Not the Villain
“He threatened to gut me like a fish!” Casey exclaimed, then had a look of confusion on his face. “I don’t even know what a fish is.”
“Loki has the Tesseract?”
”Yes! He threatened me with violent, painful death if I didn’t give it to him.” Casey answered.
Kurinth sighed, then glanced around the room at the other analysts doing their part for the ‘Sacred Timeline.’ What a load of bullshit, Kurinth thought. Now wasn’t the time, however.
However painful it was to admit, Loki definitely bested Kurinth in hand to hand combat. Seemed they weren’t as powerful without the ‘gifts’ of their mutant genes as they thought they were. A human going up against a god?
Kurinth knew exactly where Loki would have gone, however - back to the Time Theater. They said goodbye to Casey, then took off out of the room.
Kurinth pushed past several Hunters on their way out. They moved as fast as their legs could carry them, then hurried down the steps and into the Time Theater. They found Loki watching their life on the screen, a laugh now coming from them as the screen displayed ‘END OF FILE.’
”Loki?”
Kurinth stepped into the room, the doors closing behind them. Loki turned to face Kurinth, and it was then that they noticed that Loki had been crying.
”You just don’t give up, do you?” Loki asked them, moving around the table like a predator hunting its prey. “I’m not scared of you, human.”
Kurinth put their hands up in surrender, much to Loki’s surprise. “I’m not here to fight. I want to talk.”
“Talk?”
”Yes. Talk.” Kurinth said.
”I don’t like to talk.”
”That is the biggest lie I have ever heard.”
Kurinth sighed. They lowered their hands.
“Did you… watch your life? How it plays out?”
”Yes.” Loki said, then turned back to the screen. “I’m not sure if I want to believe it. What if this is just another elaborate lie crafted by the TVA so I will submit?”
”It’s not.” Kurinth said. That, they were certain of. Kurinth cautiously approached Loki, now standing beside them as they looked at the screen, the same words displayed as before. “I was… never supposed to exist, you know.”
Loki perked their head up in confusion, then looked over at Kurinth.
Kurinth looked at Loki. “I’m an L Variant. A Variant of you that never should have existed.” Kurinth explained. “A human mutant, born on Earth to parents that abandoned me. Spent my life in and out of foster homes.”
”Wait you… are a Variant. Of myself?” Loki raised a brow. “I have a hard time believing that.”
”So do I, and so does everyone else here.” Kurinth said with a sigh. “My nexus event wasn’t one, single event, it was a multitude of events that never should have happened because I-“ Kurinth pointed to themself. “-never should have happened. Mobius showed me what my life would have been had the TVA not stepped in.”
Loki looked as if they were still trying to wrap their head around it. They furrowed their brows together in confusion, then looked at the screen. “Why did they not kill you after your trial, then?”
”Like I said, I’m a mutant.” Kurinth said, then shrugged. “Mobius convinced Ravonna and, ultimately, the Time-Keepers, that I was useful. I owe him my life. He saw something in me that I could never see in myself.”
”Your powers… do they work here?”
”No.” Kurinth answered, then looked away. “The TVA has chemical implants that thwart a mutant’s powers inside the walls of this place.”
”What are your powers, then?” Loki asked Kurinth. “Surely they’re powerful enough the… ‘Time-Keepers’ deemed you fit for one of these implants.”
”And why should I tell you?” Kurinth asked Loki. “So you can concoct an elaborate scheme to use my powers to your advantage and get yourself out of here?”
”Right. I see how you’re a Variant of myself, now.” Kurinth had read Loki like an open book, much to the god’s dismay.
Loki stepped away from Kurinth. Kurinth could see the emotions kept behind those piercing eyes, and knew they were keeping a flood at bay. Loki walked over to the edge of the room, then sat down on the floor with a sigh.
Kurinth stared at them for a few moments, contemplating what to do or say. They decided upon approaching the god. They then crouched down to their level.
”Loki, I don’t believe in the TVA anymore than you do. Hell, a TVA agent is the reason I’m even alive right now, and I still don’t believe.” Kurinth said softly. They reached out cautiously, testing the waters.
Loki stared at Kurinth, and squinted their eyes, searching for any indication of a lie, a trick, a ruse. Certainly, a ‘Variant’ of themself (Loki still did not believe it) would have ulterior motives approaching them like that - behind Kurinth’s eyes they found nothing of the sort.
Kurinth touched Loki’s arm gently. “We both should be dead right now, but look where fate brought us.”
Loki chuckled dryly. “‘Fate.’” They repeated. “If all of this is true, fate is just another lie. A cruel, sick joke.” Loki swallowed a knot forming in their throat. “We don’t decide our own fates. It’s decided for us, by the TVA.”
”Isn’t that what you wanted, when you went down to Earth?” Kurinth asked them. “To decide the fates of everyone on the planet?”
Loki scoffed. “Do not bring up the past as if you understand.”
”Help me understand, then.”
Loki stared at Kurinth. The god saw nothing but warmness behind the dark brown color of their eyes. Nothing but tenderness, and a willingness to understand. They hadn’t met such a gaze since…
No. They would not dare speak her name. Not here.
