Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Loki was apprehensive about this deal Mobius offered him. He knew absolutely nothing about the man, yet he was deeply interested in learning about him because he was quite difficult to read and anticipate. It was different from what he was accustomed to anyway, most people he encountered were like an open book or easy to predict, but not this time.

Mobius took Loki somewhere to change into something a little bit more respectful than the dreadful prison jumpsuit and followed it up with taking him to the cafeteria. They sat across from each other in awkward silence. Loki shifted in his seat and was on high alert about everything going on around him rather than focusing on eating anything. Though he was starving, it was that sickly feeling that kept him from wanting to actually quell it by eating due to nerves and insecurity. It didn't help that he didn't trust the food, either. Mobius watched him intently before gently pulling his attention to him.

"Anything that I can do to help ease your conscience?" Mobius asked, sipping at his strange drink.

Loki straightened his posture, looking at Mobius suspiciously.

"You can be honest with me," he continued, gesturing at him with the drink in his hand. "What's on your mind?"

Loki subtly bit at his lip, contemplating on if he should take the bait. He was already quite raw with the truth earlier, what more did this mortal want from him? "I find it unnerving that I am unable to get a read on you, and yet here you are able to practically read my mind. It feels a bit intrusive. Violating, even."

How was that for honesty? He felt strange admitting another deep-rooted weakness so openly, but Loki could already tell that Mobius knew he was very uncomfortable with literally everything already, so he wasn't revealing anything new there. The entire idea of the TVA in and of itself was enough to make him want to be sick over.

"Well, if it will help level the playing field for you some, you can ask me anything about myself if you'd like," Mobius offered. "Have you heard of the game Twenty Questions?"

Loki tilted his head and folded his arms in front of him, clearly unamused. "Yes. But if I recall, it is an exchange game. What do you have to ask me about that you don't already know?"

"We don't have to do that. You can ask all the questions and I'll simply answer. How's that?"

He squinted slightly at the agent, failing to detect anything malicious about the offer. It was hard to say if it was a relief or if he should be even more on guard because of this, however.

"Fine. What's this beverage you are constantly drinking?"

Mobius raised the loud colored can up as if that would answer the question. "It's called an energy soda. Tastes like tropical fruit but with a little extra kick to it. Helps keep me going during the long days and piles of paperwork."

Loki didn't care to properly process the answer, instead he decided to dig deeper almost immediately. "Is your name really Mobius M. Mobius? Certainly the second M isn't the same thing?"

"It is, and it is," Mobius answered nonchalantly, setting his drink down and tucking his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket, relaxing into the hard plastic chair.

It was the complete opposite position to how Loki was sitting; stiff and straight, shoulders squared, yet sitting just off-center enough to make a sudden break for it should a threat turn up at a second's notice. His gaze scanned the perimeter regularly, not staying focused on Mobius like he was doing on him. Call it paranoia, but he really didn't like this place.

"That's utterly ridiculous," he jabbed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"Why?"

"Your family must really loathe you by naming you like that," Loki continued before registering what he said.

"Well, maybe you could ask the Time-Keepers, should you ever meet them. They were the ones who provided me with my name," Mobius responded casually. "The rest of the TVA don't think twice about it because it is what is, after all."

"So you had no choice on what to call yourself?"

"Did you?"

Loki opened his mouth to protest but closed it immediately, looking away to make a point and deflect the silly trap he walked right into.

"Mobius…" Loki said again after a long stretch of silence.

The agent tilted his head in response, blinking slowly at him and the way he said his name. It was slow, elongating the vowels almost lazily.

"I see the clever name-making now. Named after the Midgardian mathematical construct known as the Möbius Strip. An impossible band somehow made possible to demonstrate a never-ending connected loop. Hence why your name is simply being repeated."

Loki flicked his attention back to his handler, who still appeared relatively relaxed and almost bored, perhaps even about to fall asleep.

"I suppose so," Mobius said, indicating that he was listening but not entirely versed in what was being said.

"Do you find yourself as an infinite loop? Always moving, yet never changing?"

Mobius shrugged in response, reaching for his drink again before getting to his feet. He gestured to Loki to follow. "Let's go somewhere more private."

Sighing, Loki obliged and fell into step. "You've not answered me."

"I know. Walking helps me think," he replied.

"What is there to think about? Do you not know yourself? A bit hypocritical to ask me this if you don't even know the answer to it in regards to yourself, don't you think?"

"That's nine questions. Better start choosing better ones soon before you use them all up," Mobius deadpanned, taking a long drink as he looked his way.

"They don't count until you answer them," Loki said, rolling his eyes.

