so humbling.

Sometimes Loki doubted he deserved this chance, to have someone he loved and was loved in return, who trusted him completely and in whom he had infinite trust.

The man in his arms had seen the worst he was capable of and had stayed and believed in him.

Loki traced the outline of the beloved face with his fingertips in a light touch and was amazed to see that Mobius did not even flinch.

After a moment, he watched his lover's eyes flicker and open slowly, still fogged with sleep.

"Hey, already awake?"

"There's still time love, you can go back to sleep."

Mobius pressed himself a little closer to him and replied sleepily, "Hmmm that's what I'll do." before falling back to sleep against Loki. Mobius, oblivious to the emotion his innocent words had generated in the man who held him in his arms.

_________

The whole series here : X

Not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

[foxcantswim]

“I Dagger You.” - Sylki

Lots of Loki & Sylvie cuddles! Sylvie thinks about how she's never had anyone to call her own. Loki holds her.

(Established Relationship - Set way after Loki S1)

-x-

Flashing lights were seeping in through the small windows of the bedroom, Sylvie let out a small groan as she tried to ignore the commotion coming from the TVA.  She tried to pull the covers further up to cover her eyes. Loki had insisted that they stay at the TVA, both Mobius and Ravonna had offered a place to stay and fresh food whenever they required it. 

Sylvie wasn't too happy about staying in the place that took her away from her own life... but she realised that staying here was better than going out there into the unknown. Loki always made sure to stay by her side, he'd leave her with Mobius if he was unavailable for whatever reason.

Sylvie sighed as she felt Loki pull her closer, her back pressed snugly against his front. She could've swore that she felt his lips plant a small kiss against the back of her head. His arms were secure around her, not willing to let go. Her thumb gently caressed his arm, a soft smile appeared on her face.

She focused on the sound of some sort of alarm ringing throughout the TVA, she was curious as to how Loki was able to sleep through this. It wasn't loud, but it was just enough to tick Sylvie off. She took a deep breath before doing her best to get comfy without waking the man behind her, her eyes slowly opened as she realised that she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep. A look of annoyance appeared on her face as she tried so hard not to focus on the alarm.

Her eyes landed on the clock, it read 7:40am. Time wasn't exactly a thing at the TVA, but Mobius decided that it was best if everyone followed the same flow of time - So everyone at the TVA had their clocks set to the same time. Loki had set their alarm to 8am, one hour before he had to attend a meeting with Mobius and Ravonna. 

She had barely noticed that one of her hands was gripping Loki's arm with some force, she relieved her grip slightly but she made sure to hold it close to her body. A sad smile appeared on her face as she felt Loki tighten his arms around her, she never used to accept physical contact but Loki had somehow managed to break down her walls and creep on in. She would stay in his arms forever if the 'sacred timeline' allowed it.

Sylvie took a deep breath as she thought about how Loki had slowly but surely grounded her. He was always there for her, he always managed to bring her back to reality when she's panicking, he somehow knew what to say to make her feel okay... And he was hers. Finally. She'd never had anyone to love like this, she'd never had anyone to love her like this. Her heart ached, she felt like she was living in some kind of dream and that one day she would wake up and be alone all over again. People had told her that she deserved to be alone... Loki had been doing his best to destroy that thought within her. She deserved the universe. And he was her universe.

"Mmm, Sylvie..." Loki's hushed voice invaded her ears, sending a shiver up her spine. His legs moved to tangle with her own as he placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck, "Please tell me it isn't time to wake up yet..."

Sylvie turned in his arms to face him, "Soon, darling," she allowed a small laugh to escape her.

Loki's eyes opened to meet hers, his soft smile dropped and a look of concern crossed his face. He moved a hand up to her cheek, his thumb wiped away a stray tear. Sylvie wasn't even sure when that had happened, "What's wrong?" he asked, simply.

Sylvie bit her lip and looked down, wanting to avoid his gaze, "I... I'm not sure."

Loki's fingers gently came up under her chin to make her look at him, "What are you feeling?" he cautiously pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, causing Sylvie to freeze in shock. He offered her an encouraging yet shy smile.

