Loki tensed up yet again attempting to free himself, but the ties were holding him tight. He heard Ravonna laughing at his efforts behind his back, and bit his tongue not to let out any snarky comment. His situation was shitty already, no need to make it even worse.
"Why are you still keeping me here?" he asked instead. "If you want to prune me or, I don't know, kill me even, why not do it now? Do you want something from me?"
The woman scoffed and started walking around him lazily, just out of his reach.
"Don't flatter yourself. What could I want from an ordinary variant?"
Loki yanked his arms again, with the exact effect as before, which is none. Ravonna kept walking, swinging her black baton playfully.
"You're just a tool, Loki. A... Bait, if you will." she continued. "You're not the only one I need to eliminate to have everything back in order. When he gets here, I'll gladly send you both into the void."
Loki's heart skipped a beat. Mobius. She wants to get rid of him as well.
"And what makes you think he'll come here?" he asked, seemingly unbothered.
"Oh, no need to play dumb in front of me, Mr. God" she answered, circling him like a vulture circles it's dying prey.
"He's going to come here looking for you, of course."
Loki forced a laugh.
"Looking for me? Please. I betrayed him, he's got no reason to search for me. If he's at least half as smart as I think he is, he's currently burning this whole place down."
Ravonna came to a stop right in front of him, and bent down, facing him.
"You know," she said, studying him with an arrogant smile. "For the god of mischief, you're quite a lousy liar."
That's the moment Loki chose to tense all his muscles up and strike, aiming for the woman's face. But milliseconds before his forehead smashed her nose, she dodged the hit and struck the god with an open hand.
"You're also not the best fighter, are you?" Ravonna sighed and continued walking around him at a steady pace.
"I'm completely lost as to what Mobius sees in you, really. He's got all that the needs in here, the TVA made sure of that. What more could he want?"
Loki felt his cheek burning.
"I don't know," he wondered, his eyes following the woman, looking for another chance to attack. "Maybe the truth?"
"Oh, like the truth you wanted from Odin?"
That was it. Loki had had enough. He gathered all his strength ready to fight in any way possible, when he heard something on the other side of the door. Footsteps. Soon, a faint voice followed.
"Loki?"
The god went pale as he recognized the voice of agent Mobius.
"Loki, are you there?"
Loki remained silent, hoping, praying the man would go away. But Ravonna had different plans. Without a warning she grabbed a fistful of the god's hair and yanked it back, causing him to whimper quietly. Fuck.
Moments later the door opened.
"Loki?" Mobius walked in, holding a shiny dagger in his hand. "I brought you this, I thought you shouldn't be completely defenseless with all that going..." he went silent seeing his friend tied up, kneeling on the floor. He set off running immediately.
"Mobius, don't...!" Loki tried to warn him, but before he could finish the sentence Ravonna switched her baton on and held it dangerously close to his neck with one swift move.
"Not a word." she muttered, then turned to Mobius, who came to a halt a few meters away. "I'm glad you're here, agent. At least I won't have to chase you down through the TVA. Now drop your weapon please, and surrender."
Mobius let out a nervous laugh.
"You'd just love that, wouldn't you?" He grabbed the dagger more firmly and began to approach the woman cautiously. "It's over, Ravonna. The truth is spreading, soon everyone will know. There will be nobody left on your side."
"So?" the woman asked. "I'll get more people, just like I got you. A new generation of agents, loyal and obedient. Nothing I haven't done before. Now, drop your weapon or I'll send your friend here away." she added, bringing the baton even closer to Loki's throat. He shivered as he felt gentle electric tingling on his skin, but forced himself to ignore it.
"Don't listen to her, Mobius! Go, burn this whole place to the ground! Go!"
Ravonna sighed impatiently.
"I told you," she said, switching the baton off. "To stay quiet!" And with these words she swinged her weapon right into the god's face. Loki cried out in pain, feeling blood running from his nose and tasting it on his tongue.
"Leave him alone!" Mobius yelled, squaring up as if to fight, holding the dagger in front of him. The woman scoffed.
"Or what?"
"Leave him alone," the agent answered, gripping the weapon tightly. "Or I'll kill you."
This time Ravonna didn't even scoff. She started laughing.
"Kill me? Oh please, you wouldn't kill even if your life depended on it. Your hands are shaking." She taunted, turning back to Loki. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled back, exposing his throat.
"You know what? I'm not even going to bother pruning you." She said in a fake sweet voice, picking up some excess rope left from tying the god up. "I'm afraid I'll have to get rid of this particular version of you... Permanently."
Loki yanked his arms, straining against the ties when she wrapped the rope around his neck. He let out a broken gasp as she pulled the loose ends, strangling him.
"See, Mobius?" She yelled, not taking her eyes off Loki. "You're not a killer, you never will. I'm going to kill your friend, and all you'll be able to do is watch."
The agent's knuckles went white from grasping the dagger so hard.
"Stop it, Ravonna! I'm... I'm warning you!" Not only his hands were shaking. His arms, voice... Through the blackness slowly overtaking his vision Loki noticed tears welling up in the man's eyes.
"And when I'm done with him, I'll take care of you, agent." Ravonna continued, studying Loki's pain-twisted face with fascination. "But I'll be merciful. I'll send you somewhere far, far away. You'll live, at least for some time. Who knows, maybe you'll find yourself another Loki? After all..." she smiled, not paying any more attention to the agent and addressing the dying god himself. "... they're all the same."
