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MOBIUS was having a hard time understanding time-slipping as it were. There is no past or future in the TVA, time doesn’t work that way here. It shouldn’t be possible. But if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he needed to save Loki.
They joke about it, debating whose fate would be more tragic in the face of failure. He hopes that arguing over quality of life without skin hides the fact that his knees feel as though they were about to give out. That his chest was tight, and that his heart felt like it was going to explode.
Mobius is not a brave man, what he’s gearing up to do is not an act of heroism. He could almost hear Renslayer’s mocking tone, questioning why in the world he put so much faith in a Loki. When honestly, he was unsure how much of his sanity would remain if it weren’t for his constant optimism that some might even call delusional. So, when Loki pulls him aside, speaking quietly with a tone all too unsure, with words too similar to farewell, he cuts him off. The analyst refuses to consider an outcome that involved failure. But still, the god continues.
“Right,” Loki whispers, as familiar energy starts to build around them. Mobius knows that he won’t be here long enough to finish the sentence. “But if I use this thing, I might not make it back...” Mobius clenches his eyes shut just before the pruning stick clatters to the ground. The energy in the air surges before dissipating. A moment passes.
“Mobius?”
Mobius’ eyes snap open to see the god still standing before him.
“I figured it out, the solution to my time-slipping” Loki exclaims, and before Mobius could even begin to process what the god had said, Loki steps away and starts again “O.B., the mission is off. I need you to continue focusing on stabilizing the timeline.”
Across the room, O.B. stops what he’s doing and looks up at Loki. He stares for a few moments before shifting his gaze to Mobius, who can only assume his face looks just as clueless as he feels. The engineer looks back to the god. “Well okay then, if you insist” O.B. shrugs, and with that he skitters away.
“What...Loki? I don’t understand.”
Loki’s attention is back on him, “I’ve done it. I can time-slip on command to when and where I want.” Mobius’ eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, before he can say anything Loki continues, “I time-slipped here from the future... We tried so hard, Mobius, but the TVA still collapsed, and I lost-” Loki looks down and takes a deep breath. He watches as the god collects himself before he meets his gaze once more, “I’m here to stop it from happening again. But I need your help.”
He doesn’t even have to think. “Well alright then, what next?”
The corners of Loki’s eyes crinkle as his expression turns into one Mobius has been seeing more of lately. It’s a smile so radiant he feels its warmth on his face. A look he cherishes so, hoping selfishly to be the only one to earn it. And the price of it is simple, all he must do is show faith in the god before him. Trust Loki. Something that is becoming as reflexive as breathing. Loki tilts his head, still smiling. “How about we discuss this over a slice of pie?”
LOKI knows that time is limited, but it’s hard not to be selfish. Sylvie was right. So instead of revising the whole “save the TVA to save literally all of existence” plan, he finds himself running through the highlights from his adventure with his missed companion.
“The first timeline was Casey’s, which, by the way, isn’t even his name! His name is FRANK, Mobius.”
Mobius chuckles quietly and Loki’s breath catches in his throat. Nothing makes him feel more like some lovesick adolescent than moments like these. Since the moment they met, he has found the man endearing, but nothing compares to seeing the man bashfully hide his goofy smile behind his hand while he laughs at something Loki said. At some point since knowing Mobius, Loki made the realization that no amount of power in the world could compare to this feeling.
“Perhaps the most predictable was B-15. She was a kind-hearted pediatrician who...”
It was such a relief to finally have someone to talk to. Loki was so invested in gathering all his pens into the mug that he didn’t have much time to acknowledge the crippling weight of loneliness on his shoulders. It was so hard without Mobius. The familiar presence of self-doubt and unworthiness had begun to consume him again. Loki knew he had made progress in improving himself, but it was difficult not falling into old patterns without his companion by his side. The person who saved his life, the agent who refused to give up on him, and the man he’s come to love.
“...and what was I supposed to say?! ‘If by best seller you mean absolute nonsense that gives anyone within a five-mile radius a headache, then yes O.B.! You did write a best seller!” Loki laughs at his own joke as he stops to take his first bite of pie in the last five minutes. Looking over, he sees that Mobius had finished his slice at some point during the story. He glances up to see he is being watched.
“Not that I’m complaining, I mean, Casey being the infamous Frank Morris from Alcatraz! I mean, wow... That’s gotta be up there with D.B Cooper.” Loki smiles at his silly little man, no one really appreciated that stunt like him. “But I can’t help but notice, there seems to be something missing from these stories, or I guess, someone...”