"W-What are you doing?" she questioned as he placed another kiss on her forehead.

"Giving you affection because it looks like you need it," he replied in a whisper, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in. She happily obliged and rested her forehead against his chest. Had his heartbeat always been this soothing? Her own arms circled around him, never wanting to let go, "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" his hand cradled the back of head, his fingers running through her hair.

A small sniffle escaped Sylvie before she whispered a single word, "Alone," she clutched his shirt, suddenly feeling weak and vulnerable.

That was all Loki needed to hear, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, "You don't deserve to be alone. You will never deserve to be alone," he felt her grip tighten in response, he knew that he would have tear stains on his shirt, 

"You deserve to feel loved, Sylvie. I've never been the best at expressing myself..." a nervous chuckle escaped him, "You deserve the universe, you're amazing."

Sylvie released a shaky breath, her thoughts drifted to their time on Lamentis-1... The moment where she realised that maybe she didn't have to do everything alone.The moment where she realised that someone actually cared for her.

“I already have the universe, Loki," she whispered.

"Oh?" he questioned, pulling back to look at her face.

Sylvie allowed the weakness to take over, she felt like jelly within Loki's arms and she adored it. The vulnerability she was feeling made her anxious, but deep down she knew that Loki wouldn't judge her for it, "You're my universe, Loki. I don't want... a throne. Only you," she smiled sadly at the memory of the Citadel.

Loki laughed, "Look at you. What turned you so soft?"

"Piss off," she groaned, trying to pull away - she decided that she hated being vulnerable, it made her feel like an idiot.

He simply continued to laugh before pulling her back in, "I'm Sylvie's universe~" he sang, endlessly teasing her.

"Loki!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Oooh," he smirked at her, keeping her in place, "I haven't heard you say my name like that since... Well, since last night," he winked at her.

"Oh, I hate you so mu-"

Loki cut the woman off by pressing a soft kiss against her lips, it was much too short for Sylvie's liking. The pair sat in silence, Loki smiled warmly at her as Sylvie tried to fight the blush from appearing on her cheeks. She couldn't stop her own smile as Loki gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"You're my universe too, my love," he assured her, "You too have made me soft." His lips barely brushed hers before a loud ringing sound startled the both of them. 

Sylvie quickly jumped up from the bed and grabbed a dagger from the bedside table, she immediately got into a defensive pose - her dagger held up into the air ready to strike.

Loki couldn't help but laugh at the sight, "Ah, my darling. It's just the alarm," he had the biggest smile on his face causing Sylvie to groan. He leaned over to turn the alarm off, sending them into silence again... Well... Apart from the constant ringing noise that was echoing throughout the TVA.

Sylvie cleared her throat before tossing the dagger onto the end of the bed, "Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed by how she had acted. She sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Loki.

"Sylvie," he sighed, "It's okay. I'm actually impressed with how fast you reacted. Look at you, willing to be my knight in shining armour," he was getting way too dramatic. He quickly decided to shuffle across the bed and sit behind Sylvie, he pulled her into his arms without warning causing her to squeak in surprise.

"Loki!" she exclaimed in annoyance. He pulled her further onto the bed before pushing her on her back, he quickly straddled her hips effectively pinning her down, "Get your stupid ass off me!" she ordered, trying to move. He grabbed her hands with his and pinned them above her head, this caused her to freeze and stare directly into his eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he pecked her softly on the lips, "Loki got your tongue?" he winked at her.

"I still hate you," she said, trying her best to glare at him. He saw right through her.

He pouted down at her, "Aw... Does that mean Sylvie doesn't want my affection anymore? Now who will I take all these kisses to?" Sylvie bit her lip in response as her eyes flickered down to his mouth. A smirk slowly formed on Loki's face, "Gotcha."

Sylvie tries to move her hands but Loki managed to keep a firm grip, he leans down and allows his lips to press softly against hers. A sigh of relief escapes Sylvie from his touch, she tilts her head to deepen the kiss.

Loki licked his lips upon pulling away, he places a small kiss against her forehead, "I would love to stay here all day with you," he sighed, sadly, "But... Mobius would kill me."

Groaning, Sylvie slammed her eyes shut, "When are we going to get a day together? Just the two of us?"

