Archive of Our Own ^beta

There was something so unpleasant about Mobius, something that Loki couldn’t put her finger on. He bothered them, got underneath her skin in ways he wasn’t aware was possible. And yet, Loki found it, amusing. He found himself walking back every time. Finding little ways to get the agent’s attention. Something was there, Loki was sure of it. What it was, however, was another matter entirely. And Odin be damned, Loki was going to find out.

It all began rather boring, on a day on which Loki wasn’t quite sure, in the same common room things always had. Mobius, in the usual fashion, showed up in his god-awful suit with his tie just a bit too crooked. Perhaps Mobius knew this made Loki annoyed. And so just like all the other times, Loki straightened it for him, giving a slight reminder about doing it himself that she was sure would be ignored.

“I hope you changed your mind about reading,” Mobius said as he sat down, placing a stack of papers in front of them.

Loki let out a groan, rolling his eyes at the mere sight of the workload. “I am a god, I shouldn’t be doing this sort of task,” Loki complained, as they had the days before.

“Yes I know All Mighty God of Mischief, to good for the work for us mere mortals,” Mobius quipped, his words ending in a dramatic sigh. It wasn’t an original joke, not in the slightest, but Loki found his chest warm regardless.

“Yes exactly, someone around here gets it,” Loki spoke with pride, smirking at Mobius as he said it. Mobius simply rolled his eyes and pulled out a pair of his reading glasses. Loki hated the way his face looked when he put them on, the way his eyes would glisten underneath the dull ceiling lights. She hated them.

“You want to start with the uprising of 3089 or the French Revolution of 2150,” Mobius said, staring at the two files at the top of the pile.

“Whichever, it makes no difference to me,” Loki responded, watching as Mobius’s lips curled into a soft smile. He handed them the Uprising of 3089, and if his hand lingered above Loki’s for longer than it needed to, neither mentioned it.

“Is there anything I should be looking for in particular or am I just merely wasting time,” Loki asked, after five minutes of practically staring at the words in hopes it would change into something worth looking at.

“We went over this yesterday Loki,” Mobius said, looking up from his file to meet their eyes. “Oh, silly me I must have forgotten,” Loki said. Mobius glanced at her for just a second longer than usual, and so he continued. “This stuff is just so dreadfully boring and underwhelming,” They said, adding, “I'm surprised you remember it at all,”

Mobius tried to hide a smile, but it was clear the god was entertaining him. The stomach aches Loki had formed before struck again, this time, a slight ticklish dash of what it usually was. For the sake of Asgard, what was it? Some time bug? Something that could only be conjured by magical time wizards? Loki was beginning to get annoyed, and well, that was never a good thing. As if knowing her thoughts, Mobius suddenly began to speak, answering the question Loki forgot he even had.

“We are supposed to be looking for traces of an anomaly,” Mobius said, staring at Loki with that annoying look of concern. “Particularly the kind of anomaly that isn’t quite big enough for us to catch, but big enough to raise suspicion,”

“Ah so the thing that wasn’t supposed to happen but happened and nothing happened as a result,” Loki said, a little too cheery for his liking.

“Exactly,” Mobius said, hiding the face of concern with a small smile. Loki’s stomach troubles however were not getting easier. She decided, in an act of pure bravery, to try and ask the librarian for books on the subject. Perhaps this was a time sickness. Perhaps he was stung by some creature he didn’t know existed. The only way to find out, she supposed, was to find out.

She quickly rose from his seat, watching as Mobius turned his head in confusion. “Where are you off to?” He asked, pulling down his glasses to look at Loki, fully. The kind of look that just made Loki’s heart race, and her stomach churn. God, she needed to figure this out.

“I’m just going on a little walk, you know me always walking!” Loki spoke quickly, trying his best to walk towards the opening of the common room without any follow up questions. Of course, they could never be that lucky.

“I’ll come with you,” Mobius responded, reaching for his jacket.

“No, no that’s quite alright there’s no need,” Loki said, trying to get the man off her trail.

“Loki I am not letting you wander this place alone.” Loki silently cursed in a language he hoped the other man hadn’t understood.

