chapter 2- trust
“I’ve received word from above that the variant has struck again.”
Mobius got up, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair.
“Where and when?”
Loki jumped up from his seat opposite Mobius’, keen to show his usefulness. After spending a few weeks at the TVA (or what felt like weeks - time was a bit wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey here) he had begun to relax slightly, enjoying the smile his partner gave him after he did something helpful.
“Has anyone died? Can I come? I can be useful, I swear.”
B-15 narrowed her eyes at him. He poked his tongue at her. She scowled and looked away. Loki 1 - Hunter B-15 0.
Mobius just smirked at Loki’s enthusiasm,
“Woah, calm down, chipmunk, there might not be anything there for you to do.”
He felt his heart skip a beat, and he felt his ears go pink. Weird.
“But you need me to find the variant, you said so yourself. I might notice something you mere mortals missed.”
He hurried to catch up with Mobius’ strides.
“I don’t doubt you have a better understanding than us, but it’s probably a quick pit stop. You might get bored with us ‘mere mortals’”
Loki forced down a scoff. Nothing could be more boring than spending all day in the TVA archives. But he didn’t say that. He just kept silent, occasionally smirking at B-15.
Eventually, they arrived at the preparation room. A few soldiers stood to attention, already in their gear. Mobius picked up his pruning stick from his locker as B-15 began yelling the mission status.
“We picked up traces of the variant in a coastal town of Southern California, 1987. It's likely they’ve already left the scene, but we gotta keep our guards up. This variant is more powerful than any we’ve come across before-”
At this Loki didn’t bother holding back a dramatic scoff, earning an amused glance from Mobius and a smug look from the commander.
“- it will be quick, in and out. If you find the variant, shock them but DO NOT prune. Mobius’ orders.” She made it clear with her tone she wasn’t happy with the arrangement.
Mobius just gave her a friendly grin and closed his locker, about to turn around when he came face to face with Loki.
“Do I not get a weapon?”
He looked into the others eyes, taking in the bright blue imploring him to agree.
“You look like a puppy,” he murmured, before he could stop himself.
He watched with fascination as the tips of Loki's ears turned pink and he dropped his gaze, a moment later standing up straight with his iconic smile.
“It will do you well to remember, Mobius, I am more dangerous than a puppy.”
They had gotten closer, Mobius’ back brushing the row of lockers, noses almost touching. His gaze flicked to Loki's lips and back again.
“And as you said, trust is for dogs,” he pressed the tip of a knife to Loki’s chest, before spinning it round and handing him the handle, “So use it wisely, Puppy.”
And with a wink, he walked through the portal, leaving a slightly breathless God with a bemused expression, alone.
Loki shook himself and followed after the others, appearing on a completely different scene.
Stepping through he could feel the soft breeze, the heat warming his pale skin, the sound of the waves softly crashing on the shore. But what caught his attention was his partner. He stood looking at the sea with an almost wistful expression upon his features. The wind ruffled his silver hair. Loki stepped next to him, silent for a few moments. They both watched two men on jet skis race each other across the blue ocean.
“Why don’t you have a quick go?”
He watched the corners of Mobius’ mouth quirk up.
“I don’t remember B-15 mentioning it in the brief.”
“She wouldn't know the meaning of fun if a massive sign was pointing at a playpark. She’d probably blow it up thinking some dangerous, less-great version of me was in it. Actually she’d blow it up if she thought I was in it. She hates me for some reason.” His pout died with the sound of Mobius’ surprised bark of laughter.
“You should be flattered, I think it's because she’s intimidated by you.”
“As she should be,” he said proudly, “I am pretty terrifying.”
“You keep telling yourself that, tiger.” Mobius replied teasingly, turning and walking down the pier, not seeing Loki freeze for a moment, before grinning slyly.
He had a plan. A mischievous plan. With a flick of his hand he created a duplicate of himself, casting a critical eye over it to check for any out of place details.