Another teasing smirk appeared on his face, "Oh? The big bad Sylvie wants a day all alone with me?"

"Shut. Up," her eyes opened to reveal a fire within her.

He chuckled, "Okay, okay. I will ask Mobius to see if he can give me a day off tomorrow," he promised before sitting up and releasing her hands, he stood up from the bed and headed over to the wardrobe, "Are you joining me today?" he asked over his shoulder. Sylvie tended to join him, she always sat in the same room as him. Sometimes next to him, sometimes on the other side of the room - she got nervous when he wasn't around so he started taking her everywhere.

"You know I will be," she sighs, upset at the lack of contact from Loki. She had had plenty of touches from Loki recently... but she still craved more. He was her safe space, he was the only one she could properly trust. The only one she could properly love.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled turning back to face her, she was now sitting on the edge of the bed again. She had her eyes on the floor, a frown upon on her face. Loki walked over as he buttoned up his shirt, "Why so sad, my dear?"

Sylvie looked up at him, "I... I'm not sure," she admitted again.

He offered her a hand to help her stand, "And that's okay," he assured her before pulling her into a hug, his arms secure around her waist, "We'll get through this, Sylvie."

"Thank you, Loki," she muttered, her arms tightened around him.

He sighed happily, one his hands came up to cup the back of her neck, "Hey, Sylvie?"

She hummed, "Yes?"

Another laugh escaped him, "I dagger you."

"You're an idiot," she failed at keeping her own laughter at bay, she pressed a kiss above his heart before looking up at him, "But... I dagger you, too."

Loki didn't intend on being dragged back into bed for more cuddles... But it was impossible to say no to this woman. Even with Mobius threatening to kick the door down, he stayed there for a couple more hours before he finally decided to go out and finish his duties.

Sylvie simply smiled innocently at Mobius. He let them both off the hook...

[sserpente]

Synopsis: After his lucky escape, the Tesseract takes Loki on new adventures--but unfortunately, his journeys through space do not go unnoticed and he soon ends up on TVA’s radar. The deal is a simple one: Become a recruit and help the Time Variance Authority fight time crimes to earn your freedom again eventually or die. Loki accepts the challenge. It would not be long until he could use their own weapons against them, after all. If only that, however, were his only concern. Least of all did he expect that with his reluctant arrival at TVA, a woman would step into his life and wreak havoc in his heart. He does not know what it is about her that he seeks her presence like a bee hunting for honey--but he is determined to find out.

A/N: Gaaaah, I haven’t nearly pre-written as many chapters as I would like to have pre-written before starting to post but I just can’t wait any longer! I finally want to share this story with you guys, I am so hyped about it! So, without further ado--enjoy the first chapter of “Pastel Blue”! I hope you like it! ♥

Chapter 1

Tick Tock. That clock on the wall was driving her crazy, it had been ever since she had been assigned to this dull office. She spent most of her time in the lab, working in midst of dangerous and highly sensitive equipment and delicate devices.

Tick Tock. She was going to smash it—with a big hammer, perhaps, or even better, a jackhammer. It was ugly too. Made of wood and obviously antique, late 18th century probably. What had Mobius been thinking?

Oh yeah, him. Mobius M. Mobius, her I-am-not-your-father-but-I-will-treat-you-like-my-daughter supervisor and babysitter, thank you very much. Granted, he was old enough to be her father, taking into consideration that in her mid-twenties, there wasn’t much need for a parental figure in her life anymore.

Tick Tock. She sighed. The pile of paperwork she had been handed this morning had seemingly not shrunk by even an inch. She could swear she had not been stalling today. Breakfast, work, lunch break, work… Tick Tock. She rolled her eyes. No. This was unreasonable. Grunting a few not so decent swear words, she gathered the spreadsheets and dozens of handwritten notes, sending the calming ruffling of paper through the air and exited the room without so much as thinking about what Mobius would think about her wandering places around the TVA during work hours again.

Besides, the kitchen and common room right around the corner of her desired destination was equipped with the best coffee machine modern technology had to offer. Hot chocolate with mint and a hint of vanilla? Oh yes, please!