Loki was on the verge of blacking out when suddenly he noticed Ravonna's expression change from triumph to surprise, pain, and anger. She inhaled sharply and started coughing, grimacing with every breath. The grip on Loki's neck loosened a bit, making it easier for him to see blood dripping from the woman's lips down her chin. The next thing he saw was Ravonna collapsing on the floor and Mobius standing behind her, with a blood-covered dagger in his hands.
Loki gasped frantically for air when the rope fell loose, allowing him to breathe. He was barely sitting up, but he knew what had to be done.
"She's not dead, Mobius." his voice was raspy, every word caused him pain in his sore throat. "You injured her lung, but that's not enough. You have to kill her."
He looked up at the agent, staring with horror at the woman beneath his feet. She was still breathing.
"I... I don't want to." he opposed weakly.
"If you leave her alive she'll chase us down, Mobius. You know she will. We must stop her, once and for good. Do it."
"I don't want to."
"Do it!" Loki hated yelling at his friend, especially in a moment like this, but he knew someone had to.
The agent slowly came up to the lying woman and kneeled down beside her. She turned her head to him, unable to speak, but pleading with her eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then whispered quietly.
"I'm sorry."
He closes his eyes and lets the dagger sink deep into her throat. After that he sits there in silence, eyes squeezed shut, not moving a single muscle. Loki waits patiently, one second, two, three... After half a minute he decides it's enough.
"Mobius." he said. "Mobius. Mobius." he kept repeating the agent's name, hoping to pull him out of wherever his mind currently was. At last, the agent looked at him with an absent gaze.
"Mobius, come to me." the god asked. Asked, not ordered. That's when he saw the agent snap back into reality. Mobius glanced at the body in front of him and looked away immediately, letting go of the dagger's handle. He turned to the god, kneeling on the floor, still tied up.
"Loki." he said just barely loud enough for the god to hear. "Yes, I'm coming!" he added a bit louder, crawling up to him on his knees and starting to work on untying him instantly. The moment the ropes fall on the floor Loki puts his arms around Mobius and pulls him into a hug. The agent hides his face in the crook of the god's neck as tears start streaming down his cheeks. Loki can feel the man's whole body trembling. For the first time in his life he doesn't know what to say, so he waits silently.
"I thought I was going to die." he finally speaks.
"You're alive, Loki." Mobius says in a shaking voice. "And I'm a killer."
The god pulls the man even closer as he sobs violently.
"That's not true, Mobius." he disagrees.
"I am! I killed her, didn't I?"
"Everyone can become a killer if they're pushed hard enough." the god says, feeling the agent's hot tears on his neck. "I've seen many good people being driven to kill for different reasons. It's not your fault."
Mobius weeps, holding onto Loki's shirt. Loki rests his chin on the man's head, gently stroking his gray hair with one hand. The god turns slightly so that Ravonna's body is out of the agent's view.
"She was my friend, you know." Mobius speaks suddenly, not daring to take another look at the woman. "The closest one I had here, in the TVA. I would've protected her at all costs. But when I saw her hit you, something changed."
Loki nodded, silently encouraging the man to continue.
"And when she started strangling you... I've never been more angry in my life. Something in me wanted to hurt her, cause her pain, destroy her. I was scared of my own thoughts. But I knew it was you I had to protect."
Before he could think it through, Loki pressed his lips to the agent's forehead. He then cupped the man's face in his hands and looked into his eyes, glistening with tears.
"You saved me, Mobius." he whispered. "Had you not done something, I'd be dead now. Thank you."
Loki saw something in the man's eyes. Uncertainty, or maybe hesitation? It was obvious, he should've seen it coming, but he was still surprised when Mobius grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. The god could swear he saw stars when his icy, bloodstained lips met with warmer flesh. He kissed back, moving his tongue to taste salty tears mixing with his own blood. Marvelous.
The second they parted Loki found himself missing the warmth of Mobius' lips. With gentle strokes of his thumbs he wiped away the tears from the agent's cheeks. The man's breathing was even, calm.
"I think..." Mobius spoke, a little doubt in his voice. "I think I love you, Loki."
The god couldn't help but smile, moving a little closer so their foreheads were touching.
"I wasn't sure before," the man continued, his voice growing more confident with every word. "but I know it now. I can't stand the thought of losing you, okay? And I want to protect you, although in the real world you won't need my protection."
"I would be honored to have you as my protector, Mobius." the god smiled. "Protector, and partner, or beloved, or anything you'd like."
"The beloved part sounds nice." the agent admitted. "You know, without all the 'sacred timeline' bullshit, I'm sure there's a timeline where Asgard is doing better than ever."
Asgard! Loki thought with excitement. He could go back to Thor, and Frigga, and make everything alright again.
"We could go there." the god whispered, barely containing his enthusiasm. "That is, if you'd like to come with me, of course." he added, sudden doubts appearing in his mind. What if Mobius wanted to stay here? After all, someone had to rebuild the TVA and look after it.
A wave of relief washed through him when the agent kissed him again. Loki felt the man's lips twitching in a subtle smile.
"I'd love to."