Brothers from different timelines

The clock on the kitchen wall indicated that it was a few minutes after seven. A timepiece on the oven was more precise, showing it was 07:04 AM. Still a bit sleepy, black-haired boy looked at the phone in his hand which displayed the same time as the cooking appliance.

“That’s weird”, he thought and just then felt something cold touching his bare ankle.

He looked down to see a small alligator sluggishly crawling on the kitchen floor. The reptile went to his bowl only to find bits of yesterday’s dinner inside. A growl of disappointment came from the toothy mouth.

“I feel you, Croki”, the boy said as he walked towards the electric kettle on the counter. The device was warm and there was still some water, so he wasn’t still dreaming when he heard its beeping earlier. Someone was there, but why?

The boy washed the remains of the sleep from his face in the sink and then inspected the room. Aside from what he already spotted that was out of order, everything looked normal besides that the cabinet, where the meds were kept, was slightly open, as if someone was looking inside and didn’t care to close it properly afterwards.

“Mooornin’, Loooki”, the boy almost jumped hearing someone speaking and yawning at the same time behind him. He turned around to see the boy taller than him and with a mess of long blond hair on top of his head.

“Good morning, Thor” grunted the black-haired boy. Despite everything in the Multiverse and timelines, his brother remained the same: lovable but annoying at times.

His tone must’ve alarmed Thor, because he rubbed his eyes and then looked at his little brother with realisation forming on his face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, brother! I’m still getting used to your new name.”

The black-haired boy, formerly known as Loki and later Kid Loki, smiled at Thor. Even if he really felt anger at this moment, he couldn’t bring himself to lash out at his big brother or show it in any other form. Not after everything that has happened.

Technically, the slightly older boy in front of him wasn’t HIS brother. He was a Thor from a different timeline than his, a variant as they were saying at TVA. He wasn't the first or last Thor that came there, but that one was particular. He came from a timeline that was almost identical with his brother’s up until that fatal day when a simple prank went horribly, horribly wrong.

In his timeline the younger prince was the one who accidentally caused the rightful heir’s death. In that slightly different timeline however Thor managed to avoid certain doom, but in doing so, he unintentionally crippled his Loki and put him into a very deep coma. The gigantic guilt that Thor felt made him run away far from home. That’s when the TVA got him and brought here.

Ever since TVA’s reformation the variants were treated more lightly, which included finding them new homes and/or jobs within its structures. Those who were brought after devastating events were also receiving all the possible help they needed. The therapists and psychologists suggested that reconciling as well as living under the same roof might help young brothers from different timelines with their respective deeply rooted guilt and self-loathing. Since then almost six months have passed. The progress was slow at first and very emotional, but over time the boys have reignited their bond and were closer than ever.

“I forgive you, brother”, said the younger boy.

Thor chuckled and came closer to mess with the other’s raven hair.

“I know, Louis”, he said without skipping a bit.

They looked at each other fondly for maybe a minute until Croki’s grunts reminded them of the bigger problem at hand which Thor summarised perfectly in one simple question: “So… where’s breakfast?”

Usually on workdays one of their new fathers would be at this hour preparing a morning meal for everyone. Today however not much was done except for taking some water and possibly medicine.

Suddenly those scarce clues started to form into possible answers in Louis’ mind.

“I think we should check on our parents”, he said.

Thor nodded in agreement, took Croki into his arms and went after Louis from the kitchen to the stairs.

Their rooms were on the first floor while their fathers slept in the master bedroom on the second floor. Like the cabinet for meds, the door was slightly open. The boys were sneaking closer, saw movement on the other side and then heard nasty coughing fit. They froze, shocked and unsure what to do. Luckily, shortly after they heard Papa Mobius talking calmly.

“Shh, sweetheart. It’s alright. It’s just the medicine working. Here, there’s tissue. Just let it go.”

Shortly after a sound closely resembling a throat being teared from the inside came from the bedroom. Louis held his breath while Thor hugged Croki more tightly which the reptile didn’t like but wasn’t fighting back.

Soon the coughing stopped and Papa congratulated his husband and promised to bring him a cup of tea. Upon exiting the master bedroom with empty glass, he saw two anxious boys in their night wear and an annoyed alligator. He sighted, but managed to smile and lean towards them.

“Let’s go downstairs, kids”, he whispered. “Your father needs to rest and all three of you should eat something.”

Croki made quiet cheerful noises, but the boys only nodded. Both of them had questions and asked them as soon as Papa brought them back to the kitchen.

“Is Loki sick?... I mean dad.” Like with Louis’ current name, Thor sometimes struggled with acknowledging that someone who was technically his adoptive brother was now his parental figure. Once he tried to call him Papa Loki, but the latter promised (not really) to turn Thor into a hamster and give him preschool if he calls him that again. Dad or simply Loki were fine though.

“Yes, unfortunately”, said Mobius while filling the electric kettle with fresh water. While it worked, he made breakfast for Croki, then for the boys.

“But how?”, Thor kept asking.

“Is it something serious?”, added Louis.

“Easy, easy”, Papa calmed them. “It’s just a simple cold. Nothing to worry about.”

If someone in the kitchen wasn’t worried right now, it was probably Croki who was eating a morning portion of meat cheerfully, although he was often looking back at the rest of his family. In the meantime Louis remembered something.

“Yesterday you two went on a mission set during a very hot summer.”

Because of both of them being Frost Giants, he and Loki were particularly sensitive to heat. Being in the sun for too long could lower their natural immunity.

Papa Mobius silently agreed. He placed two bowls of cereal and two glasses of orange juice on the table. The boys didn’t complain it wasn’t eggs with cheese and bacon or sandwiches they usually had for breakfast, because they understood their father had much more important things to do right now.

“And then, after returning to the base, we were immediately asked to do a lot of very important paperwork in the archives”, he continued while pouring hot water to Loki’s favourite mug,

Thor started thinking deeply. Louis, who had connected the dots already, waited patiently, wanting his big brother to have his moment to shine.

“Then he must have got that bug from someone in the archives”, Thor concluded.

“Very likely, my boy,” Papa agreed while finishing the tea. “Now eat your cereal. I’m going to check if Loki has everything he needs before I leave for work.”

“Are you going to work?”, asked Louis, surprised.

Papa Mobius sighed sadly.

“I have to, I’m so sorry. As much as I would like to stay here and take care of all of you, I don’t have any other choice. I need to finish yesterday’s work in the archives as well as attend a few meetings later in the day. Maybe I’ll check on you during lunchtime, but I’m not sure. Still, I promise I will be back as soon as possible. Now, you two really should eat your breakfast before the cereal turns into a goo.”

Before he left, Papa Mobius promised to talk with them more in a few minutes. When he disappeared with the cup of hot tea, Thor immediately attacked his breakfast. Louis meanwhile managed to eat only one spoonful of Cheerios.

“Louis”, Thor called him at one point, derailing the younger boy’s train of thought.

“Yes?”

“Don’t worry.” Thor got up and tried to pat Louis on the shoulder over the table. “Papa said it’s just a simple cold. I bet dad will be fine in three days max. Remember? You too also had…” beaming smile slowly faded from Thor’s face as another, this time more brutal realisation hit him like a bullet.

Louis quickly grabbed Thor’s palm in both of his hands.

“Yes, brother! I still remember how often I got sick on Asgard, especially during summer,” he assured him by smiling. “I was just wondering what we're gonna do when Papa leaves for work.”