#tva!lokixreader

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. I suggest listening to Creep by Rediohead (or Kelly Clarkson's cover)

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Part 2 here

When he saw her one day, wandering through the shelves of the TVA library, he thought she was a ghost. Loki would have sworn it was her but not exactly her. There was something different; her hair, for example, was brown, not red, and she was much more smiling than he remembered. Loki initially had doubts about whether it was her, but then he spent days observing her—watching how she furrowed her brows when concentrating on reading a file, how she leaned against the railing to gaze at the city suspended in time, how she always chose apple pie in the cafeteria. Every day was a stab to his heart until he decided to approach her.

"Miss Princhett," Loki approached the cafeteria table carrying a cup of tea for himself and a cup of coffee. "May I join you?" he offered her the cup.

Lydia Princhett. Shield agent. She had red hair and a stern face. Died in 2012.

"Of course, even though I don't think we've ever been introduced," she grabbed the cup, giving him a slight smile. Loki tightened his lips.

Lydia Princhett. Consultant at the TVA. She had brown hair and a relaxed expression.

"I'm Loki, from Asgard."

"I know," she brought the cup to her lips, and for a moment, Loki was filled with hope. "Everyone knows about the new consultant with Mobius," she laughed almost mockingly. "I'm a consultant too. I was supposed to be disposed of, but in my timeline I was a bounty hunter, and they thought I could be useful," she shrugged.

Loki knew. That's why he’d kept her. No one knew better than her how to find someone and, conversely, how to hide them.

"And are you? Useful?"

"I sincerely hope so, otherwise, I don't think they'll wait long before getting rid of me," she chuckled lightly.

Loki remembered the first time he heard her laugh. He had tried to make a toast and burnt himself. Her laughter sounded like a bell, and the burn was absolutely worth it.

But none of that had ever happened for her.

That Lydia had never fought against him, lost, and spat at his feet, telling him how he would never be feared and respected like Odin.

She had never tended to his wounds after a fight, even under coercion.

She had never looked at him with pity when she realized that, in turn, Loki was under someone else's influence.

She had never agreed to hear his story and had never told hers.

"What was your Nexus event?" Loki didn't think before speaking; it just came out.

"Don't you think that's too personal a question?" Lydia raised an eyebrow but decided to answer anyway. "I decided not to go to work one day; I had absurd cramps," she leaned closer, whispering and eliciting a light laugh from both of them. "I didn't think the world would change much just by not going to work for one day."

Loki tilted his head. "When was it?"

Lydia shrugged. "I don't know exactly how long ago, time is a mess here, but it was in 2012."

Loki nodded, lips pressed into a line.

That Lydia had never known him, and she had never been a causality during the New York attack.

There was a moment of silence in which she observed him, and Loki felt tiny under her gaze. It seemed like she was analyzing his soul, exposing every secret.

"Do you know me, Loki of Asgard?" Lydia tilted her head, offering a smile.

He looked at her for a second. "No."

"But did you know me?"

Loki didn't answer, lowering his gaze.

Lydia finished her coffee, placing the cup on the table and sighed before standing up. "Well, thanks for the coffee; it was delightful," she gave him a forced smile and began walking towards the exit. Loki opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Lydia stopped after a few steps.

"For what it's worth," she turned to him, "I'd like to get to know you, Loki of Asgard."

Loki gave her a slight smile, the saddest he had ever made, and with a nod, he bid farewell to her ghost before finishing his tea and returning to work.

[acciotherapists]

For All Time

For everyone saddened by the ending of season 2, here is a little ficlet (just a little over 500 words) to hopefully heal the ache. Spoilers for Season 2 below the cut. Read with caution!

Note: This was written in 10 minutes while at work so ignore any mistakes. I simply had to get this out.

TVA!Loki x reader

I watched as Loki reignited the timelines, saving them from destruction.

“He’s giving us a chance,” Sylvie said and my eyes widened as the earth split open in front of Loki.

“No…” I murmured, realizing what this would mean. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as tears slipped down my cheeks. I swallowed thickly, watching as Loki dragged the timelines up the stairs, toward the opening in space. Before I could even move Mobius had wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Don’t do it. He wouldn’t want you to do it.”

He already knew what I was thinking; I had to get to Loki. I struggled in his grip as Loki reached the top of the stairs and disappeared into the void, closing the portal behind him.

I collapsed and Mobius held me up, tears streaming down my face as I stared at the emptiness in front of us. “No… please, no.”

“Y/n, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” Mobius whispered, holding me up as I sobbed.

“No!” I yelled, pushing away from him. There was a flash of light and I turned to see the Yggdrasil in front of us, the timelines woven together.

“We failed him, Mobius… we were supposed to figure it out.”

“I know, Y/n… but it was too complicated. We tried everything possible… and Loki knew that. That’s why he did what he did.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

He said nothing and simply looked at the tree, a sad smile on his face.

“What if you prune me?” 

B-15 shook her head. “It wouldn’t work. You’d only end up in the void and I’m guessing the creature you told us about is still there. Chances are you’d run into Ravonna or Alioth before you found Loki.”

“I have to do something! He’s all alone!”

“He doesn’t have to be.”

I turned to Sylvie. “What?”

“We can’t prune you… but I have something better.” I watched as she took Kang’s Time-Twister from her wrist and walked toward me. “He sacrificed everything to save us… he deserves better… he deserves you.” She grabbed my hand and placed the device around my wrist. “Go find him.” She smiled, hugging me and wiping away my tears. “Tell him we said thank you.”

I nodded, unsure of what to say. “Thank you, Sylvie.”

She nodded and grabbed a nearby tempad, leaving the TVA behind.

Mobius nodded, smiling. “Go get him.”

B-15 hugged me, saying goodbye, and I created a time-door to where I knew Loki would be waiting. The end of time.

When I stepped through the door I was surrounded by timelines, floating around me. I gently moved them aside until I reached Loki. He was sitting on a golden throne, holding the timelines together, and his eyes filled with tears as they found mine.

“Darling, w-what are you doing here? How-?”

“Sylvie… she gave me this.” I showed him the device that allowed me to find him and he smiled. I walked toward him and sat on his lap, resting my face against his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, my love… I… I have to hold the timelines. I-.”

I stopped him. “I didn’t come here for you to comfort me, Loki. I came to comfort you. I didn’t want you to be alone. I know you can’t hug me back but I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here."

He smiled down at me. “For all time?”

“Always.”

[pyreneese]

Last night I finished Loki season 2 and ohhhhh my goddddd??? I think I'd been putting off watching it because all throughout my teens, Loki was my favorite character and I didn't want it to end lol (incidentally the first character I ever wrote smut for lmao. Yes, I was a 13-14 year old trying to write LokixReader sex. It was bad XD).

Watching the season also got me in the mood to work on The Kiss That Broke Time again so I'm rereading the chaps I have and that might update in the near future. Now to spoilers!

Loki became the heart of Yggdrasil?? That is simultaneously such a beautiful and tragic ending. I actually feel a bit conflicted about the ending. The cinematography was gorgeous, his reasoning was perfect and the muuuusic, ugh my heart. But ever since his debut, Loki has been a lonely character, you know? Ever since the beginning, he's craved to be with people who understand and accept him and he found that! I feel a bit conflicted that he ended up alone again, even if it was to protect the new people he loves.

Ha! Okay I was worried I made Renslayer too evil in my fic but lmao nah fuck her. The way she killed Dox and her Minutemen was fucking bruuuutal omg. I don't think we've gotten such a brutal mcu death in a long time. There was something so chilling about it. Btw these are all compliments XD. I love an evil villain. Although honestly, the spaghettification was brutal too pfft.

A little peeved we never got to see Frost Giant!Loki again. This is a criticism I've had seen season 1. If the TVA automatically cancels out enchantments, why would Loki's Asgard appearance hold, you know? Such a big missed opportunity for drama and character development.

Ngl when we found out everyone was sent to their original timeline, I was getting ready to watch Loki look for Sylvie on Asgard. I was preparing myself for him to see Asgard one last time and thaaaat didn't happen T-T. A bit sad, but I still liked the direction it went.

[ao3feed-lokiangst]

Lokixreader: Stitches and WikiHow

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Z9KNF0

by obsessed_fanfiction_lover

You, a TVA Agent and Loki are forced to work together. You get injured on a mission and Loki takes care of your wound. He still hates you though. Or does he?

It's part of a larger plot but can be read individually, for more info read the A/N chapter of Lokixreader: Falling in Time. There will be a few things mentioned that are better understood when reading the latter as an introduction to the series though.

Words: 4205, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Loki Fanfic Collection: Falling in Time

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Other

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Reader

Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader

Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Blood and Injury, Caring, Soft Loki (Marvel), Denial of Feelings, Fluff, Teasing, TVA, Reader-Insert, loki uses wikihow, im too lazy to think of other tags its 4 am i should be sleeping besties, Unresolved Tension, loki is a dramatic theatre kid, I am really tired, i wanna have pizza, i hate you is a phrase of endearment okay

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Z9KNF0

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 2: What I knew. Part 1 here - part 3 here PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC WARNINGS: none SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him. NOTE: that was supposted to be a one-shot, but I felt like writing a second part.

Time at the TVA flows differently. It's the first thing you learn arriving there. For instance, the alternation between day and night wasn't clear because there was no sun.

Loki didn't know how much time had passed since their conversation. Nor did he know how much time had passed since he sat in front of her at the desk, under the pretense of wanting company while analyzing documents. Nor did he know how much time had passed since he had stopped working to stare at her.

"If you want to ask me something, just do it. You're unsettling."

Apparently, too much time.

The truth was he had no questions.

"I was just wondering what you were working on" Loki said.

Lydia glanced up at him before returning her gaze to the documents. "The same thing as you, more or less. Dangerous variant on the run." After all, they were in the same department, so they obviously worked on the same things.

"And do you like it?"

Midgard, 2012.

"I see you wavering more and more every day" she said with a mocking smile.

"My goals have never been so clear" Loki spat.

"Oh, if you say so, great and mighty god," Lydia taunted, taking a candy from the bag she held. Loki stared, wondering what it was and where she got it.

Lydia followed his gaze, offering him a candy. "Want one?"