Loki set the Tesseract down beside them. Kurinth’s hand fell away from Loki’s arm.
”I don’t… enjoy hurting people.” Loki swallowed as they spoke. “I don’t. I do it because I have to, because I’ve had to.”
Kurinth’s gaze softened even more as Loki spoke. The tenderness in their gaze made Loki look away frantically, searching for anything else in the room to focus on as they spoke.
”All my life, I have been lied to.” Loki spoke. Kurinth could see the tears stinging their eyes, and reached out to grab hold of their arm once more in a meager attempt to comfort them. Loki was so touch starved that they did not shrug them off like they wanted to. “By my ‘parents.’ By my ‘brother.’ By friends, by lovers… I was lead to believe I was the villain, so that is what I became.”
Kurinth frowned. “I’m sorry, Loki.”
”I don’t need your sympathy.” Loki sighed.
”I can’t imagine what it has been like for you.” Kurinth spoke softly, still. “To endure so much… You are not the villain. Not to me.”
”You have not seen what it is like when my magic runs cold.” Loki seethed. Not at Kurinth, but at the thoughts now flooding their mind. “What I truly become when my glamour fades. The… facade I wear to convince others that I am not the monster they believe me to be.”
”No. I haven’t.” Kurinth admitted. “Whatever it is… it doesn’t make you a monster.”
Loki scoffed.
”I’m being serious.” Kurinth said. “You are the god of lies and mischief. Do you see anything at all indicating to you that I am lying?”
Loki stared at the human version of themself - no. Not themself. Their name was Kurinth. No matter how much the TVA labeled them a ‘Variant,’ Loki would always fail to believe it.
Loki looked away from Kurinth’s gaze. “No. I do not.”
”Then you know that I’m speaking the truth when I say that you are not a monster.”
Kurinth and Loki paused when they heard clapping behind them. Loki’s eyes darted to the source of the sound, then they groaned and looked away. When Kurinth turned, they saw Mobius.
”That was kinda touching, really.” Mobius said, his voice as soft as ever. “Great job, Kuri.”
Kurinth felt a familiar fire settle on their cheeks. They then rose to their feet, and offered their hand to Loki cautiously, like trying to win the favor of an easily frightened cat.
Loki stared up at Kurinth, then took their hand and allowed themself to be pulled to their feet, Tesseract now in hand.
”See you got the blue, glowing cube as Kuri so, er… elegantly put it.” Mobius continued.
Loki stared blankly at Mobius, then tossed it on the table. It was useless here - Loki knew that much was true. If the TVA kept infinity stones as if they were junk to be stored in an evidence drawer, there was not a chance in the Nine Realms a power such as the Tesseract would work in a place like this.
Mobius approached the two. “Listen, I’m sorry for the bit about your mother, Loki.” He said. “I gotta admit, it was a low blow. But you see what I’m trying to accomplish here, right?”
”Ah, yes. The TVA agent has come to preach to me about morality and whether or not I am the monster parents tell their children about at night.” Loki rolled their eyes. “Honestly, Mobius, I haven’t a clue what you’re trying to achieve here. Enlighten me.”
”Not everyday I get to enlighten a god, so alright.” Mobius cleared his throat. “I’m tryin’ to catch a highly dangerous Variant, one just like Kuri here.” Mobius tapped Kurinth on the shoulder. “And who would better be suited to catching a Loki than… a Loki. Two Lokis, actually.”
”My name is Kurinth.” Kurinth spoke up.
”Right, sorry.” Mobius said, then looked at Loki. “You see what I’m getting at here?”
”So, what? Your plan was to break me into submission, so that I will happily help you hunt a Variant of myself from a distant timeline?” Loki scoffed. “If you claim to know anything about me, Mobius, you should know that I am not easily broken.”
”I know. You’re a trooper, Lokes.” Mobius said. Loki flinched at the pet name thrown out so casually.
“Look, this Variant… they’ve been antagonising the TVA for as long as I can remember. You don’t have to trust me, in fact, I encourage you not to, makes this whole ordeal a lot easier on both ends.” Mobius continued. “They don’t want to admit it, but the Time-Keepers are desperate. You’re kind of our last hope here, Obi-Wan.”
”What?” Loki was puzzled by the last bit. They groaned, then shook their head for a brief moment. They found their gaze flickering over to Kurinth.
Loki didn’t care about humans. Why were they starting to care about this one? Was it because the way they looked at Loki with tenderness and a gentle need to understand the inner workings of their mind reminded them of-
You know what. Better to just chalk it up to Loki’s will to survive. Not about to get into a deep thought concerning a human, of all things.
Right?
”So, what do you say?” Mobius asked Loki. “You help me, I help you.”
”And how, exactly, do you plan to help me?”
”You want an audience with the Time-Keepers, right?”
Loki opened their mouth to say something, then closed it. They shifted uncomfortably where they were standing. “I… suppose.” Loki shrugged. “I have no other choice, do I?”
Mobius patted Loki on the shoulder, then nodded towards the door to the Time Theater. “Come on. I need to have a talk with Ravonna.”