At this time of the day, the lab in question was deserted. Pens, pliers and other small tools lay scattered all over the metal tables as if someone had just finished their work for the day. Some of the devices in here could cause major damage if activated accidentally or even at the wrong time. Now there was the thrill, the proximity to endless possibilities.

After turning a few laps around the tables to see if anything had changed or improved at all since the last time she was here (which would be yesterday), she eventually made herself comfortable at the huge desk fully equipped with a cup holder, sockets and a fancy table lamp. The chair was the best part, enabling her to swirl around whenever she felt like she needed a refreshing spin.

She had just pulled out her burrow from her hair, having twirled it around one of the lighter strands. Her guess was the sun had bestowed its warm kisses upon her chocolate brown hair in the summer. Leaning over her papers, she got back to work.

But it was only five minutes until she heard the heavy metal door with the see-through glass panel being pushed open, followed by someone clearing their throat.

“Jess, do you have a moment?” Mobius asked. Jess tilted her head, the slightest frown accompanied by a gentle smirk decorating her face. What, no chastising for changing work locations today? She swirled around on her chair, expecting to see the man in question in his grey suit and the signature scar across his nose stare her down with arms akimbo. Instead, he was holding on to the door tensely, right next to him, seemingly out of place in the threshold, a man with raven hair and the most stunning pair of blue eyes she had ever had the pleasure to lock her gaze with. Her eyes were blue as well—Loki’s, however, seemed to shimmer green in the artificial light of the lab. She didn’t get much daylight, all the way down here.

“M?” Jess smiled. She rose, ignoring the slight trembling of her knees as she approached the two, keeping a safe distance. Her heart skipped a beat with every single step, her chest resembling a magnet pulling her towards Loki like a powerless needle.

“I’ve told you, repeatedly, to stay in your own office.” Ah, there it was.

“I have asked you, repeatedly, to re-locate my office here.” She retorted with a smug expression, eyes darting over to Loki. Mobius shook his head. “An introduction is probably redundant. Jess, this is Loki.”

He was wearing the orange prison clothes TVA had manufactured a few years back. She had to admit, orange suited him rather well, bringing out his cheekbones and the dark hair framing his flawless face. His lips were thin, his jawline to die for. She would be lying if she denied his attractiveness. Loki was a god, after all. Most prominent to his appearance, however, were the shackles around his naked wrists and the metal collar hiding most of his long neck—a chunky but firm reminder his powers were all but a myth as long as the light was blinking bright red like a traffic light screaming stop at him like a sleep-deprived police officer.

Loki lifted his chin, allowing pride and confidence to flood his aura. Out of all the people he had encountered in this strange place so far, alterations of his very own self on an old-fashioned projector included, she was by far the oddest. Jess, so he learned, wore a colourful choker around her neck as well as two bracelets of the same kind. They reminded him of sugar pearls. If he had asked her about them, she could have revealed to him that they were indeed candy necklaces—and that she wore them because Mobius had stressed there were no edible snacks allowed at work. The elegant pieces of jewellery hanging down her earlobes, however, appeared to be non-edible. Two delicate silver charms, holding what Loki identified to be moonstones. They suited her, complementing the long brown hair and the outstanding colour of her eyes. Blue—just like his.

“The God of Mischief.” She completed, the fraction of a second after he had studied her conspicuous appearance. She added a court but polite nod. “I was kind of hoping to meet you one day.” And so she was. The rumours had spread across the entire facility like wildfire, reaching even the Minutemen based in different timelines. Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, had stolen an Infinity Stone and escaped his respective timeline—a timeline reaching all the way back to 2012—creating a new branch of reality entirely. Unsupervised, he could have caused serious damage to the very fabric of time and the multiverse. He had to be stopped, had to be captured, had to be persuaded.

Mobius had expressed his interest in getting the infamous Trickster to work for him frequently. Loki was skilled, intelligent, witty, a talented fighter and most of all, one of the most capable users of magic the multiverse had to offer. His stories of victory and defeat were known to most of the TVA and yet, they resonated with her to an extent her colleagues could never fathom. Above everything Loki had had to experience—above all Loki will have had to experience—there was a thick layer of loneliness clouding his aura like a blanket of ice-cold snow. It was a suitable comparison, given his heritage.