Loki took it and sniffed it under her amused gaze before putting it in his mouth and immediately spitting it out, making her laugh.

"But it's disgusting, I've never eaten anything so sweet and sticky."

"I bet you wouldn't want to destroy the Earth anymore if you could enjoy the pleasures it has to offer," Lydia said with a laugh, putting another candy in her mouth. "Why do you want to destroy it anyway?"

"I don't intend to destroy it, I intend to rule it," Loki narrowed his eyes.

"And what will you do with a realm you don't even like?"

Loki straightened up, looking away, but didn't respond.

Something clicked in Lydia's mind. "Ohh," she turned to him, a little too close for the god's taste, "it's your plan B."

Loki ignored her, walking toward the room where they conducted experiments on the Tesseract, but she caught up.

"It was Asgard, the one you wanted to rule. A realm of gods, full of wealth and abundance. But without candies and where everyone hates you," Lydia acidly smiled, and Loki quickened his pace. "It seems fair, everyone should have a plan B." Lydia grabbed another candy.

Loki turned to her. "And what's yours, Miss Princhett?" he said challengingly.

Lydia looked ahead, toward the end of the hallway. "This. SHIELD is plan B."

Loki turned to her, confused by the admission. "And plan A?"

"Doctor, maybe. My mother would have liked that for sure. Or a history teacher, like my other mom."

Loki stared at her for a moment, and she returned the gaze. They were polar opposites. He fiercely desired something and would do anything to get it. She, on the other hand, settled. This difference became clear to both of them in that moment. Probably, they both believed they were right and simultaneously envied each other's capacity.

"Your mouth is covered in sugar," Loki said before walking away.

TVA, 2021.

"And do you like it?"

"What a strange question," Lydia tilted her head, wrinkling her nose. "It's my job. I do what I have to."

"But isn't there anything else you'd like to do?"

Lydia opened her mouth a couple of times, then looked down before speaking. "I would have liked to be a teacher, maybe a history teacher. I've always loved the subject" she replied sadly.

"Well, I suppose this gets you close," Loki gave her an encouraging smile.

"I suppose so," she looked up at him. "And you, Loki Prince of Asgard? What do you wanna be?"

"King, of course," he spread his arms theatrically.

"Of course," she repeated with an amused air, rolling her eyes. "And what will be your first royal decree?"

"Hiring a very well-informed history teacher at court," Loki approached her, leaning on the desk as if about to confess a secret, and Lydia mimicked him, finding herself face to face with his deep blue eyes. "And I already have someone in mind," he winked.

Lydia blushed, grabbed a folder, and rolled it up before using it to hit Loki on the head.

"Ouch," he complained, rubbing his head. "That hurt."

"Oh, don't be a baby," she straightened up in her chair. "Let's get back to work before our analysts come to scold us."

Loki smiled before returning his gaze to the papers.

----

Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a heart, a note or to reblog, this really helps a lot. Part 3 in a couple of days.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 21: Epilogue

My suggestion for this chapter is Happy Togheter by The Turtles.

Part 1 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr ; @m3ntally-unstable ; @star-maker-rain-dancer

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, much later

Loki tapped his foot on the floor while waiting for the elevator. He looked at the watch on his wrist; time was an abstract concept at the TVA unless you had a meeting with the head of the Research and Development division. In that case, time mattered and he was late.

Finally, the elevator doors opened, revealing a figure scanning a folder in their hands. Loki sighed as he entered.

"Don't you ever take a break?"

Lydia didn't even look up. "If I took breaks, I'd be late for meetings with the Research and Development division."

Loki sighed again, pressing the button for the fourth floor.

"Will it take long?" she asked, closing the folder.

"I hope not." Loki adjusted his jacket as the doors closed. "Join me for dinner afterward?"

"Italian?" She smiled as the doors opened.

"Deal." Loki exited the elevator.

Midgard, 2026

"What are you looking at?" Loki peeked over the menu, noticing Lydia staring at a specific spot in the room, particularly, at a man. "Should I be jealous?"

Lydia raised an eyebrow, diverting his attention from the awkward smile displayed on her face. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Then tell me."

"That guy used to be in S.H.I.E.L.D. and now he's working with a big-time terrorist. They're planning an attack on Congress."

Loki observed the man while Lydia returned to studying the menu.

The new life Loki had chosen for himself presented a series of unexpected challenges, including finding interesting topics to discuss with a person he loved but had shared a home, work, and leisure time with for fifty years, in a place where everything was always static and the same.

"Do you think we'll ever retire?"

Lydia furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what Mobius said the other day: leaving the TVA, finding a nice timeline, settling down."

"If this is your marriage proposal, then the answer is no." Lydia crossed her arms.

"You wouldn't marry me?" He asked, smiling slightly.

"Not if you asked like that."

"I wouldn't ask like that." Loki shook his head. "But don't dodge the question. Answer me."

"What was the question?" Lydia scratched her head.

"Will we ever retire?"

"And do what all the time?" She shrugged, looking around for a waiter. "Grow old and die?"

"Are you afraid of dying, Miss Princhett?"

"I'm afraid of getting bored."

"Oh, I think we'd find a way to pass the time." Loki winked at her.

Lydia crumpled a napkin and threw it at him. He dodged it, laughing.

"So, what do you think? Will we retire someday?"

"Alright, when we get tired of it, we'll retire." Lydia sighed. "But I want a proper proposal."

TVA, 15 years later

Lydia hugged her knees to her chest, looking out the window. Loki was sleeping beside her.

Lately, Lydia had started asking herself questions, and she didn't like it.

At the TVA, everything had been calm for a long time; all the unresolved cases in history had been answered, there was no imminent threat to stop, and no world to save.

In secret from everyone, especially Loki, she had started wandering the cosmos. Sometimes she disappeared for days, participating in various battles to save one planet or another, just to feel something: adrenaline, fear, joy. She had continued until the higher-ups found out and threatened to kick her out.

So, she returned to office work, which made her feel like a shell more than a person. She loved working, but there was almost nothing left to do there.

She felt Loki move in bed. He was the only reason she was still at the TVA.

She should probably be grateful. If they had met on Earth as a simple boy and girl, their time together would have ended long ago. Instead, they had lived together for more than half a century. They spent half the time bickering and the other half making up, but never leaving each other. Lydia had no doubt that their destinies were inextricably linked now, but she couldn't help but wonder if this shared destiny wasn't just an endless, flat existence.

"What are you doing?" Loki ran a tired hand over his eyes, yawning.

"Just thinking," Lydia turned to give him a slight smile.

Loki looked at the clock on the nightstand.

"A terrible thing to do at 4 AM." He sighed, sitting up and positioning himself next to her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important."

"Mm." Loki planted a kiss on her bare shoulder. "How can nothing important keep you awake at this hour?"

She sighed. "It's really stupid, honestly."

"After that one time we set out to find a universe where Hogwarts really existed, nothing seems stupid to me." He wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm starting not to love the TVA as much as I used to. At first, the TVA was an almost magical place where a lot of things I thought were impossible were actually real. But over time, the science fiction became just everyday life."

"Mm, go on." Loki hid a small smile with his hand.

"In short, it doesn't excite me like it used to. And to be honest, the idea of waking up in the morning and doing the exact same things I've done for the last fifty years keeps me from sleeping, and when I finally manage to fall asleep, it's already morning, and I can't get out of bed."

"You're unhappy," Loki concluded, looking into her eyes, and Lydia looked away, suddenly feeling guilty.

"I know I should be grateful just to be here with you, and I swear I love you so much and love spending time with you, but I feel so tired even though I do almost nothing all day." Lydia took a breath, raising her eyes to Loki's blue ones. "Do you think it's stupid?"

He shook his head, smiling slightly. "I think it's time."

"Time for what?"

Loki reached over, opening a drawer on the nightstand.

"Time for us to retire." He turned back, showing her a white gold ring with a blue stone that shone in the dim light filtering through the window.

Lydia's eyes widened as she looked from him to the ring.

"I've kept it there for fifteen years, waiting for the right moment, waiting for you to be ready, but I think we both need it now. So, this is my proposal." Loki took a breath. "Lydia, would you like to live the most mundane of adventures with me?"

Lydia's mouth dropped open. This changed everything. She would return to the flow of time where each day is different, unrepeatable, and precious, and she wouldn't do it alone.

"Oh my god, yes!" She threw herself at him, making him fall backward, and hid her face in his chest.

Pressing against his chest and knocking the wind out of him, Lydia lifted herself up and reached for the ring, putting it on her finger. As Loki caught his breath, Lydia flopped gracelessly onto the bed next to him and raised her hand, looking at the ring that gleamed in the dim light with a silly smile that Loki found adorable.

"Loki," Lydia furrowed her brows, "is the stone… the Tesseract?"

"Shh… let's go back to sleep."

It was definitely the Tesseract.

Loki hugged her tightly from behind, and while he was already thinking about the color of the nursery, Lydia thought this was the second time Loki had saved her from the end. And that she would be the only woman on Earth to flaunt an Infinity Stone as an engagement ring.

Hi. I really don't know what to say. Thanks a lot to the amazing supporters of this work, I keep you all in my heart, you gave me the push i needed to go on. I've been writing since I was twelve but I never managed to finish a story, because of study or work or social life. It's just a fanfic but for me it means I can do it and maybe someday I'll publish a whole book. In the meantime, I'm working on another fanfic settled in the TVA, extremely different from this one, so stay tuned for a psychological thriller that smells like Fringe, Tim Burton and Loki all together, I guess (let me know if you wanna be tagged in the pilot). Thanks again and as usual, Cheers!

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 10: It ain't fair.

My personal suggestion for this chapeter is Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles

Part 1 here - part 11 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021

Brad had led Mobius and Loki to Sylvie and had reaveld Dox’s plan to fix the damage to the sacred timeline.

The pruning of timelines carried out by Dox had been an effective genocide, but it had allowed them to gain time and narrow down the field to find Renslayer and Miss Minutes.

"We have a trace on Renslayer's tempad," Lydia announced, approaching Mobius's desk, followed by Casey.

"In fact, we have two," the latter clarified.

"Where are they?" Mobius urged.

