''I know what kind of god I have to be,'' Loki speaks over the lump in his throat, he looks Mobius in the eyes before forcing a wet smile, ''For you.''
Mobius' eyes widened, ''Loki, don't.''
''I lo-''
Loki gasped, heart pounding in his chest, he was in front of the big window again, Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
Loki blinked, panting softly, what was this? He hadn't time slipped, he'd have felt pain if he had. ''Wha...'' he swallowed, gathering himself.
''You were talking about knowing what to do?'' Mobius supplied helpfully, moving to rest his hand firmly over Loki'd shoulder.
''R- right...'' Loki looks around the room, O.B and Casey stood at either side of Victor, while B-15 stood to the side. Sylvia has the nerve to look slightly concerned. Right.
''Just, I, uh...'' he takes a deep breath, ''Mobius,'' he chokes, failing to calm himself.
Mobius takes the hint and moves to shield him slightly from the preying eyes of everyone else in the room. ''What? What's wrong?''
''Some, something just happened.'' Loki said shakily, ''I don't know-''
The earth around them- or more the ground around them, since the TVA wasn't on earth. Or was it? Loki will never understand these kind of things- shook with a deep rumble, the group shot their attention out the window towards the loom, it was shaking violently, creaking and groaning as if in unimaginable agony.
Loki knew this part, the loom was going to explode. And they were all going to die.
''Mobius,'' Loki jerked to look at his best friend, slapping his hands on both his shoulders, ''I need to tell you something.''
Mobius blinks, looking confused, but nods, ''I have something to get off my chest as well.''
''I'll go first,'' Loki says as he feels the rattle of the looms explosion in the soles of his feet, Mobius nods, light slashes into his vision, determined to swallow him and everything he loved along with him, ''Mobius, I lov-''
Jerking where he stood, Loki took a deep breath, eyes wide in disbelief. He was standing in front of the big window, looking over the newly enlarged loom.
Mobius' voice came from behind him, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
''Uh...'' Loki was at a loss for words, he didn't know how to respond, he didn't know what was happening, he did understand! ''Yeah... I'm fine. Don't worry about it.''
Sylvie, standing further behind him, raised a brow, ''What are you getting at? Why are you acting like that? What did you do?''
Loki takes a deep breath and tries to ignore her,''It didn't work.''
O.B opens his mouth to say something, but as soon as his lips part a deep metallic groan echoes through the room, the ground shaking under them.
''Loki?'' Mobius walks over to him, ''You sure you're ok?''
Loki let's himself fall into the older (looking) man, a tired sigh on his lips, ''Mobius I-''
Loki groans as he blinks, lookingout the big window again. He used to find the sight of all the time lines and the endless stars beautiful, but now all he felt was dread as he gazes upon the endless void of gas and dust.
Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
Loki plops down on the ground, rocking himself back and forth and digging the palm of his hands into his eye sockets.
''Hey, hey, what's wrong?'' Mobius is by his side in seconds, ''tell me what's wrong.''
Loki whines, ''Oh, Mobius. I am afraid something has gone terribly wrong!'' he says, ''It seems I am trapped in time.'' he pauses,then adds, ''Again!''
''What?''
Lifting his head Loki looked into Mobius' pale blue eyes, ''Everytime we die, I come back to this moment.'' he whimpers.
''Wait, like, a time loop?'' Mobius asks, ''Groundhog day style?''
Loki blinked, ''What?''
''It's basically the same as you just described.'' Mobius waved a hand at his question, ''So what's your plan?''
''I don't know what to do.'' Loki groans.
Mobius nods thoughtfully, '' How bout this, next time you loop, just say groundhog day, and I'll understand.''
Loki grabbed Mobius' tie and tugged, bringing the analyst's face closer to him. Lights blazed and exploded in their vision, loud claps rinving in their ears as the gound shook with the explosion outside.
Loki kissed him softly, barely lingering a second.
''That's what I tried to tell you.''
Blinking, Loki stood frozen.
Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't-''
''-Don't need a break, yes yes I know.'' Loki waves him off, ''everyone out.''
''What?'' Sylvie was the first to protest, ''What are you playing at here?''
''Just get out.'' Loki snaps, ''Mobius I need you.'' he tugs at Mobius' sleeve lightly.
Grumbling, the rest of the group left.
''Groundhog day, Mobius, please,I don't know what to-''
Appearing confused at first, Mobius soon recovered and gently took Loki's hands, ''How long do we have?''
Loki blinks slowly, ''a couple minutes.''
''Loki...'' Mobius starts to say something then seemingly changing his mind, ''How can I help?''
Shaking his head, Loki curls into himself, ''I don't know.''
''Hey, hey,'' Mobius soothed, a rumble shaking the ground beneath their feet, rattling their bones and chattering their teeth, ''Is this it?'' Loki nods, leaning against his best friend, ''Yeah... this is it...''
Mobius wraps an arm around the god, ''Loki, I won't remember this, but I want you to know,'' he says, squeezing his shoulder, ''I-''
The world around them exploded into bright blazing lights.
Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
Loki had to choke back on a whimper.
This was rediculous! Why why why why why! He shot his hands to his head, curling fingers around his black locks. Tugging slightly, Loki groaned.
''Loki?'' Mobius calls again, ''Everything good?''
No, not good, everything was not good. He kept dying and then he kept coming back and not only could he not say those damn words, he couldn't even hear whatever it was Mobius wanted to say.