Though Mobius was starting to annoy him by the lack of response, it was distracting enough from him to not quite keep track of where they were going. Right now they were in one of the many curved halls, silver doors dead ending it just ahead. Mobius pressed the button and waited in the strange silence for the elevator to come, Loki stood beside him, partially lost in thought as to what to specifically ask this person who had taken a great interest in him. Playing mind games wasn't seeming to do the trick, it seemed.

Nothing else was said until Mobius invited him into a small living space. Loki took in his surroundings while Mobius fell into a routine that he motioned through as if he didn't realize that he was even doing it. When he loosened his tie, Loki spotted a thin silver strand of something on his handler's neck. Without thinking, he grazed his fingers over the nape of Mobius' collared shirt and felt the cool metal before the agent tensed his shoulders and scrunched up his neck while turning quickly around to face him.

"What's around your neck?" Loki asked, not wanting to read into the startled expression on Mobius' face.

Relaxing before his eyes, Mobius took a breath and reached for the silver cord around his neck and pulled out an insignia from under his shirt, holding it in his palm to show Loki.

"My Star of David," he said simply, tucking it back under his shirt.

Loki raised a brow, finding the religious symbol quite intriguing to see on his person here of all places.

"You're Jewish?"

Mobius paused from heading for the bathroom, making a half-turn and holding up a finger between them. "Your random Earth knowledge is interesting to me. So check off one thing about you I didn't know about."

He gave a small smile at this. "Learning the basics about the Nine Realms was a requirement. But no one said I couldn't go beyond that and look into things on my own. The things mortals come up with on Midgard, however, I found particularly fascinating."

Mobius nodded, seeming to agree with what Loki had said. Clearing his throat, he looked to the floor, staring at his shoes. "No, I'm not Jewish. I'm not anything aside from my purpose given to me here at the TVA."

"Then why have it?"

Mobius shrugged, taking a moment in the process, his hand went to the hidden Star at his chest. "I've had it since… since I could remember, honestly. Just felt right keeping it on me."

"Fair enough."

"You're at twelve questions, by the way," Mobius reminded.

"You haven't answered some of them," Loki protested, crossing his arms. "Therefore I am only at nine."

Mobius raised his hands up in minor defeat before placing them on his hips and letting out a breath with a light shrug. "Alright. I suppose I am not sure how to answer you. I'm just me. I see myself as someone who analyzes Variants as needed and solves cases based on what I find." He made a circular motion with his hand as he thought. "That's just what I am meant to do. I guess it is a loop of sorts, the cases and Variants change, but the job doesn't. Is that satisfactory enough?"

Loki cocked his head to the side. "You failed to mention you are also a fearless, adrenaline seeking fool."

Mobius raised a brow at that. "What makes you say that?"

"You claim to specialize in dangerous Variants. If what my experience with you so far is anything to go off of, you have zero regard for your own safety by not having anyone in the film room with us." Loki took a calculated step closer. "I could've seriously harmed you had you not moved from the chair's trajectory earlier. And now, here we are yet again. Alone, in your private quarters no less. No time collar to utilize. What makes you think you are safe here with me?"

Loki proceeded to move closer to Mobius, seeing just how far he'd be allowed to go while subtly threatening him. Mobius was unwavering.

"Because I am confident in your honestly."

Loki felt his mask slip at that. Quickly recovering, he pressed on. "Do you object to that analysis of yourself?"

He was close enough now that the agent had to incline his head some to retain eye contact. After a long moment of intense silence, Mobius chuckled, shaking his head and turning away from Loki.

"You're not the first one who's noticed that about me." He rested a hand on the handle of the washroom, giving Loki a lingering look. "So I suppose with that known, you've hit the nail on the head with the deep stuff. You're at fourteen. When I come out I hope you have the next six ready. This is great. Some good stuff coming out of it."

Mobius proceeded to shut the door in Loki's face when he approached. Sighing in annoyance, he looked around the small space again, hoping that something in it would help him gain the upper hand on this frustrating person.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Loki looked around the shambled interior of the building the time door sent them to.  Their unit was sent out to survey another attack on a reset team meant to prune the branch likely caused by the Variant they'd been hunting.  The injuries on the dead were the same from the Renaissance Faire; large gashes and stabs that had both entrance and exit wounds, making it highly plausible it was the one.

Mobius was inspecting an area where a struggle took place based on the damaged and upturned pews scattered around.  Loki found these assessment missions boring, no new information was gathered from them, and it put them at risk to be potentially ambushed as well.