"Chicago, 1868 and 1893," Casey handed a folder with all the details to Mobius.

"Is there anything relevant?"

"The 1893 Chicago World's Fair, but it wasn't particularly exciting, there was electricity and a pavilion run by women," Lydia shrugged.

"And is it important?" Loki asked, whom Lydia had been trying to ignore all along.

"If you had studied, you would know that they were very avant-garde things for the time," Lydia replied with a hint of venom before turning to Mobius. "I'll leave the operational part to you, let me know if you need anything else" she said before turning around and walking away.

"What did you do to her?" Mobius whispered to Loki.

"Nothing."

"It's never nothing," Casey interjected. "It's just that you don't know what it is."

"If I were you, I'd find out before she comes up with a way to prune us and make it look like an accident," Mobius urged.

Loki rolled his eyes before grabbing his coat and running after her.

---

"May I know what's wrong?" he asked once he caught up with her outside the control room.

"Nothing," Lydia shrugged without turning towards him.

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you," she retorted without even looking up in his direction.

"Is it about the milkshake?" [A/N: I'm just Ken playing in the background]

Lydia froze in place and turned to Loki.

"You know, Loki, I don't think you've ever had a milkshake." She took a step towards him, causing him to step back. "They're small drinks" she took another step "fresh, fruity," another step, "not over five foot six with a crooked haircut and smelling of fried food."

Loki found himself stuck between her and the empty corridor wall.

"Are you talking about Sylvie?"

"Are you talking about Sylvie?" she mocked him. "Of course I'm talking about Sylvie."

"Wait a second... are you jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she took a step back, "what should I be jealous of?"

Loki grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him and reversing their positions so that she was pinned between the wall and his body.

"If it's not jealousy, then what is it?" he looked down at her.

"I don't like her," Lydia tried to hold his gaze as she felt her legs turn to jelly. "She's a viper."

"Strange," Loki breathed against her face as he saw her chest rise and fall faster and faster. "Even Mobius doesn't like her, yet he doesn't avoid me."

"I'm your friend, I care about you," despite Lydia's attempt to sound convincing as she held his gaze, her voice almost sounded like a whisper.

"Is that what we are, Lydia?" Loki leaned dangerously close to her. "Friends?"

"Aren't we?" her voice trembled as she unconsciously tilted her face up towards his.

"Ok, Casanova, we don't have time for this," Mobius grabbed Loki by the shoulder, pulling him away and causing him to stumble backward. "Mobius?!" Loki looked at him.

Lydia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as her face flushed various shades of red.

"Come on, we had little time before and certainly it hasn't increased," Mobius started walking.

Loki sighed, following him, and in doing so, glanced at Lydia, finding her blushing, with her mouth slightly open and her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was a work of art.

Turning around, Loki slipped on his coat, pleased with himself for causing all that beauty, and ran a finger over his lips, wondering if hers were at least half as soft as they seemed.

Basically the essence of situationships. Where you just can't be jelous 'cause he ain't ya boyfriend. But com'on. Y'all clearly made for eachother. If you agree, you're welcome to apply to the delulu club, I'm president. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading, I accept suggestions 'cause I'm unsure about my ability to write streamier scenes. Let me know if anyone's interested in being added to the tag list.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 13: Lost Boy

My suggestion for this chapter is Lovely by Billie Eilish, who, apparently, fits perfectly into this fanfic.

Part 1 here - part 14 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Midgard, 1994

Lydia was in the scientist's study, or perhaps it was some sort of laboratory, in 1994. Soon, the room filled with people. Her friends, as Loki had called them.

Apparently, the woman, the doctor, was the one she trained with at the TVA gym, and she had engaged in a friendly competition with the jet ski salesman, who was also an analyst, whatever that meant, on who could solve more cases in the same amount of time.

Lydia had never seen them before and Loki's stories were just that. Someone else's stories.

"So, you're some kind of cop?" the man asked her.

"More of a secret agent" she replied.

"How secret can it be if you're telling us?" the scientist/writer asked.

"Forget it," Loki emerged from a time door, interrupting the conversation. "It's better if you go back home."

Lydia exchanged a confused glance with the doctor.

"What do you mean, forget it?" the woman asked.

"You need to go back home, I was wrong," he sighed.

"No, wait" the jet ski salesman interjected "First, you tell us the fate of the world depends on us, and then... nothing?"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong, I just…" Loki glanced at Lydia, it lasted only a moment before he lowered his head, shaking it "wanted things to go differently. You need to go back to your place, it's right this way."

"No, it's not." A blonde figure emerged from a time door.

"Sylvie…" Loki widened his eyes.

"The branches are dying. If we don't hurry, there might not be a home to return to, for any of you."

Lydia observed her, but she wasn't familiar either. She sighed, feeling her fingers tingling, she looked down but didn't see her fingers, just filaments.

"Loki" she managed to call and gave him a terrified look before disappearing.

Loki saw that scene three times before he got a hold of his abilities and went back in time. And back to the TVA.

Several centuries later.

Loki watched with tears in his eyes as Timely managed to load and send the range multiplier onto the frame. Loki cheered for a moment before the frame collapsed again. It was the billionth time he had tried. He glanced at Lydia, who had a mournful face, it was the billionth time he had seen that too. He thought back to what she had said to Sylvie when they had argued. Lydia was right, it all started with the death of He Who Remains; that moment had marked their destiny.

Loki went there and spent several years there. It took a long time before he could truly talk to He Who Remains, and when he did, he realized that everything, everything, had been a waste of time.

He was tired, disheartened. He had to find another way to fix everything but was starting to run out of ideas. He had promised Lydia that he would find a solution, for centuries he had clung to that promise because finding a solution would mean saving her life and all his friends'. But he was wavering. The loneliness he felt was destroying him.

Midgard, 2073. Temporal Branch 39,618

The house was empty at that moment, but someone, many people, surely lived there. He climbed the stairs and went to the only lit room. There lay an old woman in a bed, under layers of blankets.

"Did you remember my coffee, Liam?" The old lady turned to him.

"I'm afraid not, I'm sorry" Loki said to announce himself.

"Well, what are you doing at the door? Come in."

Loki took a few hesitant steps towards her, who pointed to the chair near the bed. Loki sat down and looked around. The bedside table was full of medicines, and there were a couple of oxygen tanks in a corner.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm eighty-seven, dear, it's already strange that I'm still breathing" she tried to laugh, but the laughter quickly turned into a cough.

He kept his gaze low.

"You seem lost," the woman observed.

"I think… I am" Loki looked at her thin arms and knotted hands resting on the blankets.

She looked at him with the tenderest look Loki had ever seen.

"You know, young man, you remind me of someone" she began "He too was very lost when I met him and had a truly terrible character" She managed to drag Loki into a little chuckle, but seeing how she suffered through the laugh, Loki's eyes immediately saddened.

"He had mournful eyes, just like yours, and I fell in love with him. Not right away, but for a lifetime."

"Where is he now?" Loki asked as his eyes moistened.

"Oh, he's very special, you see, he doesn't age like me, and he doesn't have time to deal with a dotty old lady."

"He should be here" Loki lowered his gaze.

"Oh, no," the old lady covered his hand with her knotty one "he must protect the world, I would never want him to be here watching me wither away. I've had a good life, I've saved the world many, perhaps too many times, and I've had a family."

"But you're alone" tears filled his eyes.

"You're here."

A few tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Why are you crying, boy?"

"I don't want to be alone, Lydia" he said with a broken voice, wiping his face with his hand.

"My dear, you needn't worry about that" she squeezed his hand with the little strength she had "you have great power. You're altruistic, generous, and kind. And good people never stay alone; they just have to trust others and welcome them into their hearts."

"What should I do?" he said, sniffing and taking a breath, trying to calm down.

"Oh, I don't know about that, but I know you'll figure it out, and when you do, just remember one thing: you must not be afraid. You are very loved, and when you are loved, there is nothing to fear, Loki. Love gives us courage." She laughed lightly between coughs as she transformed into filaments between his fingers.

FINALLY I GOT BACK! Soo... sad ain't we? Well, this last part was written way before the hole chapter, it was so clear in my mind and so teary, unfortunately. Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list. Next chapter will be the last related to canon events, but the ff is not over. We have around 6 more chapters. A special thank you to @mischief2sarawr who's a lovely supporter and also added me to their public reading list. Check out their blog for amazing reading suggestions!

Cheers everyone.

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Ghost. - part 6: The Night We Parted.

This chapter's musical suggestion is Love of my life by Queen.

Part 1 here - part 7 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

This chapter is a little bit angsty but it's all for the sake of the plot.

Who am I kidding, this was angsty from the start.

Perhaps it was the influence of the TVA that transmitted this conviction to her, but Lydia felt wrong. The erroneous copy of a corrected version of herself. And she threw herself into her work, hoping to prove that this was her better version, starting a sort of insane competition with herself. The problem was that Lydia had never seen her file, afraid to know exactly what she had missed, so she didn't even know what she was competing against.

Until that moment.

The recording contained everything. Every encounter, every exchange, every glance, every moment.

"There's only one place where you can find such a source of energy." "Which is?" "The Stark Tower in New York."

Lydia glanced at Loki, who didn't take his eyes off the footage.

The file really had everything, up to her last day of life. Their whole story, from her perspective.

Midgard, 2012. Battle of New York.

"I want you back to the bunker."

Lydia shook her head amusedly. "No way, I'm finally back in New York, and there's no way I'm going back to that shithole at the end of the world."

Lydia - Agent Prichett - sat facing Loki in the small space at the back of the black jet they had stolen from SHIELD.

"I'm serious," Loki put his hands on his legs, leaning towards her "when the Chitauri arrive, the situation won't be good."

"Don’t you say? I thought you wanted to have tea with the Avengers while playing with one of your space pets."

"Lydia" he said impatiently.

"Loki" she imitated his voice.

There was silence for a moment.

"You'll lose."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. They're bigger and more powerful than you, it's an uneven match" Lydia shrugged.

"But if I were to win—"

"It won't happen" she decreed, looking at him severely before taking a deep breath, softening her expression "You still have time, Loki. Stop everything, withdraw your orders."

"They'll come anyway," Loki shook his head.

"And how?"

