Chapter Text
Loki wasn't entirely sure how he was still standing. It had been too long since he took a break from running. Time felt all mushed up, everything he had been through was wrapped by his memories. He couldn’t recall how many timelines he had been through, how many times he had to fight his way out of places, how many times he had to run away from the wrong Mobius. All he knew was it was one too many times.
Ever since he got thrown out from the Citadel at the End of Time by Sylvie he has been trying to find his Mobius. At first, when he encountered the first Mobius variant, he thought it was the man he knew, he thought his memories had simply been wiped, but only after a few several times trying to enchant his memories back did he realise it wasn't going to work because that man wasn't his Mobius and it would never be.
He remembered taking a tempad and running away, just portalling through that timeline running away from the TVA agents. It wasn't until he found a way to make the tempad travel through different universes that he managed to escape and begin his tedious search back home, back to Mobius.
Anything after that was harder for him to recall, Loki’s memories of events became hazy. It was all too much going on and yet too much of the same thing.
Running, escaping, surviving.
Over and over again.
He wasn't entirely sure when did his brain stop focusing on the finer details and simply focused on surviving another day. As if his brain reverted back to the most instinctual, primitive functions. Everything he did was for survival.
He was pretty sure he had not slept ever since he got pruned, back when he still had Sylvie and Mobius by his side. Sure, he was a god and therefore can survive longer without the basic needs like eating or sleeping but even he had his limits. Maybe he had slept since then but he can't really say he remembers.
He had lost count on how many people wanted him dead by now. He wasn’t the most likeable person in most multiverses and there's too many people who mistook him as another variant version of him. He had been able to avoid most of those people but there were some that he got bested by, which left him fairly injured. Not enough to stop him from continuing his mission but bad enough that he could actively feel the pain most of the time.
He really isn't certain how long he can keep going, with the multiverse in chaos, having a target on his back and still lost, a long way from home, motivation and hope becoming more non-existent as the days passed on.
Now, incredibly confused, he took a look at his surroundings. His vision was still clearing so it took him a moment. Travelling through the multiverse isn't as easy as travelling through the timeline, going through the tempad portal makes him feel woozy, since every timeline was different, it took his body a few seconds to recalibrate with the new dimension.
It didn't take him long to realise he was in a TVA. he sighed and tensed up, enough that his muscles ached. He must have not paid enough attention when he set the tempad destination. The last place he wanted to be was another TVA where no one knew him and therefore he would have to make his escape soon. Being this tired, this drained… he didn't think he had it in him to run again.
He forced himself to move out of the hallway he was in. If anyone saw him there there was no doubt the others would ask questions about where he has been or who he is. Making it into an empty office he leaned against the wall next to the closed door. Shutting his eyes tightly for a few seconds before opening them again, he took out his tempad and squinted as he began to type a new destination in it. He needed to leave this place but not necessarily the timeline he was in.
Until he was certain it wasn't his timeline, he would stick around. But if he was honest with himself, he was mostly sure this was the wrong timeline.
After all, that is how it always has been, timeline after timeline he would be constantly disappointed until he got to a point where he didn't even bother to hold out hope. He simply thought of it as timeline hopping, running away from certain death, and if he was lucky, maybe that way, he would eventually get close to his timeline one day.
Now that he was more aware of what was going on around, more aware of his surroundings, it meant he could also feel his entire body ache. His muscles were all tensed up together, aching as he managed to keep himself upright, his head was buzzing and
He had lied before, the injuries he had were not something he could simply shrug off. He thought they were fine at the time but now the pain around his body was becoming insufferable, he even had trouble focusing on his own thoughts, least alone his surroundings due to the pain and exhaustion.
He needed to rest. But he couldn't. It wasn't safe . If he closed his eyes, anywhere he went, he would be unguarded, and with everyone wanting him dead, or trying to actively hunt him down, well he simply could not afford that luxury.
He realised he had not typed anything into his tempad yet. He frowned, he would have sworn he did. Silently cursing he began typing a new destination. He should go to another apocalypse. Sure, the timeline was in shambles and the minutemen would probably overlook the nexus events he created if he went anywhere but he better be safe than sorry.
“Loki?”
Loki frowned, he vaguely recognised that voice and it took him longer than he would want to admit to realise it was him they were talking to. He gripped his tempad tighter in his hand and looked up to find B-15 standing at the door, head peeking in while the rest of her was still outside. She was holding the door open and looking at him, waiting for a response.