Instead of prodding around looking for nothing, Loki decided to take in the building and it's architecture.  The ceiling alone was breathtaking, with its concaved alcoves of a deep blue speckled with white dots to imitate the night sky outlined with dark wood beams framing around it to look like photographs.  Chandeliers peeked out from their dome-shaped reflected homes in some areas of the ceiling, giving the otherwise dark, dreary high-ceiling and walls a wash of light throughout.  It was all untouched and unharmed, unlike the smaller chandelier-like lights that decorated the walls along the ornate archways.

What really caught Loki’s eye was the outer area on each side’s ceiling had the same symbol that Mobius revealed to him in secrecy mere days ago; the Star of David.

He beelined it right back to Mobius who was crouched on the floor speaking with Hunter B-15 and Hunter D-90.

“Mobius,” he said, purposefully interrupting him.  “May I borrow you a moment?”

Hunter B-15 sent a half-glare his way, adjusting the holster for her baton on her belt as if silently warning him.  Hunter D-90 was more verbal when Mobius gave Loki his full attention over him.

“Don’t fuck around too long, Mobius.  We are nearing redline,” he snapped, gesturing to the TemPad in hand.  “Would hate to leave you behind.”

“Appreciate the gesture,” Mobius casually replied, following Loki without another word.

“What?”

Loki turned so his back was to the units of minutemen and the Hunters before pointing up at the ceiling.  “Nice view.”

Mobius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  “Loki, we don’t have time for this.  I need to finish surveying—”

“Just look,” Loki said more firmly, jabbing his finger upward.  “A familiar thing, is it not?”

The agent lightly shook his head, blinking a couple of times before humoring Loki to look toward the ceiling.  He went very still seeing the star-shaped symbol adorning the ceiling of the balcony.  His hand instinctively went to rest over his sternum where the necklace lay hidden under the crisp, not-quite-white shirt and dull brown striped tie.

“Beautiful just like the rest of this place,” Loki continued, watching Mobius take in the art of not only the ceiling, but of the stained glass windows as well. 

Mobius took a deep breath, dropping his hand to his side, he turned to head back to the others.  “Let’s go.  D-90 would love to leave us behind after setting the charge.”

Loki couldn’t help but frown.  He wanted to help Mobius find out why he had the necklace.  Coming to the synagogue was a coincidence, but there might be something there that could hold answers, right?  At the very least, teach Mobius a little more about what he wore around his neck all hours of the day and night with no knowledge of it aside from it being a simple trinket he was deeply attached to.

Snow flurries could be seen disrupting the full moon's light seeping through the glass windows, and as Loki followed Mobius back to the others, he noticed a candelabra with nine areas for candles to rest in sitting nearby the podium.  Only one cerulean blue candle was lit, the base of the flame taking on the blue hue just so before burning its bright, yellow-white torch above it.  Curious, Loki veered toward it, seeing that it was resting on a small bookshelf that had a few books nestled in it.  He had to move quickly now, he could hear the team preparing a charge.

“Loki?” Mobius asked, approaching.  “What are you doing?”

“Come help me,” Loki half-whispered, gesturing for the agent to come closer.  “Get these, will you?”

Loki already snuffed out the candle and conjured enough to take with, tucking it into the sling bag he nicked from the armory earlier before heading out to the field.  He grabbed the candelabra and one of the three books and shimmied them into the small space.  Then he remembered he had magic here (despite effortlessly duplicating the candle seconds prior) and was able to give the bag just enough room to hold everything without it appearing overstuffed.  Who knows if it would hold once they crossed through the time door, though.  Loki had a confident hunch it would remain, considering the TVA didn’t strip the magic Odin placed on him to take on the appearance he has retained for over a thousand years now.

“We can’t take anything that is not evidence, Loki,” Mobius muttered, but didn’t even try to stop him.  “Why do you want this stuff?”

Loki rolled his eyes.  “It does get a bit dull reading the same thing every day, does it not?”

Mobius shrugged, not having an answer.

“Besides, these might have something for you to learn more about what your necklace means.  So, in a way, it is considered useful evidence.”

“To something no one else even knows about,” Mobius remarked.

“Are you done admiring the place?” Hunter D-90 asked,  “Charge is set.  We need to go.  Now.”

Mobius just waved him off.  “We are right behind you.”

As if to stick it to Hunter D-90, Mobius drew his TemPad and pulled up a time door beside him.  He held out his hand, silently inviting Loki to head in first.

“Let’s go, bandit.”

Back at Mobius’ very small studio apartment, Loki unloaded his haul straight onto the bed, very pleased to see that his theory about the extension spell retaining within the TVA holding true.  Mobius groaned at the heap.  It wasn’t that much: three books, candles, and a candelabra, but the books were quite big and old.  He was pretty sure he saw a puff of dust escape from them, even.

“Why is this so important?”  Mobius questioned after a long beat of silence.