Loki didn't answer, and Lydia exhaled a frustrated breath.

Back at the TVA, all of that, Loki knew. He had seen it. What he hadn't seen was everything Lydia had done once they arrived in New York.

When the Avengers arrived in New York, Lydia led Black Widow to the platform where, from the device containing the Tesseract, the beam that created the portal between worlds originated.

"How do we destroy it?" "With this" Lydia raised Loki's scepter with a smirk. "How did you get that?" Romanoff raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you know me, I have a couple of aces up my sleeve" Lydia shrugged. "Well, how do we do it?"

TVA, 2021

After closing the portal, Lydia and Natasha Romanoff descended from the tower to rush to support the other members of the ground team with what remained of the Chitauri. It was at that point that debris from a building collapsed, hitting Agent Princhett, and on the screen appeared the words

<Lydia Pinchett - End of recording>.

Lydia shrugged as she couldn't take her eyes off the footage. Her death had been so... unheroic. A piece of debris? Seriously? Of course, not all endings have to be particularly grandiose, but that... that was pathetic. Not to mention the fact that she had just found out that Loki, the man sitting next to her, who had organized the closest thing to a TVA picnic under the stars, had tried to destroy her entire world and had torn apart a good percentage of New York.

Loki, for his part, had his brain spinning.

"What... what happened?"

"I died."

"Yes, I got that," he turned to her, "I mean in New York. Why did you lead her there? I mean... I would have won."

Lydia raised an eyebrow, moving her eyes from him to the screen.

"Why... why did you betray me?" Loki turned his torso towards her.

"Loki... she was never on your side," Lydia shook her head, looking at Loki's hurt expression.

"That's not true... we, I mean you and I... you saw the same thing I saw. There was complicity, there was—"

"Manipulation, Loki," she interrupted him, "that's what I saw. Every time she talked to you, she wasn't just curious about your motivations, she didn't want to know you because you interested her. She was interrogating you."

Loki shook his head, turning to the other side.

"I know it hurts, but it's true," Lydia extended a hand, placing it on his shoulder, but Loki shrugged it off, "I'm sorry you misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Loki turned abruptly, "You deceived me!"

"Me? I didn't do anything. While those things were happening, I was here," she pointed a finger at herself, "Variant, remember?"

But Loki didn't listen; he was lost in his thoughts and anger.

"It's your fault if I lost."

"I didn't ask you to attack my planet. I'm only guilty of defending my home," she shook her head annoyed.

"I trusted you, I opened up to you, and you stabbed me in the back."

"From what pulpit comes the preaching," Lydia forced a laugh, "what do you want, Loki? Apologies for something I didn't do?" she raised her voice slightly.

"You hurt me!"

"I didn't!" she yelled, standing up, "As far as I'm concerned, I only met you a few weeks ago!"

"But you're her," Loki stood too, pointing to the screen, "and if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that people don't change," he shook his head with a bitter smile, "a backstabber doesn't wait for anything but the right moment to strike again."

"And you're certainly an expert at that," she spat, approaching him.

Loki stared at her for a moment before bending slightly so they were face to face.

"At least I know who I am."

They stared at each other full of anger for long endless seconds before Lydia took a breath through clenched teeth.

"It's not my fault you fell in love with someone who manipulated you."

Loki could have started a long speech, probably accompanied by a presentation with about twenty slides, about the fact that this wasn't love. But it wouldn't have made sense. The only relevant issue is that the eyes he had in front of him, those he had just believed were the sweetest and brightest in the universe, now seemed to him those of a viper.

"Get back to your work, Prichett, trample anyone who stands between you and your mission since it's the only thing you care about."

Loki passed her, giving her a slight push. He strode across the room and left through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"You fucking murderer!" She screamed, trembling with anger.

Lydia grabbed the computer keyboard and, with a scream, threw it against a wall. "I didn't do anything!" she grabbed the monitor and, tearing out all the wires, threw it to the other side of the room, repeating louder, "I didn't do anything!!" as she trembled and tears covered her face.

She collapsed into the chair, rested her head on the desk, and covered it with her arms while repeating softly, with a voice interrupted by sobs, "I didn't do anything."

No more starry skies for these two. Next chapter will be connected to canon events. Please go on supporting as I'm writing a short sequel. Or I'll just make this fic longer. Dunno. Ps. Should I make a masterlist with all the links for this fic? Is it even needed?

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Ghost. - part 20: Directions

My suggestion for this chapter is Born to Die by Lana del Ray, cause I just had to.

Part 1 here - Last part to be published on Tuesday

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr ; @m3ntally-unstable ; @star-maker-rain-dancer

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Lydia crouched down, covering her head with her arms, but she didn't feel any impact. She didn't feel anything. Slowly, she opened one eye, and the strong light that hit her was annoying. She straightened up, blinking to adjust to the neon lights, and looked around, recognizing one of the corridors at the TVA.

TVA? Loki!

She still felt the stone she had taken from the tree in her hand. She loosened her grip to check that it was still there. And it was. And so was the TVA. She started running towards O.B.'s office, and the closer she got, the more she heard her colleagues talking.

"She will never give up, you saw what she's become, B-15."

"It's precisely because I've seen her like that that I don't trust her, Mobius. Under different circumstances, I might have gone with her into the unknown, but I won't accompany her to die and I won't let her drag us along."

"No need" Lydia said, opening the door "I did it."

"Did what?" Mobius tilted his head.

Lydia looked at everyone present before smiling.

"I took the heart from the donor" Lydia showed the stone to everyone, holding it between her index finger and thumb. B-15's jaw would have hit the floor if it weren't attached to her, and Victor Timely took a few steps back as if frightened.

"What the hell…" Mobius began but was interrupted.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much, the donor was dying anyway" Lydia slid the stone onto the desk towards O.B., who took it in his hands, adjusting his glasses.

"You really did it" Mobius leaned in to get a better look at the object.

"And it went well" Lydia shrugged, while O.B. began murmuring with Timely and analyzing the stone with various instruments.

"You've completely lost your mind" B-15 shook her head.

"Maybe, but at least I solved the problem."

"Actually, I'd wait to say that" O.B. interrupted, drawing attention. "This thing… has no energy."

"What do you mean?" Lydia tilted her head.

"Well, the heart is supposed to power the tree, like some sort of battery, right?" Lydia exchanged a glance with Mobius, nodding.

"So it should have a charge, a form of energy."

"Faster, O.B." Lydia crossed her arms.

"At first glance, this stone has nothing energetic or magical or anything. It's just a stone" O.B. looked at her almost apologetically for having to give her the news. Lydia laughed bitterly and dug her fingers into her own flesh as much as she could while rolling her eyes from the floor to the ceiling.

"Just a stone." She repeated bitterly. When she had put her hand in the tree, she had felt the energy coming from that thing, but there was only one person in the world who could have created such a deception.

"I can analyze it further to see if there's anything else but…"

"Screw it" she turned, opening the door and leaving "Screw everything" She ran down the corridors, knocking over anyone in her way, reaching the main hall and hurling herself against the glass behind which Yggdrasil hid the Asgardian, punching with all the strength she had in her body.

"Screw you, Loki" she threw another punch. "Do you hear me? Screw you!" She threw a third punch. "Do you want to spend eternity alone? Fine!" Mobius, who had run after her, finally reached her and grabbed her arm, pulling her back and out of the room while Lydia struggled.

"Sorry about that" Mobius smiled at the shocked colleagues. "She's a bit stressed, it'll pass soon."

Lydia continued struggling until she was out of the hall.

--

"Feeling better?"

Mobius had made her sit in the infirmary and left her there to cool down while he went to get her something warm.

Lydia didn't answer, remaining curled up with her chin resting on her knees and her gaze lost.

"I'll take that as a no," Mobius sighed, approaching. He sat on the cot next to her, holding the cup he had brought between his hands.

"I'm really sorry, Lydia, truly. And not just because Loki is my closest friend, but also because I saw your disappointment."

Lydia still didn't respond.

"You tried. You risked your life for him, and that's admirable, but sometimes we have to know when to stop, take the time to mourn and move on."

"I saw him," was all she managed to say.

"What?"

"Loki" Lydia lifted her head slightly "In Asgard. I talked to him."

Mobius took a moment to process.

"And what did he say?"

"That he loves me and that he wants me to move on."

Mobius inhaled.

"You should."

"I can't," Lydia finally turned to look at him "I know he made a choice. I know we should be grateful and do our best to live out the opportunity he gave us. I know all of that."

"But you can't."

"He asked me if I loved him. I said yes, and he left. He chose to live without me. But I never chose to live without him."

"You two are so selfish," Mobius smiled, taking a sip from the cup, forgetting he had brought it for her "and yet you both have no sense of self-preservation."

"How can I move on, knowing he loves me too, that we could have had everything? I can't live in this purgatory where he's alive but we all have to pretend he's dead."

"I understand," Mobius nodded "But if you do love him, the only thing you can do is preserve his legacy. This," he gestured around them "is what we have left of him."

A shrill beep from Mobius's pager interrupted the conversation. Mobius glanced at it quickly.

"It's O.B., want to go see what he says?"

Lydia nodded slightly.

"Let's go," he got off the cot, "and then enough. Starting tomorrow, you'll focus on something else, agreed?"

She smiled slightly and followed him.

--

The last person she expected to find in O.B.'s office was her.

"Sylvie" Lydia said through gritted teeth.

"Princhett" Sylvie replied with equal enthusiasm.

"This isn't your place, what are you doing here?" Lydia crossed her arms.

"I invited her" O.B. interjected "for an Asgardian's perspective."

"Trust me, as soon as this little meeting is over, I'll be as far away from your ugly face as possible."

"Calm down," Mobius intervened. "Both of you. O.B., what have you found out?"

"Well," he adjusted his glasses "as I said before, this stone should work like a battery, but right now it's drained. Upon further investigation, we found small traces of energy inside, of various kinds, or rather, coming from different sources."

"Which, for those without an engineering degree, means?"

O.B. looked at Lydia's blank expression, which somehow made him feel more uncomfortable than when she was angry. He gulped.

"Well, thinking of it as a battery, this is currently drained, but it's possible that it has been recharged multiple times in the past."