His first instinct was to run. To flee and get away from people. He had been through too many timelines only to find he wasn't welcomed in any. His fingers were hovering above the tempad, nothing was stopping him from opening a door and leaving. He was about to do just that when his thoughts caught up to the current events.
B-15 was there.
B-15 was there and she called him by his name.
B-15 was there, she called him by his name and she recognised him.
In the dozens upon dozens of universes he was in, no one from the TVA recognised him, and if they did they knew him only as a variant which meant that if this B-15 knew him by his actual name then— he couldn't have hope, not yet. “You know me?”
B-15 faltered at those words and narrowed her eyes, slowly moving her hand towards her baton. “I know you. Do you know me?” She scrunched up her face in confusion.
Loki got hit with a wave of newfound energy fueled by pure determination and hope. “If you know me— where is Mobius?” He asked. If he was in the right timeline then that meant his whole search was over and he had not failed.
However, there was only one thing he needed to check, to make sure and to confirm he was finally home, he wouldn't settle for anything else. “If you know me then Mobius should know me too, right?” He was mostly talking to himself at this point, but he was too tired to care that he was speaking out loud. “Where is he?”
B-15 had so many questions but she was dealing with enough already to ask them. Loki seemed too frantic, neurotic and not at all there, she doubted she would get any answers out of him now so she settled for answering him. “Mobius is in a meeting right now. He should be in the library by the archives.”
Loki didn't wait another second, he didn't even answer her as he made his way through the TVA, ignoring how terribly familiar it felt, running through the place trying to get his Mobius… he couldn't think of that now. He wasn't sure how he was making his body run when two minutes ago he was about to collapse but he managed it. He could vaguely hear B-15’s footsteps trailing behind him, she probably was talking to him but he couldn't hear her.
Once he made it to the library he ran through the different sections of it until he got to the archives. Before he saw Mobius, he heard him. He was talking to someone about branches and nexus events and Loki felt a pit in his stomach at the horribly deja vu he had about when he first found out he was in another timeline, when Mobius didn't recognise him.
He stopped dead in his tracks a few feet away from him, he hadn't noticed him yet, too busy talking to someone else, some analyst by the looks of it. His own chest was heaving from all the running and exhaustion but he didn't mind it, he simply stood there. Eyes only for Mobius, he called out to him. “Mobius?” He hated how raspy and how pitiful his voice sounded but at this point he was too weak to hide his emotions.
He couldn't let himself hope, not yet, not until he was sure it was his Mobius. Except… except it was already too late, the moment b-15 had recognised him, he began to hope again, something which by his standards was too dangerous. Hope just made things worse. And yet, here he was, expecting, waiting for Mobius to notice him.
The seconds it took for Mobius to turn around felt like eons. Then Loki locked eyes with him, and there was something about his eyes, about the softness and warmth that radiated from them, that made Loki's heart skip a beat. He hadn't seen that look in who knows how long, but it had been a long time. Too long.
Loki saw as Mobius approached him with a frown. “Loki? Are you alright? What happened?” He grabbed him by the shoulders.
Loki didn't immediately respond. He was frozen in place, staring at him in awe and wonderment. It was really him. He recognised him, he knew him. “Mobius? Are you really— when was the last time you saw me?” He decided to ask instead, he needed to be sure.
“Back at the Void, before you went to enchant Alioth. What is this abo—”
Loki wanted to cry from joy — he also wanted to cry from the pain he had been feeling for the past hours but that wasn't important at the moment— he did it. He found his Mobius. All the horrors, the living nightmare he had been stuck in ever since he was betrayed by Sylvie, it was all worth it. He found his way back, back to his timeline, back to what he knew was reality, back home.
He didn't even think about it, he simply acted on impulse and threw himself onto Mobius’ arms. He hugged him tightly, not wanting to ever let go, because he felt that if he did, he would lose him again. He felt as Mobius returned the hug and he closed his eyes. “It's so good to see you.” He whispered, and this time he didn't mind one bit when his voice wavered.
He heard the rumble of Mobius’ voice but he didn't quite catch onto what he said. His brain was no longer running on fumes and spite so he could feel how his body slowly shut down. He couldn't really control it or do anything to stop it. It was as if he just instinctively knew that he could rest now, that he was safe. His legs were the first to give out and he could feel himself falling onto Mobius, still in his embrace. “I'm sorry.” Was the last thing he said before he passed out, or at least, what he thought was the last thing he said.