“I didn’t just hear that.” Mobius intervened. He sized her up like an unpredictable teenager. “The God of Mischief has retired. Loki here has just agreed on working for us.”

“With you,” Loki interrupted. “Not for you. Reluctantly.” That would leave her wondering what exactly it was Mobius had offered him in return.

Jess chuckled. “Now that is a matter of opinion, trust me. I would know.” Raising an eyebrow, she gave Mobius a challenging glare.

“I need you to cover a shift.” He responded matter-of-factly. Jess’ eyebrow rose even higher. “Reese just jumped back from 1792.”

“And?”

“He almost made his personal acquaintance with the guillotine. They’re patching him up in the hospital wing right now.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Jess took a step back, realising just what kind of favour, no, requirement Mobius would ask for. Reese had been in the TVA for more than three decades—he had not aged a day since his accession as a matter of fact—and his experience and excessive excitement over the Avengers had made him the perfect candidate to keep an eye on Loki while he was still not to be trusted—if he was ever going to be trusted, that was. He was the God of Mischief, after all.

“I’m on probation, remember? What makes you think I should cover for him of all people?” Loki rolled his eyes and for a moment, you almost felt sorry for excluding him from a conversation that was clearly about him.

“Call it an experiment. Prove to me that we can rely on you and I’ll end your probation.” Jess resisted the urge to shake his hand off her shoulder when he leaned forward to touch her in a fatherly manner.

“Sir, do you have a moment?” A Minuteman had appeared behind them. Jess had never quite figured out how they moved so quietly. Their shoe soles must have been made of feathers. In turn, the stilettos she usually wore to smuggle a few more inches to her height were loud and made satisfying noises ricocheting through the hallways when she walked, emitting confidence and even smugness. She needed that boost every once in a while.

Mobius nodded. As he released Jess’ shoulder and pushed past Loki—who did, much to her amusement, not move an inch for the senior manager—he pointed a finger at him. “Behave.”

The lab door fell shut behind him, drowning all noises from the outside like a soundproof recording room. Jess gaped at Loki for a second, her body once again threatening to overwhelm her with the magnetic pull she felt towards the Trickster, fascination setting her veins ablaze.

“You do not look human.” Loki suddenly said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Jess pouted.

“Excuse me? I am hoping you meant that as a compliment, I am as human as I’ll ever be.” Loki frowned, then responded with a hum.

“I take it you hop timelines for him too then, fixing the damage others have done.”

“Me? No.” Jess shook her head. “I am not a Minuteman. I wish I was, trust me, but I have got nothing to do with that, unfortunately. I work in the linguistics department, spending all day translating protocols and time recordings from all sorts of languages. Now I know what you’re thinking. With its technology, shouldn’t TVA be able to translate everything using a smart computer program?” She shrugged. “Well, technically you’re right. But there’s a bunch of languages out there that simply don’t exist either here on Earth or any other known realm. We’re only human—and a computer program is only as smart as its creator. It can’t translate a language that does not consist of words, for example, that would go against the very human comprehension of its programmer.”

“Then how do you speak them?” Loki probed.

“That’s my superpower. I don’t know why I can understand them, I just… do. And what did it get me?” She raised her hands in a dramatic motion. “Paperwork. Lots of paperwork. The only way for me to get in on the real action is this place here. Take a look at this.” Loki watched her move towards what resembled a toaster, shaped like a metal suitcase that had been left open. Smiling, she reached for a shining red apple on the table and placed it on the black surface before activating the switch. She had seen the scientists do this dozens of times before. In fact, she was sure she could handle most of the devices in here in her sleep. As the small machine hummed to life, it sent a deafening vibration through the room and then, just like someone had hit fast-forward with a remote, the apple shrivelled and rotted.