"I'm still not following," Mobius put a hand on his hip.

"The heart fills with the power of whoever creates the tree, i.e., it recharges, and then it diffuses it, powering Yggdrasil little by little" Sylvie interjected.

"And how does that help us?" Lydia massaged a temple, too tired to think and her plans never seemed to work.

"Loki could use it this way" Sylvie grabbed the stone and waved it in front of Lydia, "he could inject his power into it and then leave, letting the tree power itself until the battery runs out."

"And when the battery runs out?" Mobius asked.

"We end up like Asgard in 2017" Sylvie turned to him "But that would happen anyway at some point, because nothing is infinite, not even Loki's power."

"Sounds easy" Lydia looked at her skeptically.

"Oh, it's anything but easy. The moment Loki recharges the heart with all his power, he ends up with nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"That he would no longer be a god, neither of mischief nor of time. Goodbye powers, goodbye longevity, goodbye everything. He would just be Loki… and—"

"And he would never agree to that," Lydia sighed, running her hands over her face. Sylvie nodded, and a silent moment passed.

"Well, we'll have to convince him," Mobius clasped his hands in front of him.

"You know it's impossible" Lydia shook her head.

"No, I don't know that, and neither do you."

The group just looked at him as if he were rambling.

"Come on, you can't say Loki has never surprised you" he continued "When he arrived, he was an egotistical megalomaniac, and in the end, he made the greatest sacrifice one could ask of someone."

"So what are you suggesting?" Sylvie crossed her arms.

"To go on. To try. Whatever happens, it will be his choice and it will be free, and whatever it is, we'll have to accept it" he looked at Lydia.

"I don't think he wants to listen to me right now," Lydia sighed.

Mobius smiled, "In fact, I don't think it should be you talking to him."

--

Swimming in space in a heavy suit attached by a cable to the TVA base was probably the most difficult and complicated thing to do. Besides, it was risky, given that the tree emitted a considerable amount of radiation.

Mobius cursed with every step.

After passing the branches that, like brambles, blocked the passage, Mobius found not Loki, but the god of time. Seated on his golden throne, rigid and with a face that seemed to have aged years. He looked at him, and Mobius had the sensation of facing someone else, someone unknown.

"Mobius," the god pronounced his name.

"Should I bow?" Mobius tried to lighten the atmosphere, and the only response he got was a softening of Loki's expression.

"I know why you're here and my answer is no."

"Oh good, since the longer I stay, the more I risk my skin, I'm glad it was quick," Mobius shrugged "Enjoy the rest of eternity" he waved, turning to leave, taking only two steps before stopping, as if a thought had just occurred to him.

"Just one question before I go" he turned back to the god "why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why don't you want to come home?"

"I have no home to return to" Loki clenched his jaw.

"Oh, come on! Why are you always so dramatic?" Mobius laughed "You know that's not true. We are your home, and I know you know it" he shook his head "why don't you give me an honest answer?"

Loki didn't respond.

"Nothing? Then I'll guess," Mobius touched the helmet with one hand, as if he wanted to massage his temple. "Maybe you think you deserve punishment for all the deaths you've caused over time, or maybe you think the only way not to do more damage is to abstain from the world, or maybe you believe that solitude is the only answer because you've been too disappointed by the people you trusted."

"Mobius…" he spoke as if to warn him.

"Maybe all of these things together, or simply, you couldn't face life without being a great god but a mere mortal."

"You know I'm not that shallow."

"So, what is it? What's the reason? Give me a sensible answer and I promise I'll leave." Loki clenched a fist and looked away. Mobius sighed.

"I know you believe there's nothing out here for you, right now. That the god of mischief or time is the only thing you can ever be, but it's not true. You are a skilled analyst, you've proven to be a brilliant scientist, and most importantly, you are a great friend, and that's why I'm here."

Loki looked at him with a softer expression.

"We love you, Loki. We want you in our lives, and knowing that you're just an observer isn't enough for us. We want you to be a part of them."

"And what if it doesn't work?" Loki sighed.

"Know that there's someone at the TVA who doesn't understand the meaning of the verb 'to give up.'"

Loki ran a hand over his eyes, "She'll end up getting herself killed."

"That's why you need to come back, the girl has no sense of self-preservation, she's impulsive like no other, and I can't keep up with her anymore" Mobius took a few steps, placing himself in front of Loki "But know that she's not the only one at the TVA ready to risk everything for you." He placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki gave a faint smile, covering Mobius's hand with his own, and Mobius felt terribly relieved at the idea of seeing his friend again and not the self-proclaimed king of timelines.

"So…" Mobius reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out the stone. "Shall we give it a try?"

so... stay tuned for the epilogue, I guess. Don't think many users are reading this fic anymore... anyway, I'm writing and pubilishing for the few who do read it, and myself. As, usual Cheers.

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Ghost. - part 14: Courage

My suggestion for this chapter is Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce,

Part 1 here - part 15 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

"Love gives us courage".

TVA, 2021 – Frame Collapse

"You need to put your head in here so we can scan your temporal aura" O.B. said to Timely.

Loki, who had lived that secene way too many times, sighed and strode across the room, reaching Lydia who was standing beside Mobius.

"I need to talk to you" he told her and wasted no time grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to a corner of the room.

"Hey, what's wrong? What's happening?"

"I want to tell you that I tried" Loki swallowed as Lydia looked at him confused. "I swore to you, I promised you, and I tried. So many times."

"Loki, I don't understand" she looked at him worriedly.

"I went back in time, learned to control temporal jumps, and tried to prevent the collapse of the frame 8 trillion times," he explained with tired eyes.

Lydia looked shocked. Loki had spent centuries looping back and forth in time, for her. For them. For the TVA. Lydia stepped closer to him, stroking his face, observing his weary eyes and his attempt to smile at her.

"Loki" Lydia wanted to tell him that it was enough. That he couldn't go on like this. That if that was to be their end, knowing that he had tried, she would accept it. She couldn't pronunce a word, but Loki understood everything.

"I know what I have to do, one last attempt" he mimicked her and rested his hand on her cheek.

"Don't torture yourself, Loki, please," Lydia shook her head.

"One last attempt" he repeated as his eyes welled up. "I just need to know one thing." Loki took a deep breath, recalling the words the elderly Lydia had said to him. "Do you love me?"

Both of their breaths stopped.

Lydia looked into his blue eyes for what felt like an eternity, and in them, she saw the courage she had lacked until that moment.

"Every time you hold my hands to comfort me, every time you're there when there's no one else I'd want, every time you smile at me, every time you're patient with me, and every time you lose patience. Everytime we argue and everytime we mock each other. Every day, every moment, even when I hate you, I love you, Loki."

Loki began to breathe again when he hadn't even realized he had stopped. He blinked once before bringing her face closer to his and kissing her. With desperation, with sadness, with fear, with courage, and with love. All the love he had and all that she had given him.

He kissed her and held her tightly with all the strength he had in his body.

When he ran out of breath, he pulled away and, holding her close, whispered one thing to her, murmured like a secret against her ear.

"I've kissed you 8 trillion times."

--

TVA, some days later

Lydia watched Yggdrasil, the Tree of Worlds that concealed Loki.

After kissing her, Loki had rushed downstairs, opened the doors, and before disappearing, he had said he would do it for them. For all of them.

He left and saved the world. Like a real hero. But what burden had he left behind?

Lydia had screamed. She didn't remember what or how long for. She screamed and cried until her throat hurt, then she continued as she lost her voice.

She didn't know how much time had passed since then.

There were days when she felt like she couldn't do it, when she thought that maybe, if he had simply died, it would have been better, rather than seeing him condemned for eternity to the thing he feared most: loneliness. Those were the days when she couldn't stop crying.

There were days when she felt strong, full of hope because at least he was there and she could find a way to reach him, to free him. Those were the days when she studied tucked away among the shelves of the TVA, wandered through spacetime, searching for solutions, and made life hell for Timely and O.B., pressing them to come up with some idea.

And there were days when she felt absolutely nothing. She stood motionless staring at Yggdrasil. She didn't speak, she didn't eat, and anyone who saw her wondered if she was still breathing. Days when she seemed a ghost.

"Here, I thought you might need this,"

Lydia turned to see Mobius. He wasn't doing very well either, and that brought them together.

He handed her a cup, and Lydia took it, letting the smell of coffee fill her nostrils.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"You'll have to accept things, sooner or later," Mobius said, putting his free hand in his pocket while holding a folder in the other.

They had already had that conversation.

"Loki spent centuries, if not thousands of years, trying to save us, Mobius," she took a sip from the cup. "I don't intend to do any less for him."

"You don't have his abilities, Lydia, it's a futile comparison."

"The last time I looked at him, I promised myself that I would save him, just as he saved us," she turned to the analyst. "I've never given up before, and I don't intend to start now."

Mobius clenched the folder in his hand but didn't respond.

"Yet, it's beautiful, isn'it?" He looked through the window.

"Yes. Yes he is".

YOU MAY THINK THIS IS THE END. YOU'RE WRONG. THE HELL I'M LEAVING LOKI IN FUCKING TREE. Sorry for the short chapter but I felt like cutting at that scene. As usual thank you for reading, See you soon <3

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Ghost. - part 5: The Night We Met.

This chapter's musical suggestion is The Night We Met by Lord Huron.

Part 1 here - part 6 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021

Loki knew what he had to do. He had seen fragments of her, the SHIELD agent, in Lydia, the consultant at the TVA. The one he knew was buried inside, somewhere beneath layers and layers of paperwork. He had seen her bright eyes when she stepped forward on a case, the satisfied murmurs when she took the first bite of cake, and how she played with the pen when she was bored. All he had to do was bring her out into the open.

There were no starry skies at the TVA, that was true, but he was the god of mischief, and creating one would be child's play.

"Lydia Princhett," Loki called from the entrance of the library, seeing her sitting with her back to a desk and earning some glares from others present.

"Loki... of Asgard?" Lydia asked, turning slowly towards him, confused by his use of her full name.

Loki crossed the room in long strides and positioned himself beside the desk.

"Come, I want to show you something."

"Uhm, can it wait? I'm working, and I'm about to close the case—" Lydia glanced from him to the documents.