Perfect as usual, he thought, and, with a quick hop, he scampered down the pier towards the town.
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“There is no sign of variant energy, ma’am.”
B-15 glared around the beach, “Report back then,” she barked, turning on her heels before stopping sharply at the beeping coming from her device. “Variant energy detected, down by the seafront! All soldiers down there, now, now, now!”
Mobius watched the troops run along the pier, and he cast a quick eye to find Loki. There he was, still looking at the sea.
Useful my ass.
He shook his head and ran over to him.
“Come on, Loki of Asgard, you’ve yet to show us mortals your magnificent skills,” he went to place a hand on his back, freezing as it went right through the man.
His heart hammered in his chest as he realised what had happened.
“Oh shit.”
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During this time, Loki was grinning mischievously, bouncing through the empty linoleum aisles with the energy he gets only when going rogue. The thrill of doing something of your own free will. He skipped gleefully out the shop- mission complete. In the distance he could see his agent (his? Since when was he his?) and he called out to him, waving to get his attention.
As Mobius turned, he noticed a tension about the mortal. His mouth was a tight line and his eyes blazed as he got closer.
“What's happened? Did you catch them? I thought you could do it without me seeing as they’re obviously inferior to-”
“Be quiet.” Mobius’ voice was low and strained. He grabbed Loki tightly by his arm and dragged him, stumbling, to the portal.
“What’s wrong?” Loki asked, teeth gritted with the pain from Mobius’ grip.
Mobius didn’t reply, just continued marching back to the TVA. Something about his tone of voice kept Loki quiet.
When they got through the portal, Mobius continued his march until he threw Loki into his office, watching the god crash into the desk and turn around to face him, confusion and annoyance clear on his face.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this, Mobius, are you annoyed at me?”
He watched the older man pace around before he stopped at his desk, gripping the back of the seat. Eventually, he met eyes with him, and Loki was made momentarily speechless at the emotion there; anger, mostly, but also disappointment. Betrayal.
He felt his heart drop. He’d made Mobius disappointed. If it was anyone else he wouldn’t care, the betrayals too numerous to count, but the way he was looking at him made him want to fall to the floor and beg for forgiveness. Only to benefit his long term plan of course.
Finally, Mobius spoke.
“You ran away. You tricked me. I trusted you, and you turned that back on me.”
His voice was steady, but Loki could see the amount of hurt on his face. He felt small.
“I didn’t realise- I didn’t mean to-”
“Didn’t mean to, what? Didn’t mean to cast an exact replica of yourself? Didn't mean to run off doing god-knows what at god-knows where? Didn’t mean to leave me without any hint as to where you were going? The variant could have been out there, B-15 was ready to prune you, you were messing up the timeline without a care in the world.”
At this Loki snapped.
“Oh , I’m sorry for messing up your precious timeline just by existing, I’m sorry for trying to do something nice for you, i'm sorry for-”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Mobius held up his hands to silence him. “What do you mean ‘for me’?”
He huffed, and sat down, crossing his arms and pouted.
“It was going to be a surprise. I might not give it to you now.”
Mobius put his hands on his waist and raised his eyebrows. Like a moody toddler, Loki picked up a bag on the floor and made a fuss of slowly pulling out a magazine, before handing it over. He studied his face as he read the title, watched his eyes go wide, and mouth drop open in disbelief, then change to a smile of astonished amusement.
“You ran away from us to buy a… jet ski magazine?”
“Well I needed to go to the shops to get some hair products anyway, I don’t think I can cope with your 3-in-1 gloop any longer,” he sneered at Mobius’ smirking face. “And I obviously didn’t buy it, I just saw it and realised I couldn't spend another day watching you read the same one for the 3,000th time.”
There was silence after this with Mobius chuckling at his speech. He felt a warm glow in his heart.
He wanted to make him laugh.