“Pretty cool, huh? It works the other way around too once it recharged. They haven’t figured out how to make it work for living beings, including humans, just yet, though. This is just a prototype anyway, the real thing is supposed to help re-animate the dead for a short amount of time to solve time crimes and shit. I swear I’d get a major in science if I lived another life. My father was one. Before he died, that is.” Jess wasn’t quite sure what made her open up to the God of Mischief and tell her about her personal family drama. She usually babbled when nervousness got the better of her but this was a new level of openness entirely. They all knew her story, after all, but apart from Mobius, they all pretended they didn’t. “You see? TVA is not all bad, even if it may seem so at first. M can be an arsehole sometimes, I know. He calls our main timeline in which everything began,” Jess continued with a dramatic voice, “the Null-Time Zone. I never figured out why and he won’t tell me.”

“Because you don’t listen, Jess.” Mobius answered, holding the door open with the Minuteman who had asked for his advice impatiently but mutely waiting for his turn again behind him.

“So?” She probed, pointing at the God of Mischief with her chin, her arms crossed. “If I am to play babysitter for a while, where am I staying? Where is Loki staying?”

“Your place.” Jess blinked, incredulousness spreading on her face like a clean swipe of butter on warm toasted bread.

“My place?”

“Your residential unit is supervised and equipped with modern alarm systems, just in case you decide to make trouble again, remember? We’ll position security outside the door in addition to that, killing two birds with one stone. Besides, it’s only temporary. Reese should be up and on his feet again in no time. The blade only grazed him before he made the jump back.”

“That does not sound reassuring!” Jess stood up straight to prove her point and yet, even compared to Mobius, she was nowhere near tall enough to make an impact with her body language at this time.

“You can take the rest of the day off as compensation. Show Loki to your unit. Make yourselves acquainted. I’ll send security to collect him in five minutes—to the second!”

 ~*~

She seems familiar almost… like part of me has known her forever. It was a thought which jumped into Loki’s mind and implanted itself in his head like a parasite. A mere mortal, how could there possibly be a connection between them? But it wasn’t just magnetic fascination and intrigue. Loki felt a need to keep her in his presence much like she was about to be his cherished bride. Irritation crept up the back of his neck as he followed her through the branched corridors and back to the modern lift he had had to use upon his arrival.

He would only love to know just what it was that had gotten her on probation. Abuse of machinery for her own selfish purposes, perhaps? A prank which had gone too far and done damage to the organisation? Murder? No. Despite her toughness, he could not imagine the delicate mortal standing next to him in the elevator being capable of killing anyone.

When the elevator doors slid open again, the young woman gave him an almost sheepish smile. She hardly appeared worried by having to escort him all on her own, across empty hallways which were only too inviting to overpower her and escape. Something held him back. She did, so he realised with another wave of irritation electrifying his body.

“…the most dangerous missions they usually leave to Justice Peace and Death’s Head. Ever heard of them? They are like celebrities around here.” He heard her say just then. But Loki couldn’t possibly take less interest in this so-called Time Variance Authority. All he needed to know was that it was yet another, partially human-led secret organisation imagining with the naivety of a child that they held power over him. SHIELD had made this mistake in the past and they had paid the bitter price. TVA would be no different.

“The units here are labelled with our initials and the department number. This one.” Jess pointed at the first door coming into sight to their right and quite apparently, Mobius had not made any empty promises concerning Jess’ safety and surveillance. As they turned around the corner, they were greeted by a grimly looking security officer clutching one of those small devices Loki identified as a Taser, one which of the like Darcy Lewis had once used on his brother. He kept a straight face even as Jess unlocked the residential unit using her fingerprint and entered but gave him a provocative smirk before following her.

His own chambers back on Asgard—another life entirely, so it seemed now—were a reflection of who he was with their green accents, the countless books, the tidiness and the ancient parchment rolls on his dark mahogany desk from Vanaheim. If anything, analysing her personal living space to the very last grain of dust would satisfy his need to learn just why he felt so drawn her, perhaps.

The first item of furniture he took in was the long bookshelf towering all the way up to the ceiling, every inch filled with clearly read books about as thick as his wrist. He made a note to study the titles later. A coffee table full of empty peanut shells and a new package of peanuts still sealed neatly in their plastic bag, a caramel sofa on which he found more sealed peanut bags as well as a golden cushion with cheesy pom-poms. A drawer, a TV with large speakers and another electronic gadget resembling a fridge and two separate doorways which led to a bathing area, so he presumed, and her bedroom. Even with the overall lack of more furniture in the room, Jess had somehow managed to add her very own personal touch to the sterile residential unit.