"Nope, let's go," Loki gently grabbed her arm, lifting her from the desk.

"Come on, Loki, I'm serious," she whined.

"So am I," Loki flashed her a big smile, raising his eyebrows. "Let's go," he pulled her along towards the library's exit.

"But where?" Lydia asked as she was dragged through the TVA's corridors.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"I know," he smiled, "but you'll like this one" he assured, opening a door that led to a circular room, completely empty except for a table with a couple of chairs and a computer.

"Wow," Lydia took a few bored steps inside, moving towards the center of the room, "an interrogation room, never seen one of them empty" she crossed her arms.

Loki closed the door behind him, approaching her and entering her personal space.

"Close your eyes."

"Why?" Lydia tried to muster a smile to hide the embarrassment of having him so close.

"Trust me."

It's not that she didn't trust him, but the voice he used, deep and calm, was akin to a command, yet reassuring. Lydia took a deep breath, trying to calm her heartbeat, before closing her eyes.

"Now open them" he whispered against her ear.

Lydia opened her eyes and saw that the walls and ceiling of the room had transformed into a vast starry sky. She looked at the ceiling with her mouth agape, taking a few steps around the room. She knew where it ended, and she knew it had to be an illusion created by Loki, but she feared that if she got too close to the walls, it would disappear.

When she turned her gaze back to Loki, she saw him settling down on a blanket that Lydia knew wasn't there before.

She approached him and sat down beside him.

"It's beautiful" she smiled then shifted her gaze to the sky and furrowed her brow slightly "but I can't find any constellations."

"You can't, or at least not the ones you know," Loki smiled, drawing her gaze "this is the sky of Asgard."

"Oh" she commented softly.

"You see, that's the constellation of the centaur” Loki smiled pointing to a group of stars“there's a whole legend associated with that,"

“Would you like narrating?��� She smiled.

Loki was happy to oblige.

They spent a long time, not that it mattered at the TVA, talking about the stars, then about their worlds. Lydia was particularly curious to know about Asgard, and Loki wasn't particularly opposed to the idea of telling her everything (again). From there, they talked about their lives, funny anecdotes from childhood, Lydia dislocating her arm while jumping from tree to tree in her backyard, Loki as a snake trying to bite Thor, his battles alongside his brother, her training in SHIELD, and the discovery of her giant nature for him.

In the end, they laid on the woolen blanket, staring at the fake sky above their heads.

Loki realized there was so much about Lydia he didn't know, despite thinking he knew everything; while Lydia realized that, despite the perfect illusion projected on the wall, the brightest stars were Loki's eyes that shone when he talked about his home and dimmed when he talked about his family.

"Do you miss them a lot?" She turned on her side to look at him.

Loki lowered his gaze for a moment before bringing it back to her, brushing her hand with his. "I miss many people" he smiled sadly.

And Lydia saw it. The ghost on his face. It appeared often when he looked at her. She knew that, in his timeline, they knew each other, and she saw that sometimes when he looked at her, he didn't see her, but another person. One who resembled her. And she felt guilty, somehow, wearing her skin, which was such a sad memory for him.

"Loki," she murmured, hesitating and reciprocating the caress on his hand "who was I to you?"

He looked at their hands and furrowed his brows. "It's hard to explain. We were friends, I suppose, although that's not quite accurate. I... cared a lot about you, and you... cared about me too."

Lydia lowered her gaze, swallowing, taking a deep breath. "How did we meet?"

Loki would have preferred to avoid that conversation. "As you know... I've done things in the past I'm not proud of. One of them was," Loki wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it "trying to invade Earth. And... you could say that you helped me."

Lydia widened her eyes incredulously before shaking her head with a little laugh "Impossible."

"No, no, it's true," Loki sat up. "We weren't friends at first, but then you understood. You understood why I had to do it, and you helped me open the portal for the invasion."

"Loki, I don't know what happened there, in the past or... well, in my future, but I'm certain of one thing" she sat up to his level "there's no universe, dimension, or time where I would betray my country, and the fact that we were friends doesn't change things."

Her words didn't please Loki, who looked at her with hurt eyes, as if she were a monster. They stared at each other for a moment before Loki stood up abruptly.

"Very well," he gestured with his hand, making the illusion surrounding them disappear and returning the room to its pale colours. He strode across the floor and reached the only piece of furniture in the room: a desk with an old-fashioned computer. "If you don't want to believe me, at least believe in yourself."

Loki started pressing keys on the computer, and a screen activated on the wall in front of them.

<Lydia Prichett - File 001>

"Or are you too afraid of the truth? Of finding out who you really are?"

Lydia met his challenging gaze with one of coldness. She stood up, approached the desk, and sat in the chair next to Loki's.

Without moving her eyes from his, she reached out a hand and, taking a deep breath, did the only thing she could do. She pressed "play."

----

I know that magic doesn't work at the TVA, but I didn't remeber that while writing this chapter. I promise this one is the only exception.

Happy days are gone my friends. He was a shitty being, she was too. Time to face that.

Again, thanks for the support!!!

The fanfic is finished, so I'll just edit the chapters and post them. Working on a possible sequel, once I have clearer ideas I'll write something down.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 8: Atonement.

This chapter's musical suggestion is either What was I made for? or Ocean Eyes, both by Billie Eilish (couldn't decide).

Part 1 here - part 9 here.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

"Mobius, you don't understand, we found him. The man at the end of time." Loki ran a frantic hand through his hair, pacing in circles in the hallway. "We fought, and-"

"Loki."

The voice didn't come from Mobius. Loki turned and saw Lydia at the end of the hallway, with a hand over her mouth and wide, moist eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Lydia?" Loki tilted his head to the side before being pulled in different directions, as if he had become some sort of mush.

"Loki!" She cried, crossing the hallway towards him before he disappeared... and reappeared shortly after.

"What was that?" Lydia looked bewilderedly from Mobius to Loki, who shook their heads without responding, implying that they didn't even know. "Are you okay?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," Loki moved his neck to loosen it.

"You need help" Mobius grabbed his arm, beginning to walk, and Lydia positioned herself on Loki's other side. Her proximity made Loki tense; he wanted to tell her that she was a damn traitor, but there would be time for that later. He wouldn't be able to speak if he kept disappearing without completing a sentence.

"Does it look that bad?" he asked them.

"Noo..."

"Absolutely not..."

---

"Hey," Lydia approached Loki, leaning on a railing to observe the landscape of the TVA citadel.

He turned towards her but didn't respond, looking back outside.

"I got you this" she handed him a takeaway cup with tea. "I'm not sure if you like it; I might have put too much sugar." As she prepared it, Lydia realized that it had always been him taking care of her, with small gestures like bringing her a hot drink when she was stressed.

Loki glanced from the cup to her before grabbing it with a nod and returning his gaze to the citadel.

Lydia mimicked him, taking a deep breath and a sip of coffee, hoping it would give her the courage she lacked at that moment.

"I'm glad you and Mobius managed to solve the problem of... you know... the disappearing act."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," Lydia looked down at her shoes and took another deep breath.

"I wanted to apologize" she turned to him.

Loki finally looked at her, furrowing his brows.

"You... you were right about me. I was wrong, I turned my back on you in the name of what I thought was my duty and my ambition." Lydia took a deep breath, evidently, just looking at him was enough to take her breath away.

"I'm a soldier, Loki. I'm given a mission, and I execute it, and for me, that's all there is. But in doing so, I lost a piece of my humanity, with every manipulation and every lie. It's true, I hurt you while you've always been a friend to me." She mustered the courage to look him in the eyes, but it failed her. "And for that, I apologize. I don't know if you can forgive me or trust me again-"

"Lydia."

She fell silent.

"It's been a long time."

“Has it?" Lydia tilted her head.

"For me, yes. A lot of things happened..."

It wasn't clear to her what he meant, as for her, it had been a couple days, or at least she thought, but she figured his words to do with his time jumps, or with the multitude of events he had experienced.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Loki saw that her face had a guilty expression, similar to the one he had seen on his own for several days, when he had believed her dead, before meeting her at the TVA. The expression of someone confessing their sins to a ghost.

"You sold me and Sylvie out to Renslayer to satisfy your ambition and quench your anger," Loki spoke calmly, as if he were just stating facts, and Lydia couldn't find anything to say in response, lowering her eyes under the weight of the truth.

Loki observed this too, before continuing. He was hurt by her, of course, but deep down, he felt he understood the feelings that had driven her and the weight of the consequences it carried.

"But I suppose I'm the last one who can condemn such things" he sighed to himself.

"I don't know if I can trust you again, but if it's forgiveness you seek" Loki captured her gaze with his "then consider it granted."

Lydia let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, captivated by his blue gems, and smiled at him, miming a "thank you" with her mouth. He nodded.

Lydia leaned on the railing next to Loki, and both took a sip of their respective hot drinks, savoring the silence for a few minutes.

"Would you mind telling me what happened down there, with... Sylvie?"

Loki moistened his lips before beginning. "We found him. The man at the end of time. We fought, and she pushed me through a time door."

"Why?" Lydia felt like she was missing a step.

"She betrayed."

A second passed.

"Well, clearly, you have a type."

That was not funny, but Loki laughed anyway.

Our boy is back, as promised. Gotta go fix my hair now, tomorrow it's monday and I have a real job, as a functional adult. Have a nice week everyone!

As usual, don't forget to like, comment and everything else.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 19: Bare your soul

My suggestion for this chapter is The Driver by Maneskin.

Part 1 here - part 20 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr ; @m3ntally-unstable ; @star-maker-rain-dancer

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Loki was breathing heavily, as if he had been running after her. He was dressed in Asgardian attire and held the helmet he had used in battle in one hand.

But something was off. This Loki should have been shocked to see her. He was the Loki who had believed her dead on Midgard during the Battle of New York a few years prior. Meanwhile, between the two of them, she was the one paling as if she had seen a ghost.

"It's really you, isn't it?" she swallowed.

He approached her slowly.

Perhaps she should have been happy, running to him and embracing him. But that would have been too simple.

"No" one corner of her mouth lifted in a sneer, "a copy."

Loki looked down. "It's the only way I can talk to you."