“I get it you don’t trust me, very wise of you by the way, but I won’t betray you. Not here, I mean how could I? This place is literally inescapable. And I’m saying that so you know it ought to be true,” Loki rambled, he could feel the feeling grow as Mobius stood to meet his eyes. Sure, the man was shorter, but he had a way of closing the gap, making Loki feel as if they were the short one.

“Loki this is way beyond trust. You are going to get lost, then I’ll have to find you, or you’ll threaten another one of my coworkers with a metaphor that no one understands,” Mobius began, placing his jacket around his shoulders.

“Casey is such a loudmouth,” Loki mumbled, watching as Mobius gave him his famous Loki let me finish glare, that truly, she should have seen coming.

“What are you really going to do? The only time you ever take walks anywhere is when I tell you to, so spill,” Mobius stood there, his arms crossed and his eyes gleaming into theirs.

“You aren’t going to let me go without explaining are you?” Loki asked, feeling the defeat rush of her shoulders. Of course, he wasn’t. Why had she thought he could escape him? He knew her, he saw through all of their bullshit every single time. The only formidable foe. The only person worth any of Loki’s time the only person- Oh.

Oh.

“Oh for the love of Frigga herself,” Loki muttered, as she met the man's eyes. He stood there with a glare, the look that told them to explain yourself Loki because I’m tired and honestly you’re not fooling me. Loki looked at him, truly looked at him, and felt a slight ping of guilt slice throughout his body. This was the worst, most horrible thing she had ever done.

She had fallen in love.

“Nevermind. There is no need for it anymore,” Loki said, walking back to his seat, watching as Mobius placed his hands between his forehead, and sighed. He wasn’t following her. Why wasn’t he following them? He always had.

“Loki, something’s bothering you. I can tell, and for some unexplained reason I truly do care so please what the hell is going on?” Mobius stood there waiting for a response, and for a moment, all of time stopped. Which, they supposed wasn’t abnormal in a place where time was the only thing that didn’t really matter, but it felt, odd.

And then it happened, ever so slowly, a portal opened, dragging Mobius down with whomever opened it. Loki leaped through it, grasping at Mobius’s collar as they both were shoved into the desert. Loki leaned on top of him, an action, a feeling that was so uncontrollable, Loki wasn’t even completely aware he had done it.

It felt odd, the feeling rushing throughout them. Almost like the feeling of using magic had, the way it moved through your bones, and carried life and death towards your hands, allowing you to bend reality at will. Except, this was stronger, this was dangerous. Painful. The type of thing that makes you want to rush headfirst, ignoring all consequences. Even if you die trying.

Is this what it felt like to love? To truly love someone more than yourself?

“Loki?” Mobius asked, grasping out for the gods face, the one that had paled at the mere sight of him lying on the ground. “I love the gesture truly I do but I’m gonna need you to move so I can figure this out okay?” Mobius’s words snapped her back to reality, causing Loki to turn red with what could only be described as embarrassment.

“Yeah, yes of course truly sorry,” Loki stumbled, quickly rolling off of the man and landing in a spot beside him.

Mobius began to laugh, as he stood a quick sentence escaping his lips, “I made Mr. Silver Tounge herself speechless,” He cackled as if this was the funniest thing in the world. He laughed for a moment, before walking towards her. He offered out his hand, and reluctantly, Loki took it.

“So, where exactly are we?” Loki asked, brushing off the sand that had gathered itself onto his clothing.

“No idea. My guess is as good as yours,” Mobius responded, covering the sun with his arm as he walked.

“Then where are you going?” Loki asked, following him without even realizing he had.

“So many questions. You know, for someone as talkative as you are, you still haven’t answered my question. You know the one I asked right before this portal opened and left us stranded in the middle of nowhere,” Mobius quipped as if inferring something, mischievous had taken place.

“For the sake of yodenheim, I wouldn’t open a portal just to avoid a simple question. I’m not Thor,” Loki responded, watching as the man's eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Oh? Thor’s the dramatic sibling now huh? I thought you were more self-aware than that,” Mobius bantered, a smile appearing on his face, one that Loki hoped would never leave.

“I am self-aware.” Loki said, and Mobius's smile fell just a bit.

“Then what’s been bothering you?” Mobius asked again, this time, Loki could tell it was him who was trying to hide a smirk.

