Archive of Our Own ^beta

Her dagger just fell on the floor with a very cold and screeching sound.

She did it. Her first thought was a victorious one, but it felt so wrong that she started trembling. Sylvie was looking at "who remains", unable to look away from him. She just fell over the floor just like her dagger. Her "who bloody remains" dagger.

- And now... What? - she stared at her trembling hands - I won.

She looked around and she saw the white line over the galaxy. The multiverse has begun. She looked again at Kang, trying to assimilate all the feelings she was having at this point in her life. And then she started to cry in silence, feeling huge oppression in her chest. It was very hard to control herself and she started to feel anxious with breathing issues. She was panicking. She wasn't looking where she sent Loki right after their kiss. Sylvie knew that those were the coordinates of the TVA, but she forgot to check the time branch line (She kissed Loki and he kissed back, for god's sake).

Sylvie moved desperately on the floor trying to find the TemPad.

- Shit. - loud hit over the floor - You dumbass idiot. Why did you try to stop me...? - she dried another tear escaping from her right eye, and then another and another again. - Where are you? Damn it damn it damn it. I really screwed it all...

She took the TemPad, finding exactly where she had sent Loki. A ray of hope crossed her aching heart.

Sylvie stood up violently and used the TemPad to open the familiar orange door. She crossed it without thinking about what she was going to tell him, what she was going to feel, or what she was going to do. All of this was bullshit, she thought. She just needed to look at him and tell him that she was deeply wrong. She needs to check on him.

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Loki was feeling dizzy after fighting her. He was still trying to catch some air while he got up from the step he was sitting on. If he had just had the strength enough, he would scream out loud, just how she did in Lamentis. Instead of that, he leaned over the table and let himself cry. That was new for him. He was crying for someone he really cared about, and she had betrayed him... That was his first thought.

He separated from the table and then he reclined on the wall that almost crashed to when Sylvie threw him into the portal.

Loki just slid on the wall until he reached the ground.

- Am I really this messed up...? It's your fault. But I can't blame you at all. - he let out a small laugh - I'm sorry brother, father, Asgard... I just was a little scared frost kiddo all this time. - he made a pause and then added his last words after what has seemed to be an eternity. - ... And I'm sorry for you too, Mobius.

Loki thought that he could look for Mobius, but he just needed a moment for himself. Just to stabilize emotionally. He was just feeling overwhelmed enough to stay there in silence, forgiving Sylvie for what she just did minutes ago.

After a few moments, when he realized that he was probably not going to see her again, he started to mentally make a plan to arrive at the end of time again by pruning himself. Just what she did before to find him. He would find the other Lokis and he would convince them to fight side to side.

When he was about to think if she would stay there (probably not), an orange light illuminated his face. He got up almost in a jump and stood there where he was.

- Sylvie. Oh, Lord.

She didn't say anything. Sylvie approached him dejectedly, still trembling. Loki saw at the moment all the pain she was fighting right now. So he didn't say anything either. He looked at her with a comprehensive and sad look all over his face. For a moment it seemed like Sylvie was going to punch him over the chest with his closed and dangerous fist. But she finally grabbed Loki's tie instead of hitting him. He did nothing other than look over her head, feeling now how she was trembling. He wanted to hug her so badly that almost forgot this last push through the portal. But before he did anything, Sylvie collapsed onto his arms, feeling her weight in his hands.

- Don't you dare to say anything.

- Sylvie.

- Not now. Just shut up, please.

Loki hugged her so gently that made her sigh and hold on more to him. He slowly returned to his previous position over the floor. But this time with her in his arms. He absolutely forgot about the green and orange push and just leaned his head on the side of hers. She started to cry more, but she didn't say or did anything. She was still having the honor that all Lokis have, and if Loki learned one thing while he was being part of the TVA, is that this honor of them is useless. At least right now. It's really painful to support after what she has done with Kang.

He finally decided to ignore her and he finally spoke.

- It's okay. Don't.

- What.

- Don't be this hard with yourself. Not anymore.

Sylvie held up her head and looked him in the eyes for the first time after that purple library at the end of time. She saw his painful expression. She saw it all over his eyes, his mouth, his eyebrows... He was trying to understand her. He was really trying after what she had done to him at the "final moments". Just the same way she said it while he was sharing that tablecloth with her.

Loki raised his right hand to touch her. But right before this, she moved her hand too to stop him abruptly. He was faster and he caught her arm, like when he stopped her from killing Kang at the very beginning of their previous fight.

- Please. I'm not going anywhere. - he said with his lowest and tired voice that she ever heard from him.

His hand pushed a lock away from her tired face. Their both did eye contact for a while. They were doing their best, truly understanding each other's pain. Loki put his hands over the sides of Sylvie's face, and he leaned for a forehead kiss.

- I've got you. Shh... You can cry and kick me and curse and do whatever you want. - she sobbed harder, feeling anxiety again- I meant what I said to you. - he said with another forehead kiss. But this time he left his lips there, feeling her relaxing over him.

- Loki... Hear me out.

- I'm listening.

She looked at him again. She saw little blood spots over his face. Over his lips. Why didn't she notice them before? Damn, she kissed him. And she had betrayed him...

- I didn't mean to hurt you. Not after all this time. - she swallows trying to think about how to express herself- When I pushed back at the TVA I wasn't...

Without her permission, he leaned for a kiss on her lips. Making her grab tightly the sides of his shirt because of the surprise and the emotion. It was a tired and very needed kiss that lasted a few seconds. Neither of them wanted to separate, but finally, Sylvie broke it to catch her breath.

They don't need to say anything to understand themselves. After all, they are almost the same person. So she passed her fingers through the wounds of his face, feeling extremely guilty for them. Loki thought she was beautiful. He knew at the moment that she was feeling guilty by the look in her eyes and the softest of touches of her.

Sylvie leaned forward into him and kissed his left cheek. She was kissing his wounds looking for forgiveness. So he slowly reached the back of her head and stroked gently her hair. She kissed his neck, which made him shiver, and then she went for his lips again. They both started to have trouble with her breathing as they deepened the kiss, mixing their tears, emotions, tiredness, and love for each other. Loki pulled her by the hips closer to him while she rounded his back with her arms. They both were on the floor with a wall against Loki's back.

When Loki kissed her neck just the way she did before, she panted heavily. He continued his kisses until he bit her earlobe.

- Loki.

- ... Mhm??

- I will need more than this. And you. Know it well. - she said nervously, still trying to catch her breath. - But I really want to rest right now. I'm really really really tired...

- Okay. I know. - he said in a whisper.

They both got up with difficulty and Sylvie took the TemPad.

- Hey. What are you doing?

- This is not our real timeline.

- What?

- I messed up while putting the coordinates down at the TemPad.

Loki looked at her as if she did might do it on purpose because she was mad with him.

- No. I didn't do it on purpose.

Loki raised his hands and looked at the orange portal that appeared in front of them again.

- After you, lady.