"And it was you, at the nursing home, wasn't it?"

He nodded.

"Well, it was nice, see you soon," Lydia smiled, reaching out her hand toward the tree, but before she could touch it, she was violently thrown against one of the room's side walls. The impact knocked the air out of her, and she felt like her arms and legs had taken the brunt of the blow more than the rest of her body.

"What the hell?" she spat as she got up. Loki rushed over to her.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would—" she cut him off by punching him in the face, causing him to stagger back several steps.

He scoffed, blowing away the long hair that had fallen over his face.

"Sorry" she raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

They stared at each other. Loki took a step toward her, and Lydia tensed, so he decided to raise his hands and back away until his back touched the room's wall.

She did the same, and in unison, they slid down along the wall until they were sitting on the floor. Face to face. Several meters apart and surrounded by shadows.

"You don't have to do this" he began, "it's risky and it may not even work."

"But you brought me here" Lydia furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?" Loki tilted his head.

"When Mobius and I went to see Odin, you—you told me I needed to find the right time. Well, isn't this it?" she spread her arms to indicate their surroundings.

Loki shook his head before leaning it back against the wall, laughing bitterly.

"I only talked about the right time. I wanted you to take the right amount of time."

"To do what?"

"To move on."

Lydia's jaw dropped.

"You wanted me to move on?"

"Yes."

"You wanted me to move on" she shook her head, laughing "Should I have let you rot for how long? Centuries? Eons? Move on as if nothing happened while you turned into that in front of my eyes?" she pointed at the tree. "You're crazy."

"Me, crazy?" Loki laughed "You're the one who tried to interfere with Yggdrasil's course without thinking about the possible consequences."

"Possible, not certain" she emphasized "And besides, what other choice did I have?"

"To move on" he insisted.

"That's not an option."

"Lydia," he sighed, getting up and moving toward her "I don't even know what could be the outcome, and if something bad happened to you or the others, then everything I've done would have been in vain" He sat next to her against the wall so their shoulders touched.

"But it's not fair, Loki," Lydia's voice trembled "Why does it have to be you?"

He looked down, taking a deep breath before looking back at her.

"Because it's my burden."

"Then take me with you, let me stand by your side. At least you wouldn't be alone" her voice was desperate.

"I would never condemn you to such an existence."

"And I should let you condemn yourself?" At that point, her eyes were stinging.

He smiled at her with slight emotion, turning his torso towards her to see her better.

"When I met you again, I promised myself that this time I would protect you. I saw you at the TVA, and to my eyes, you were the purest and brightest being I had ever seen. You were perfect, too perfect. Then you sold me and Sylvie out to Renslayer, and I saw another side of you, ambitious, vengeful, and cruel if necessary. I should have hated you, but that's when I think I fell in love with you. When I saw your darkness so similar to mine. Then I understood that only we could accept and redeem each other."

"Loki…"

He stood up and started walking toward the tree.

"I was hurt, but the way you were hurt by your own actions broke my heart. And I realized I would do anything for you," he caressed the form of Yggdrasil with one hand "no matter how dangerous or painful it would be" he turned towards her, "because I care deeply for you, Lydia Princhett."

Lydia sniffled. She gathered her body, which felt like jelly, and stood up, walking towards him.

"I care deeply for you too" she looked at him with teary eyes, her face streaked by a single tear she couldn't hold back.

He gave her one of his sad smiles, one of those that broke her heart. He pulled her towards him, wrapping her in an embrace.

They stood still for a few seconds, Lydia filling her nose with his scent, feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath and listening to his heart beat.

"I love you" Loki caressed her hair.

"I know," she took a deep breath "that's why I know you will forgive me."

Loki didn't have time to process her words before Lydia grabbed his clothes with one hand, pulling and tripping him with a leg, making him fall to the floor.

She reached out a hand inside the tree, and Loki yelled at her not to do it, but it was too late.

Lydia had ripped the heart out of Yggdrasil.

The room went dark, and the ceiling collapsed on them.

HI GUYS, 1 MORE CHAPTER AND THAN THERE'S THE EPILOGUE. I'M A BIT HUNGOVER RIGHT NOW SO I REALLY HOPE THIS CHAPTER WORKS OUT. (I EDIDTED IT WHILE HUNGOVER.) I'LL ZIP IT NOW. HOPEFULLY MY DEAR READERS WILL ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. LEAVE A COMMENT IF U FEEL LIKE IT. AS ALWAYS, CHEERS.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 9: Toxic.

I suggest listening to Mery on a Cross by Ghost reading this.

Part 1 here - part 10 here .

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

WARNINGS: Captain America wouldn't approve the language

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

To solve the chaos that had erupted at the TVA and set everything right before it collapsed, a series of answers were needed, none of which anyone present had; therefore, while Loki and Mobius were busy trying to find X-5 and consequently Sylvie, Lydia was tasked with finding Renslayer and Miss Minutes. A burden that had come along with her promotion to analyst.

"We haven't found any trace of Renslayer's tempad," Lydia approached briskly, accompanied by Casey and B-15, to Mobius's desk where he and Loki were busy with X-5's tempad, "but we traced the recipient of her last message: Miss Minutes."

"Moreover, Renslayer and He Who Remains are in cahoots," Loki nodded, "I found out while I was in the past."

"What a woman... full of surprises," B-15 scoffed.

"What... are you two doing?" Lydia leaned in close to Loki. Not because she desperately wanted his proximity, especially after believing him dead, partly because of her. Absolutely not. It was to get a better look at the tempad, of course.

"We're trying to figure out how this modified tempad of X-5 works," Loki turned to her, and Lydia could hear his breath with every syllable he uttered. Not that it affected her.

"A man accustomed to using 80s technology and an alien god from Asgard?" She asked amusedly, glancing from one to the other.

"Hey, look, we're doing just fine," Mobius retorted.

"No, not really," Casey shook his head.

"I think my team could get better results," she reached out with a smirk, her hand open towards Loki, who exchanged a glance with Mobius before handing the tempad over to Lydia.

"Also, I'd like to be present when you question X-5" She passed the object to Casey.

"What?" Mobius spread his arms.

"He might have relevant information about the Minus/Renslayer issue, which is my case."

"Our case" B-15 emphasized.

"Sure" Lydia rolled her eyes, and Loki shot her a glance, amused at how she was turning work into a personal competition with Mobius, "anyway, it's a request you can't refuse, Mobius," she smiled, "it would be unprofessional."

Mobius rolled his eyes, "Am I ever going to get rid of you? How do you manage to worm your way in everywhere?"

"I'm very flexible."

Loki's imagination projected a couple of images of how flexible Lydia could be, but he pushed them back before anyone could notice.

---

"Bred is an asshole, so don't let him provoke you," Mobius had said, but it was very difficult. And Loki had just offered the opportunity to sting by saying his help was needed because there were "lives at stake."

"Lives at stake," Brad repeated. "You've got a lot of nerve... everyone here knows what you're doing, you're just trying to make up for all the terrible and horrible things you've done in life. You're pathetic."

Lydia clenched her jaw but didn't speak. Provocation, it was just provocation.

"I've read your file. You're the problem. Every time we've found one of you. You think you're special, but you're not. No matter what you wear or what lies you tell, in the end, all you do is destroy those around you," Brad glanced towards Lydia. She just looked at him with disgust before glancing at Loki, who kept his low.

"As it happened with your mother."

Lydia snapped.

"You ugly piece of shit," she managed only to take a step towards him before Loki blocked her with his body.

"You know that's what he wants," he said into her ear, "don't let him win." Lydia shifted her gaze to him and took a deep breath, trying to internalize all the calmness his blue irises conveyed.

"Don't listen to him, Princhett," Brad jeered, drawing her attention again, "what does he know about victories when all he can do is losing?"

Loki grabbed her chin, bringing her eyes back to him. Lydia swallowed and nodded slightly. She could handle it, she was fine. She was a professional.

"Stop trying to be a hero, buddy. You're a villain, and you're good at it."

Loki let her go, turning back to Brad.

"Thanks, Brad.” Loki let out a bitter laugh “Thanks a lot. I'm very touched. You're right. I've done terrible and horrible things," Lydia clenched her jaw again, to contain herself, "Yes, maybe that's who I am, they know it well. It's the real me... a loser," he smiled bitterly "I always have been and always will be."

Lydia glanced from him to Brad, trying to understand Loki's strategy.

"And perhaps I was... holding back something," he dangerously approached Brad, "maybe I was just waiting for the right moment, a moment like this, to do terrible and horrible things," he looked down at Brad, "to you."

Lydia hoped he would punch him. She really wanted to see that smug bastard's face distorted. No, it wasn't professional, but it was fair.

"So I'll ask you again: where is Sylvie?" He stressed her name.

"You're too fixated on her," Brad sneered.

"Okay, that's enough," Mobius grabbed Loki by the shoulder, pulling him towards Lydia who approached him, putting a hand on his arm. Not to stop him but to let him know she understood the discomfort he felt.

"You need a psychologist," Brad sneered, watching the scene, "I know one who does couples therapy, or maybe group therapy would be better since there are three of you."

She could have killed him. How much would it cost her? She was dead in the sacred timeline, and the TVA was about to collapse, she had nothing to lose.

"There's too much tension here," Mobius tried to lighten the mood, "Brad, cooperate with us, and we'll send you back to your beloved timeline, as if nothing ever happened. What do you say?" he offered with a smile.

"Would you?"

"Of course, I promise."

Brad let out a fake sigh before bursting into laughter, "Did you see? Damn Mobius, you should be an actor."

"I'm not, I'm an analyst."

"No, you're not!" Brad blurted out, "You're not an analyst because none of this is real. Do you know who you are at least in the timeline? The TVA isn't your real home. Do you have any idea who you've left behind? What your life could be like? You know they've taken our lives, you need to wake up."

"I'm awake."

"No, you need to wake up."

"I'm awake," Mobius repeated, this time more annoyed.

"You're asleep until you wake up, you're nothing. I'm nothing. She's nothing. I don't even know where to start," he looked at Loki, "You're nothing, and until you wake up, you're nonexistent, you're-"

Mobius jumped on him, with a speed Lydia could never have predicted, punching him square in the face.