“Mobius...I-”
“What was he like?”
Loki looks up again at the agent. He sets his spoon down and takes a deep breath while slowly leaning back in his chair. “He was...” Loki pauses, looking up at the ceiling. This was harder than he would have imagined. “Kind. Caring. I-” He stalls again, unsure how much he should share. He thinks about what Sylvie said at the bar. About the last time he and Mobius sat at this very table. But, he supposes, that conversation hasn’t happened yet. “I’m sorry Mobius. I just... are you sure you want to know?”
“Sheesh, that bad huh?” Mobius half-heartedly jokes. Loki’s intense gaze doesn’t waver. “Okay you caught me, I’ve been too scared to find my variant...I’m worried about what I might find. I mean something bad, I can handle. But-”
“What if it’s something good? I know, you wouldn’t want that ‘rattling’ around up there,” Loki gestures to the analyst's head. He continues, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell you anything you don’t want to know.”
Mobius is quiet for some time. Loki picks his spoon back up to finish his pie while he waits for his friend to break the silence.
It’s only a few moments later when Mobius whispers, “Did he... did I seem happy?”
Loki’s heart hurt for the man. He takes a second to choose his words wisely. “Honestly, he reminded me of when we first met. More Midgardian though of course,” Loki smiles at the man across from him. “I don’t doubt that he was happy, but something was missing. Or maybe in his case, someone, seeing as he mentioned being single at least three times.”
The corners of Mobius’ mouth quirk upwards, it’s faint, but Loki sees it.
“But you had a purpose. You were the hardest to convince, funnily enough. I mean, you almost hit me over the head with a wrench!” Loki huffs.
“Almost, huh? How did the god of mischief charm his way out of that one?”
“Oh Mobius,” Loki chuckles, “you should know, my charm has never worked on you.”
Mobius is smiling again, and Loki can do nothing but admire him. “I don’t know about that; you know I couldn’t have gotten you an audience with the Timekeepers even if I wanted to.” He stops, looks the god in the eyes with a considering stare, before glancing down at the table, “Listen Loki, I appreciate you worrying about me.” Their eyes meet again, “But I can handle this, you can tell me about him.”
Loki licks his spoon clean and hums. “Alright, if you’re sure.” They settle in.
MOBIUS chews on his plastic spoon as he listens to the god tell him about a stranger that is supposedly a version of himself. It’s not like he is surprised by much, it’s just a lot to take in. Except for one thing. “So you’re saying I had a wife?”
“ Well, ex-wife. Or perhaps you were a widower,” Loki shrugs.
“That just seems strange... I guess. Not that there’s much opportunity here, but I’ve never fancied women.”
Loki looks at him. The god’s eyes dart down to his mouth, so quick he could have missed it. “Midgard is a strange place with even stranger rules, Mobius. Homosexuality is not widely accepted.” Loki waves his hand nonchalantly, “Anyhow, without her you wouldn’t have had your sons.”
Right. His sons. Finding out that he owned two jet skis as well as a store was like a dream come true. But hearing that he has sons? It just felt right. Here at the TVA, Mobius would occasionally allow himself to daydream about a life on the timeline. Just minor things, like imagining what job he’d have or where he’d live. He never gave much thought to family. It felt like if he allowed himself to go down that road, he’d never make it back with his sanity. “Tell me about them.”
“I didn’t meet them; I only saw them for a moment. Their names were Kevin and Sean.” Loki laughs to himself as he says, “From what little I saw, I could tell they were both little mischievous scamps. Kevin, the younger one, had an affinity for fire and theft. You sent Sean to wrangle him, but the boy didn’t leave without making proper negotiations.”
“Oh?”
“You offered him a puppy in exchange for keeping the house from going aflame, but he tried haggling for a snake as well.”
Mobius feels his chest clench. They sound perfect. “When you said I had a purpose. It was them.” He says with certainty, it’s not even a question.
Loki nods. The god is clearly trying to hide the pain in his eyes with a weak smile. “It was only when you found out that their lives were endangered that you came with me.” He breathes in deeply and averts his eyes. “Sylvie was the last person we needed. Characteristically, she refused. Not without admonishing me for being the selfish creature I am... I had no right to take you all from the timeline. I said it was to save the TVA, to save the world, but that really wasn’t it.” His voice cracks as he returns Mobius’ gaze, a single tear spilling over, “I can’t do it. I can’t bear being alone again. I will do whatever it takes to save this existence.”