“The bathroom is to the right, you’ll find refreshments and snacks in the fridge next to the TV. My bedroom is out of bounds. I hope you enjoyed the tour.” She chuckled, grabbing a blue leather jacket from the hook on the entrance door behind them. “Big meals are eaten in the cafeteria at certain times of the day though. Mobius wants to strengthen the team spirit but the cooks never say no to a late breakfast or a midnight snack if you ask them nicely.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t you feel like a prisoner in this place?” A lackey for someone else to take the credit for your hard work, he added silently. He knew two of that kind—one being his brother, the other his alleged father. Loki suppressed a begrudged growl. Just in that moment and before she had a chance to reply to his provocative remark, there was a vigorous knock on the door.

“That’ll be your cue.” Jess announced. Loki had to force himself not to turn his head and catch one last glimpse of her as the grimly looking security man escorted him back to Mobius and, other than Jess, kept pushing him forward like cattle and yet, he was convinced he could feel her curious gaze resting on his back long after he had turned back around the corner, stepped into the elevator and even when he was reluctantly reunited with Mobius near the lab where they had first picked her up.

He was speaking to the same Minuteman who had interrupted them earlier—quietly, vividly and so engrossed in the seemingly heated conversation that he noticed Loki and his new bodyguard approaching only after his exceptional hearing had picked up shreds of information he made another mental note of using against them, sooner rather than later.

“You do realise that they’ll come after us with a vengeance, right? That could be the end of TVA once and for all, you know very well what he is capable of.”

“Let that be my concern. This is just a temporary solution—one which I am very curious about.”

“But it already—“

“I realise it already happened and that’s exactly why I’m doing this. All we need to do is stop it from happening again by observing the situation intently, stitch up the loop and we’ll be safe. This isn’t my first rodeo, Dave, you of all people should know this.”

“And what about the Tesseract? Wouldn’t it be smarter if we—“

The security officer cleared his throat, announcing their arrival.

“The Tesseract,” Loki interrupted with a glare, strutting towards them like the king he was born to become and despite his shackles, “belongs to me. It called out to me, it is mine.”

“You’ll find a lot of people in this facility who will disagree with you on that. Trust me. We’ll make sure you won’t get your hands on that cube again.” Dave snorted. “I hope you like your new lodging. Now come on, mischief maker. You’ve got a lot of work to do.”

~*~

A/N: And Scene! So what do you think, what do you think, what do you think? 🤯 I’m so excited to dive into this story! I literally recorded myself on my phone in the middle of the night a while back when all the ideas I had finally came together so I hope I’ll be taking you on an exciting journey with me!

Chapter 2

[lailyn]

Until The World Falls Away (G, pre-slash)

Summary: Mobius is showing Loki the ropes

Written for Lokius Bingo: 'I Understand It Now!'

"That was an absolute disaster of a mission."

"You think so? I thought it went smoothly. Noone died who wasn't supposed to die, noone lived who wasn't supposed to live," Mobius said. He held out his hand expectantly. "Your daggers, please."

"You still don't trust me."

"Stop taking things personally, Loki. Rules are rules, you know that."

Loki rolled his eyes and handed over his weapons, watching with despondent eyes as Mobius secured them in his locker.

"If the TVA needed to capture the boy's parents, why didn't you take him too?"

Mobius looked at him oddly. "The boy wasn't a Variant, his parents were."

"So we just leave him alone to fend for himself?"

"Why the sudden compassion for mortals? You were okay with letting Pompeii burn with everyone in it."

“It’s natural to think that I'm heartless, yes. But it's not natural when it's you. You're the good guys," Loki said dubiously. "Right?"

"Good and bad, it's just a matter of perspective," Mobius said. “When you’re born in a burning house, you think the whole world’s on fire. It’s not.”

“That would be true, had I been born in a house.”

“Fine, a Palace.”

“I’m not too sure about that either," Loki winced. “Anyone who could tell me where I came from is dead.”