"It's you who's nothing!"

Loki grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him away as Mobius continued to curse.

“You heard me? You’re nothing”

Lydia followed them out, letting B-15 close the door behind them.

Mobius walked away from the room quickly, still swearing about how Brad was, in short, an asshole.

"Is he okay?" Lydia looked up at Loki who shook his head, sighing.

"I'll go see. I'll update you later; I need to ask you some things."

Shit.

Lydia nodded, smiling in his direction, before Loki ran after Mobius.

---

Lydia spent the whole afternoon at the desk, unable to work, spending hours tapping the pencil on the wood. Her head kept reminding her of how Loki had tackled her with his body. They had never been so close. They had never touched so much.

Then he had approached Brad, and the tension she had sensed before had only increased when Loki had donned the villain's mask. Could it be true that she, the one of the sacred timeline, had really fallen in love with him, as Loki had claimed? Lydia shook her head, what she had seen in the footage was a confused, delirious, and fragile Loki, while the one she had seen a little earlier exuded power.

And then there was what Brad had said. "There’s three of you."

She wasn't in anything, not with Loki and least of all with Sylvie. And even if this absurd triangle were real, was Lydia the other woman? No, it was unfair. She had known Loki first, and then he had declared himself to her, sort of. And she had rejected him... more or less. Well, not really, she had rejected the him from the past. But she had, in fact, insulted the present him.

And if this particular interest in Loki was only due to the fact that he had distanced himself? That his focuns was on someone else? Was it possible that she was that toxic?

Her brain was exploding, and after a while, her eyelids began to droop, and Lydia decided to give up, burying her head between her arms on the desk.

When he arrived, Loki found her still asleep.

He smiled, his expression softening. Lately, Lydia had returned to having a scowling expression, always serious, like the Lydia he had known on Earth, while asleep she seemed to radiate so much tranquility and peace. Maybe it was really him making everything worse, ruining everyone's lives.

Loki reached out, caressing her head, and Lydia jerked awake, opening her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Lydia blinked for a moment, focusing on him.

"Don't worry, I wasn't sleeping," she yawned.

"No?"

"I was resting."

A chuckle escaped Loki, disappearing immediately, leaving a sad expression on his face.

"Are you okay?".

"I was thinking about Brad's words," he leaned against Lydia's desk, supporting himself with his hands, "when I met you here at the TVA, your life was going smoothly, and the same was on Earth, before I met you-"

"Loki," Lydia put a hand on his, "you shouldn't give weight to what Brad said; he was trying to provoke us. He knows our stories and what can hurt us, and he uses it to his advantage."

Loki covered her hand with his other one and looked at her, smiling faintly. With Lydia, he felt like he had someone on his side, not alone, but he had felt this before, and in the end, it had been just a deception.

"How did you know... about my mother?"

Shit. She knew that question was coming. The horrible put-down Brad had said to Loki, she was not supposed to understand what it was referred to.

Lydia widened her eyes, withdrew her hand from Loki's, clutching it with the other and lowering her gaze.

"When I thought you were dead, I felt very guilty and... well, you could say I missed you... I wanted to see you, and the only thing I had of yours was the file," her cheeks colored slightly red, and if she had raised her gaze, she would have seen the same embarrassed expression on Loki's face, "I know it was a terrible invasion of your privacy... I’m sorry about that" she timidly raised her eyes towards him.

"It's okay" Loki shook his head, "in fact, maybe I'm glad... that you've seen the real me."

"There's no real you, Loki. There's only you, here and now. Ignore Brad, please, he's just an asshole, one who looks through the keyhole, sees brown, and thinks it's chocolate when it's just shit."

He laughed, nodding.

"By the way, any news? How's Mobius?"

"He's okay, for now... I think," Loki swallowed, "as for Brad, he confessed to knowing where Sylvie is."

Lydia clenched her jaw, nodding.

"We need her, Lydia. When I was in the future, I saw the TVA collapsing, and she was there. She must know something" he leaned towards her.

"I didn't say anything" she vaguely said, keeping her gaze low.

"I know you didn't exactly start off on the right foot, you two, but there's no room for likes or dislikes here."

"Where is she?" Lydia looked up at him.

"In a McDonald's in Oklahoma, on Earth," Loki paused for a moment, "Do you want to come?"

"I don't think I'd be very useful" Lydia shook her head, "but I have a request."

"Anything."

They looked at each other for a second that seemed endless and yet too short.

"A milkshake" she said after a moment, "strawberry flavored."

"I think I can do that."

---

But when Loki appeared in the control room upon later that day, he didn't have any disgustingly sweet strawberry milkshake; instead, he brought something much more indigestible for Lydia. Sylvie.

Guys, thanks a lot for the support you've shown me, again feel free to leave a heart, a comment or to reblog, this really helps a lot. I had reached a point were I thought this ff was completed. I changed my mind and hopefully we'll have an happy ending. Actually, I've really no idea how it'll end. I'm but an humble narrator of other's adventures.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 17: Team work (How to not)

My suggestion for this chapter is Sharks by Imagine Dragons

Part 1 here - part 18 Here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr ; @m3ntally-unstable ; @star-maker-rain-dancer

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

"Let me see if I understand correctly," O.B. took a sheet of paper and began scribbling on it. "Yggdrasil supports the universes; it’s the only constant within the multiverse, and so far, that’s clear to everyone. This means that there is always an Yggdrasil, regardless of how you look at space or time, because it’s the only thing that allows multiple universes, spaces, or times to coexist."

"Exactly," Lydia nodded while taking off her jacket and getting comfortable.

"We have the new Yggdrasil, created because the universe was collapsing."

"Which is a form of Ragnarok."

"So, this means the previous Yggdrasil is... dead?"

"Destroyed, yes. At the same time that moment He Who Remains died."

"But the loom didn’t collapse because he died; it collapsed because we stopped pruning," B-15 interjected.

"Indeed, it has nothing to do with the death of He Who Remains; it’s what we could call a temporal coincidence," Mobius put his hands in his pockets.

"You have to think of it this way," Lydia took the pen from O.B.’s hand and began drawing ellipses that touched at various points. "Odin said that there has always been a Loki, at different moments, in different world, who sacrificed himself by transforming into the tree and died after a while, and at that point," Lydia pointed to a spot where one ellipse intersected with another, "a Loki from another timeline and world created a new tree."

"Th-that co-could make s-sense," Timely scratched his cheek with one hand.

"It’s as if the tree had its own specific timeline given cyclically by birth, stasis, and death. At each birth, there’s a Loki, a variant, who creates it in his world, and at each death, there’s a Ragnarok affecting worlds of that timeline. In our case, though, the tree is at the TVA and affects all worlds, dimentions and timelines; and by destroying it, we don’t have the certainty that any variant of Loki would survive to rebuild it," Lydia looked at the others, seeking a nod of agreement “Even if we were to remove Loki from the tree, we can’t be sure there would be another Loki somewhere who’s already creating a new Yggdrasill. We’d kill the tree and destroy the TVA.”

"So how do we solve this?" B-15 was getting impatient.

"The tree is powered by a core: after a period of stasis in there, Loki, who is a god but not immortal, wears out, leaving a pulsing core inside, a sort of heart, which energy is bond to end eventually. We want to do a transplant: go back in time, take the heart of a dying Yggdrasil and place it in ours, so the tree no longer needs him to survive."

"But won't that cause a Ragnarok?"

"T-technically, it’s a-already h-happened," Timely adjusted his glasses, "otherwise, Loki wouldn’t have needed to rebuild the tree. You have to think of that as two lines that only meet in a point of time in which a tree dies and the other is created”.

"Exactly," Lydia nodded. To be honest, she hadn’t thought about it; the idea of causing the destruction of an entire universe to get Loki back was fine with her. But it was even better if it wasn’t necessary.

"You’ll need to be precise with the timing, though. You should extract the heart of Yggdrasil from the first universe, for instance, at the exact moment a Loki creates the other Yggdrasil in the second universe," O.B. pointed to the spots on the paper.

"And there’s another problem," Mobius pointed out, "we don’t know exactly where the tree to extract the core is. We know that in 2017 Ragnarok was narrowly avoided due to a war generated in Asgard between Hela, Loki, and Thor. That could be the moment the old tree was destroyed and simultaneously, Loki, as a variant of himself, recreated it here at the TVA."

"It all sounds very hypothetical, chaotic, and incredibly risky," B-15 sighed.

"It could work," O.B. adjusted his glasses.

"But we don’t know what might happen if we’re wrong," B-15 shook her head. "Sure, if it works, we could get Loki back, and we’d all be very happy, but if it doesn’t, everyone’s lives in every universe would be in danger."

"It will work," Lydia clenched her jaw, looking at her.

"You’re not sure," B-15 crossed her arms "and I don’t agree with putting everyone’s lives at risk because you can’t get over a loss."

"How can you be so ungrateful?" Lydia raised her voice, "He saved us, and you don’t even want to try to find a solution."

"No, because this isn’t a solution. It’s the desperate move of someone who can’t accept reality."

Lydia could only glare at her, fuming with anger.

"So, you all agree with this?" B-15 turned to the rest of the group, who lowered their gaze.

Traitors, all of them.

"I’m not entirely convinced either," Casey, who had been silent until then, could have kept quiet, at least according to Lydia.

"Perhaps it would be better to gather some more scientific data on the possibility of this working" O.B. shrugged, giving Lydia a sad look.

Very well. If they didn’t want to help her, she would do it alone.

"As you wish," Lydia cleared her throat, "then we should all try to find some other solution if you really care about him."

She grabbed her jacket and left the room. She hadn’t even reached the end of the corridor leading to the elevator when she had already opened the TimePad and set the destination: Asgard, 2017.

LET'S JUST ALL PRETEND, AS A COMMUNITY, THAT THIS MAKES SENSE. I JUST HAD FEW IDEAS AND REALLY CONFUSED. BUT U KNOW WHAT, IF THE MARVEL STUDIOS CAN CREATE SUCH A CAOS MESSING WITH TIME-TRAVELLING AND SUCH, I FEEL ENTITLED TO DO MY SHIT AS USUAL THANK YOU TO ALL MY READERS <3