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It’s a nice evening. Most of the evenings had been nice in fact, but tonight Mobius was not in the mood to appreciate the warm tropical breezes and waves gently lapping against the sandy beach as he sits on the swinging bench on the deck of his beach house, drinking absently from a can of beer.
Following the freeing of the multiverse, Mobius had decided to settle down for the time being, far away enough from Don and the kids but vaguely in the same time zone so that he could occasionally look in on them. Yes, he knew that it was a bit creepy, so he tried not to do it too often, but it helped him feel vaguely moored to something at least. He kept the name Mobius, thankfully the TVA was also remarkably good at providing identity papers for ex-employees.
Mobius couldn’t help but feel an aching longing in his heart. Although time had passed—and time did pass for him now—the lonely feeling he carries with him never goes away. Like a heavy shroud over his shoulders, it tugs at him, pulling him slightly downwards and into himself, despite the sunny exterior he does his best to project when renting out jet skis to tourists.
The silver haired man takes a last swig of his beer, draining the can and letting the empty container fall to the wooden deck, wincing slightly at the hollow metallic clank it makes when it lands.
He sighs, looking up at the stars and whispers, “I always thought we’d have more time…”
The stars, of course, don’t answer, and being in a melancholy mood, he closes his eyes and continues. “Time to enjoy your mischief, time for banter, time to go with you to the automat for”
“…one more slice of pie”, gently interrupts another voice, one as smooth as silk, one that he never thought he’d hear again. Mobius’ eyes fly open and there he is, standing on the sand, a few steps away.
“Loki…” he whispers, “are you really here?”
“Yes,” the dark haired god begins slowly, looking just as he had the day that he had saved the multiverse, “and no. I’m still there, at the heart of the tree, I keep the branches alive, I craft stories, and I watch, but I just couldn’t go on watching you from afar. I don’t know how long I can maintain this form.”
Mobius exhales shakily, not even realising that he had been holding his breath as he stands and closes the gap between the two, pulling the other into a tight hug. It just feels so right to have the god in his arms again, a solid presence that makes him feel more alive than he has in months. Finally, he has the chance to say what he always regretted not expressing before.
“Loki, I love you.” Mobius states emphatically, pushing back so that he can gaze into the other’s eyes. He speaks as if the sentiment would burst out of him regardless of if he opens his mouth or not, “You know those days when we were trying to free the TVA and save the multiverse together were the best ones of my life, going through the files, hopping through timelines, just having you by my side.”
Mobius continues, still in a rush, “I wasn’t brave enough to tell you that I loved you before and I don’t want to miss my chance now…”
“Mobius,” the other softly interjects, “I love you too.”
Mobius isn’t sure which of them initiates the kiss, but suddenly he’s swept away by the press of his lips to the other’s. It feels like coming home, like everything will be right, as long as he can live in this moment forever. The swelling in his heart overwhelms him and he feels the hot prick of tears in his eyes.
Loki gently caresses Mobius’ face, wiping the tears away with his thumb, “I never meant for your story to be a sad one,” he says with an air of regret and resignation.
“No, no, no,” Mobius is quick to try to reassure the other, “You did the right thing. You saved us all, you gave everyone the chance to choose for themselves. You did that Loki.”
He blunders onwards, with increasing uncertainty, “I’m fine, really, I finally got my jet ski and the weather’s great here…I’m fine,” Mobius repeats as he trails off.
Lie…
He takes another shaky breath and presses his forehead to Loki’s, as the two men desperately cling to each other.
“Maybe somewhere out there in that crazy beautiful multiverse there’s a variant of me and you who get to be together. We can dream and watch and pretend that it's meant for us.”
“Yes, but that would be a lie wouldn’t it?” Loki responds sadly, as if he had seen the very thing, “They aren’t us.”
“But it’s a good story and hey, what’s a story anyway, but a lie well told?” Mobius replies.
“I have to go,” Loki whispers, pulling Mobius to him for one more soul-rending kiss. Then the god was gone, the warmth from the other fading from Mobius’ arms far too quickly.
Mobius is alone again. This time, there is nothing to stop the tears.
-fin-