Loki leans in and with conviction Mobius has never seen from him before he says, “I will rewrite the story however many times it takes to get it right.”
LOKI watches as the analyst punches in the coordinates for 1893 of a Midgardian timeline. He’s been observing the man closely ever since the truth was out about his variant. Not much has changed besides when he occasionally finds the man seemingly lost in thought.
“Okay so we get there, we grab the He Who Remains variant, bring him here so that he, O.B., and Casey can have some science-y slumber party. Then we cross our fingers and hope the timeline can be repaired to save all of existence. Got it.” Mobius’ voice was becoming breathy, his eyebrows furrowed upwards. His two telltales of being on the brink of panic.
Loki walks over to the man and takes the Tempad out of his hands, setting it on a nearby desk. He carefully adjusts the man’s vest and straightens his tie. He couldn’t help but appreciate the agent’s appearance, this disguise was definitely a personal favorite of Loki’s. Though, Mobius could wear anything and he would still take Loki’s breath away. The outfit he wore on Midgard could only be described as tacky, for gods’ sake; and yet, the Asgardian's normally silver tongue had turned leaden in his mouth.
He finishes with the tie and pats the analyst on his chest but doesn’t back away. “What’s on your mind? You weren’t this anxious the first time.”
“Well, the ‘first time’ never really happened, did it.”
Loki looks the smaller man in the eye and tries to free his expression of any judgement. Mobius only makes jabs like that when he’s struck a nerve.
Mobius’ head drops, “I’m sorry. You’re right,” he sighs. “I just... Let’s say this all goes to plan. Then what?”
Loki purses his lips. It’s not something he cares to think about. “Well... I assume Sylvie and I will work together to restore everyone's memories and return you all to your respective timelines.” He takes a deep breath and tries to smile, “You’ll be able to go back to your boys Mobius, you should be excited.”
The agent lifts his head up and squints his eyes. Loki’s eyes begin to sting, and his smile weakens under the weight of his scrutinizing gaze. “But what about you, Loki?” His voice is only a whisper now, “What about... us?”
His breath hitches and tears start falling freely from his eyes. “Mobius... I-” he tries to regain control of his composure, but he can’t even manage to stay his trembling lip, “What I want doesn’t matter. You didn’t have a choice when He Who Remains brought you here. It’s my job to fix that now.”
The analyst takes a step closer and reaches up to wipe away his tears. “Say I go back to my timeline...” Mobius is holding him gently by his arms now, a familiar position for them, “What the hell am I supposed to do with two jet skis?”
Loki lets out a pitiful laugh that sounds more like a sob as he looks at his companion and shakes his head.
Mobius continues in a whisper, “Not to mention, I think I might be a bit afraid of those boys. I mean, a snake? Who wants a pet snake??” The analyst reaches up to brush a fallen strand of hair behind Loki’s ear. “It’s too bad I don’t have anyone to come with me...”
“Mobius, I- I don’t understand...” Loki sniffs, “I’m trying to do the right thing, but it’s just so hard. This, all of this, wasn’t your choice. Wouldn’t taking advantage of that be selfish?”
“Oh Loki, letting yourself be loved could never be selfish.”
Loki lets out a choked sob as he stares at the man before him with widened eyes. What was he saying? Before he could begin to wrap his head around it, he was being kissed. A thumb strokes his left cheekbone as his eyes slide shut and he kisses the agent back. His hands find their way to the man’s middle back, clutching the fabric of his coat and pulling him even closer.
A barely audible whine escapes his throat when Mobius slowly pulls away, leaving a tiny kiss on the tip of his nose. Loki rests his forehead against the other as they bask in the moment together. Mobius is the first to break the silence by whispering, “Anyone ever tell you you’re a great kisser? ‘Cause you really are. Wow.”
“I’m sure I’ve heard it a time or two, but never once from someone who loves me.”
Mobius’ eyes sparkle before he bashfully looks away, “So you caught that, huh? Well, the truth’s out. I love you, Loki.”
Loki pulls the man tightly into an embrace, not unlike the first one they shared all that time ago. He inhales deeply, enjoying the calm that washes over him from the familiar scent of Mobius’ cologne. “I love you too, my friend.”