“Oh like you care,” Loki said, a burst of words that perhaps he hadn’t truly thought through before uttering.

“Like I care, of course, I care! But I understand if you don’t want to share with the class,” Mobius responded, somehow knowing what would occur next.

“You care?” Loki asked, her brain acting on auto piolet, they stood there, eyes widened as the man stopped walking.

“Yes Loki, I care,” Mobius said, walking closer towards the god. Closer than he had ever been before.

“Why?” Loki asked, their voice strained with shock. Shock she hadn’t felt in a lifetime. It was hard to shock the god of mischief after all.

“Why? Loki, come on, you are the most intriguing being I have ever met. You made my life something more, you made it fun. You, Loki, were, are the one thing I care about. And I don’t know why. Not fully, but I think there are some things we don’t have to understand,” He gave a soft smile, watching as Loki practically shattered in front of him.

Loki stood there, watching as the man became closer. “Do you truly wish to know why I’ve been so, off lately,” he asked, slowly approaching the subject.

“Yes Loki, I do,” Mobius said, his tone softer than Loki thought possible.

“Well then know it you shall,” Loki began, smiling as the man gave him a nod.

“I care too. And it frightens me. I’m not sure if I care in the same way as you, for I am quite sure I do not. You care for me, like a mother to a child. A burden you must bare in order to achieve some goal,” Loki watched as Mobius began to speak, but cut him off before he could begin.

“I do not feel that for you, Mobius. At first, I thought I had caught an illness, something that no one had noticed, something that perhaps was special to the TVA itself. But alas, I was wrong. I was not sick, Mobius. Not in the way I had originally thought,” Loki continued, watching as Mobius began to soak the words in.

“I feel something, big, something strong. Something I didn’t think possible. You know, I always believed that to love you must be loved in return, I never thought it possible to feel the way I do for you.”

“I thought I was evil. And evil things cannot love. And yet, here I stand,” Loki met the man's eyes, a soft smile forming on her face as she did.

“Loki, you are not evil. Evil enjoys pain. Evil seeks out suffering for its pleasure. One thing evil doesn’t is believe itself to be evil. You Loki, are not evil. You have done bad things, yes. But you are not defined by those mistakes. You believe that every time someone looks at you they see who you were, not who you could be. They don’t see you Loki,” Mobius said, moving closer, so close that their faces were only inches away.

“I do. I don’t think of you as a burden. I’ve come to like having you around. To the point where I don’t want to live in a world where you aren’t in it,”

He leaned in, closing the gap between them. Their lips met, a feeling of joy rushing through the both of them. The feeling of something great. Something new that never should have been. An anomaly, the most beautiful kind.

The world stopped around them, and for a moment Loki let Mobius hold them, let herself melt into his arms, a place where they felt safe. Where even though the words were not fully spoken, he could feel the love that coursed through the man's veins. Love. Two hearts, beating simultaneously, under the hot desert sun.

After time had passed, how much, neither of them knew, Loki found the strength to ask the question they had been avoiding. Something they probably should have thought of long before this.

“As much as I love this, and I do, shouldn’t we be looking for the actual being responsible?” Loki asked, placing his hands on Mobius’s cheeks as he spoke.

“You know, I don’t think there is one,” Mobius said, a slight smirk appearing on his face.

“I beg your pardon?” Loki asked, fear bubbling in his chest. Was this a trap? Oh no oh-

“My teleporter malfunctioned,” Mobius said, nonchalantly leaning back into Loki’s neck. Loki smiled to himself. Letting the touch sink in.

“And you knew this whole time?” Loki asked, trying his best not to smile with pride.

Mobius gave them a look and smirked.

He smirked.

“You bastard,” Loki said, leaning in to kiss him once more, before asking him how exactly they were going to get back to the TVA.

“Your tie is crooked there pussycat,” Mobius spoke, smiling as he straightened it out for the god. “There,” He smiled, before pulling Loki in for one more kiss.

Eventually, the two made it back to the TVA and found themselves in a new type of normal, something that would be written in the stars until time itself withered. This was the start of something grand, something pure. This was the beginning of a love that would last as long as life itself.