Right, Mobius.
''Yeah, I'm, I am Well. All good here.'' he dismisses with a wave of his hand, not looking back at them.
Mobius silently sent the others a look, they left without a word, leaving the analysis alone with the distraught god of mischief.
''Loki, what's wrong?'' Mobius places a hand on Loki's back, ''Tell me, I can help!''
''No, Mobius! You can't help me!'' Loki snaps, a bit harsher then intended, ''Sorry, I just...'' he sighs tiredly, burying his face in his hands, ''I need help, but, I don't know how to fix it.''
''Loki, just let us- let me help you.''
Loki swallowed, ''Groundhog day.''
''Excuse me?''
''Groundhog day,'' Loki repeated, ''That's what you told me to tell you.''
Mobius 'ah'd, ''How long-''
''A couple minute-''
Mobius cupped his face, making Loki freeze in his tracks, wide green eyes staring into Mobius'.
Mobius pushed forward, till Loki felt the soft brush of flesh over his lips and the slight scratch of Mobius' mustache on his face.
Mobius pulled back after a few seconds, hands resting on Loki's sides. Loki stared for a few seconds. Clearing his throat, Mobius broke the silence, ''I, uh, I just thought that, we're not gonna remember anyway, might as well get that out there.''
Loki blinks.
''Mobius, I remember. You don't.'' Loki explained, pointing at himself, then at Mobius.
Looking a bit awkward, Mobius' mouth forms an O, ''I see... Oops.''
The two men stare at each other for a bit, till a deep rumbling shook the ground and the air around them cracked from the blinding lights.
Loki giggled, causing Mobius to do the same, until they were both a mess of laughter.
Mobius cupped the gods face gently, ''My god, Loki...''
Loki closed his eyes.
Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
Loki turned on his heels so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, he grabbed Mobius' face roughly.
''Uh... Loki?'' Loki smashes their lips together with a bruising force, shocking everyone with them in the room.
Mobius quickly returned Loki's enthusiasm, hands moving to grip the gods sides, before pulling back, ''Hey, uh, so that just happened.'' He started awkwardly, ''What's wrong?''
Loki breathes shakily, ''I know what to do now.''
Loki pulled himself from Mobius' embrace, ignoring the sharp jab of pain in his gut at the loss of contact, he bee lined toward the lounge, ignoring the calls of his friends, he jogged down the short flight of stairs, locking the door behind him.
''Wait! Loki what are you doing!?'' Mobius banged on the window, calling out to the god.
''You guys have done much for me... It's time I return the favor. Time I say goodbye.''
Sylvie slammed her palm against tge door, ''Loki! Don't do it!''
Loki stared back at them, ''Mobius, I... I know what kind of god I need to be. For you.''
He turns around.
Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
What?
What? No.
No no no.
It wasn't even time yet! They'd still had time! He'd even had time to say goodbye!
Why was he still-
Oh.
Oh.
Every time he tried to tell him, Loki had ended up back here. Seconds before he was supposed to, or minutes, even. The first time it happened, the shaking hadn't even started.
''Oh my god...'' Loki gasped, knees buckling under his weight, causing his friends to crowd him nervously.
He wasn't supposed to tell him. And he wasn't supposed to say goodbye.
''Loki? Hey, are you ok?'' B-15 was in front of him, hands on his shoulders.
''He's having a panic attack!'' O.B shouted from somewhere Loki didn't have visual of.
Mobius' voice was close to him, something warm pressing against his back, ''-eath, just breath. You're gonna be ok-''
Blinking harshly, Loki came to slowly, his throat felt like sand paper, chest aching from heaving.
He curled up on his side, head buried in Mobius' belly. He doesn't know when he'd gotten on the floor, but he didn't even care anymore, it's not loke anyoneis gonna remember anything anyway.
Loki let his consciousness drift off into darkness.
When he opened his eyes again, he knew what he needed to do.
Mobius was staring at him curiously, ''Are you ok?'' he asked, ''You spaced out for a second there. Are you sure you don't need a break?''
''I know what I need to do.'' he bee lined toward the lounge, ignoring the calls of his friends, he jogged down the short flight of stairs, locking the door behind him.
''Wait! Loki what are you doing!?'' Mobius banged on the window, calling out to the god. Sylvie slammed her palm against the metal door, ''Loki!''
''I know what kind of god I need to be. For you.'' Loki stares into Mobius' eyes, the turns away, ''For all of us.''
He summoned his seir and ripped the lounge doors open, suddenly being hit by massive waves of energy.
His divine body kept him from disintegrating into handfuls of spaghetti noodles right away, but he could feel the time lines dying around him, so he reached out to grab a few.
He kept walking, his TVA uniform shredding from his body, replaced by comfortable green layers of silk garment. He gathered more time lines in his hands as he stepped on nothing but pure energy over the shattered bridge, a gold ring forming on his head, growing a pair of magnificent horns.
He turned to look one last time.
There Mobius stood, staring back through the large window, teary eyes meeting his.
This was goodbye.
Loki turned, continuing his move forward towards the end of time.
Under the blinding light that was once the time loom, a throne of stone sat awaiting him.
The vines on his shoulders, forming a large cape that cast behind him, weighed him down. His shoulders ached in protest, but he didn' stopped.
Gold painted the stone ground, enveloping the throne. Loki turned, and sat upon it, the vines encasing him.
Loki sat there.
Watching.