Loki was flipping through the pages, biting his lower lip as he concentrated on whatever he skim-read in the process.  He only paused when Mobius spoke.

“It isn’t important to you where that necklace came from?” he questioned, watching as the agent's hand went right for it, lightly brushing his fingers over its invisible outline.

“Well… not really, until now.”

“Good.”

Loki didn’t want to admit it just yet, but he found the necklace quite intriguing.  In a place where uniqueness was nonexistent, Mobius having such a specific religious symbol had to mean something, perhaps a weakness in the otherwise formidable establishment that is the TVA.

“But, I find it more interesting that this Variant has targeted another religious building in their assault right now,” Mobius continued, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.  “It is the third one in six recent incidents.  Coincidence?”

Loki could feel Mobius’ eyes on him, but he was still glued to the Hebrew written books in front of him to really pay attention to his handler’s analysis. 

“Loki?”

“I doubt it is a coincidence,” he muttered, closing the book to finally meet Mobius’s gaze.  “I never do anything coincidentally, but I also do not tend to follow such a predictable pattern, either.  They are getting sloppy, weary, or not noticing their mistakes.  One that will eventually lead to them being caught.

“You really want to underestimate your own Variant like that?” Mobius questioned, hiding the chuckle behind a hand.  “They keep getting away, so obviously not that sloppy.”

It went quiet for a moment, but Loki slowly shook his head and broke eye contact.  “I hope you can read Hebrew as all of these are written in it.”

Exasperated, Mobius let his hands drop to his sides.  “Alright.  Fine, change the subject.  I am tired.”

Loki watched Mobius disappear into the bathroom to start his end-of-shift routine.  He wondered if Mobius was scared to find out something he shouldn’t, or maybe he already had an inkling of an idea and just wanted to keep it buried deep.  He will leave it be for now, and focus on reading about what the candelabra—menorah, as it was actually called—was for.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Mobius found Loki's interest in his necklace a bit odd. He himself never even gave it a single thought as to why he had it, he just did. It also wasn't something he ever really found curious of its meaning and significance, either. At least, not until Loki decided to obsess over it. Now, he did find himself wondering if what Loki has divulged on Jewish culture and its people and the Judaism religion most practiced was possibly something he subconsciously followed.

These sorts of thoughts were dangerous to tread in the TVA, however. No one was ever really meant to dabble too deeply into much of anything that over extended the basic requirements for the job at hand. He already fell far too deep down the rabbit hole that was Loki, and keeping a lid on that was hard enough alone. Only Ravonna knew of the unhealthy fascination, and Mobius planned to keep it that way. He didn't need another forbidden secret to stow away with it.

Yet delving into this other thing piqued his curiosity of that dangerous why. The question Loki constantly prodded him with and he coming up with no explanation or answer to sate the god's mind was now poisoning him to find out it's significance to himself.

Mobius blinked at his own reflection, coming back into himself after realizing his mind wandered. He was in his bathroom, shower on, half-shaven face staring blankly back. The cool metal of the silver Star of David touched his chest every so often from the subtle movement of his shoulder as he finished shaving, allowing it to swing freely in the deadspace. If what Loki has said is in fact true, the symbol held significance to a group of people on Earth. If this is the case, why indeed would he have it? His mementos from the timeline were few and far between, and he remembers every souvenir he did decide to take, even. This necklace held no memory of how it came into his possession. It has simply been there, a part of his being.

He caught it in his hand to take it off before washing his face, trying to shove those wandering, intrusive thoughts away. The TVA is not fond of their creations to become attached to anything, it caused problems in the workforce, like a sickness. It was rare, but those who succumbed to it were never seen again. Reassigned to another department within the massive hive—facility—that is the TVA.

There it was, Loki leaking into his head again. He called the TVA a drone hive where no one had a mind of their own. Ridiculous, Mobius had his own mind, thoughts, feelings, likes, and dislikes. He hated pepper in his salad and always complained whenever it was prepared with shellfish or had cheese mixed in with the chicken. The veggie sandwiches were a particular favorite, and he could never pass up the rare brisket and potato suppers whenever they turned up.

Loki had talked about a kosher diet earlier today, ever so eager to notice and point out that he seemed to follow it. Mobius didn't even know what the word kosher meant, but it was quickly fixed thanks to his new colleague.

Mobius stripped off his briefs and sighed to himself, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. Maybe he could ask Ravonna to accompany her to one of her spa days or something, clear his head of this mess that Loki came and wreaked havoc on. It sounded like a relaxing getaway, but he wouldn't be able to leave Loki with anyone long enough to enjoy it.

Tossing the thought away, he took a headache pill before stepping into the shower and flinched at the heat stinging at his skin. At least this would help him clear the fog up some…