"That's settled then," Mobius said cheerily. 

Upon realising his words may have been too harsh, he gave Loki's back an apologetic pat. "You have to make peace with your job, Loki."

"My job," Loki said flatly. "What have I been reduced to?"

It may be rhetorical, but Mobius chose to  answer the question nonetheless. 

" 'Upgraded' is the more politically correct term. Had you been pruned instead, we would have missed out on some great adventures." 

"Pruned," Loki noted with a curious sense of longing. "Now that is a state of existence I have yet to experience."

"I wouldn't recommend it. Noone has ever come back."

"I've always been drawn to the road less traveled by."

"Don't you go getting any ideas, Loki." Mobius' warning was gentle.

"I understand it now!" Loki exclaimed.

"What do you understand?" Mobius asked with the forbearance of a saint. There was that gleam in Loki's eyes he had come to associate with something unexpected. 

"You told me to make peace with my job." 

Mobius nodded. "I did."

"But there's the twist. There is no peace to be found. Not here, not in life, and certainly not in death."

"That's good. That's really good, Loki," Mobius said encouragingly.

Perplexed, Loki could only stare at the Analyst.

"How is any of that good?" he asked, irritation imbued in every word. "Were you dropped on the head as a child or something?"

"I don't know. I don't remember," Mobius said. "Like you, I don't remember my parents. Biological parents, I mean."

Mobius did not look particularly worried nor disturbed by the gap in his earliest memories, an oddity in someone so meticulous and inquisitive.

"You don't?" Loki probed, keeping his own curiosity guarded, lest Mobius thought he was interested. 

Mobius gave a little shrug. "Nope. I feel like there is a big space in my head that feels empty, but kinda crowded at the same time? I don't know, maybe it's just stress."

"Or maybe it's a tumour," Loki said darkly, but there was a hint of glee in his eyes. 

"Maybe. It could definitely be that too," Mobius agreed readily. "Do you know a lot of people walk around not knowing they've got all kinds of growths and vascular anomalies in their brain that could kill them at any time?"

"Lucky buggers," Loki sighed. 

Mobius blinked a few times. "Why do you think so?" 

"At least they have something to blame for their idiosyncracies, unlike the rest of us."

"How do you know you don't have one?"

"I'm not ill, Mobius," Loki said indignantly. "I am just...faulty."

"Yeah, but did you ever use magic and look inside yourself? Like, can your magic do that?"

"Healing magic is boring," Loki muttered. 

"Bad memories are tumours you need to excise," Mobius said gently. "And unlike an actual growth, they are ones that you have to work at removing yourself."

"What if they're irremovable?" Loki wondered aloud.

"Have you tried?" 

Loki opened his mouth to scoff, but Mobius pressed harder, "Have you actually really tried?"

"I've knocked my head against the wall a few hundred times," Loki deadpanned. 

Then Mobius did something that completely took Loki by surprise; he circled an arm around Loki's shoulders and pressed a chaste kiss on Loki's temple. 

"What was that?" Loki asked, dismayed at the way his voice trembled.

"Making peace."

Loki's heart began to pound. "With what?" 

With whom? 

"You were right. There is no peace to be found...unless we make it." Mobius smiled. "TIL."

"TIL?"

"Today I learned," Mobius explained. "Thank you, Loki." 

"You're very strange, Agent Mobius."

"Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot'."

With the heel of his hand, Loki hit the side of his head a few times. "My Allspeak must be broken. Nothing you just said made any sense."

"Hey. Stop." Mobius grabbed Loki's wrist. He felt pleased to discover that his fingers fit perfectly around it, as bony as it was. "No hitting yourself anymore."

Loki's pulse fluttered under his thumb like a bird trapped in a cage.

"You are not broken and you are not faulty."

"Then what am I?" Loki whispered.

You're my son, the tumour said.

"You're my friend," Mobius said. 

"Until?" Loki queried. 

Mobius frowned.

"There's always a catch," Loki heard himself say. 

"Until the day the world ends, I suppose," Mobius pledged. 

Loki's throat bobbed. "I suppose I should promise the same thing."

"I don't mind." Mobius smiled. "I don't mind that at all."