Before, he would have killed anyone who laughed at him, but with Mobius, it seemed as though he was laughing because he accepted him, rather than mocked him. He cleared his throat to stop his thoughts progressing anywhere else.
“Well, I accept that as an excuse, but if anything like this happens again I won’t be able to stop B-15s actions against you. Also, this is against all TVA rules, which you would know if you paid attention to the lessons-”
Loki was about to protest, but was silenced once more by Mobius.
“- but it was your first outing and I shouldn't have expected the God of Mischief to be an expert on the rules. To make up for it though, you can fill in the paperwork. Ravonna wants some old files to cross-check something, this is your chance to prove you can be trusted. Okay?”
Loki perked up at the chance to prove himself trustworthy, and nodded, deciding not to mention the dress and nail polish he had also “bought” from his little expedition. He quickly followed Mobius down the hall.
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“Here we are,” Mobius rapped his knuckles on a thick, steel door.
The hollow clang echoed loudly through the empty hallway. The light above them swung gently on a faint breeze, the amber glow brightening and dimming as it moved back and forth.
Dust covered the floor like a thin grey blanket. It was obvious that visits to this hallway were minimal, and it occurred to Loki that if Mobius were to be leading him into a trap, it would be a long time before his body was discovered.
He shrugged off that thought with a quiet chuckle. If Mobius was going to hurt Loki, he would have done it a long time ago. He didn’t seem annoyed at the magazine anymore, and he thought there was trust between them now, even if they weren’t entirely comfortable with each other.
Mobius turned the stiff handle and pulled the door outward, groaning softly under the weight. The light from the hallway barely penetrated the pitch black closet. He paused at the threshold, reluctant to risk the variant locking him and running off if he went in first.
There had been several chases, some consecutive and others spread apart. The last escape attempt was not even an attempt to escape, which could suggest another was due.
Though, Mobius had to admit that not all of these instances were purposeful. Loki had a habit of getting distracted and walking off or getting left behind. But he wasn’t going to take any chances.
He trusted Loki in many ways, but he couldn’t be too complacent.
“After you,” he gestured into the dark room beyond with an impish smile.
Loki rolled his eyes and then his shoulders, relaxing his muscles. He assumed that Mobius wasn’t very fond of the dark.
“Are you afraid that there are ghosts in there?” Loki asked with a smirk
Mobius snickered and gestured with impatience.
If I have to go first, then so be it, thought Loki as he pouted mockingly.
He wasn’t afraid of the shadows, after all he’d spent most of his life living in them.
Or at least, that’s what he told himself.
He stepped forward with caution, fumbling blindly for a cord or switch to turn on the light, but his hands remained empty. He stretched out his arms, sliding his feet across the concrete floor to avoid obstacles.
Mobius stepped in behind him, letting go of the door.
It immediately swung shut, sealing closed with a resounding snick.
Mobius turned, trying to push the door open, but to no avail. They were locked in.
The room held no light, not even a glow through the seams of the door. The darkness was opaque.
“Mobius?” Loki called, tentatively.
He meant to sound confident, but he couldn’t help the way his voice shook. There was no reply, and Loki’s unease grew..
Mobius was too busy concentrating on finding his way across the room to the light switch to respond with more than a hum. His fingers trailed along cold, metal shelves and wooden cabinets. The dust settled over his fingertips and he had to pause several times to wipe them off on his blazer.
Meanwhile, Loki’s apprehension started to rise.
Time seemed to stretch and slow as the quiet persisted. Every moment that passed felt warped and elongated.
A muted ringing began in his ears, desperately trying to fill the chasm of silence.
The darkness started to move in front of him, undulating and pulsing as if it were alive. Loki staggered forward on trembling legs, frantically reaching for something to hold onto, something to tether him to reality and stop the descent into feverish desperation.
His body felt distant but heavy, a weight moving through a dense liquid.
He was unravelling.
The shadows smothered him, pressing closer and closer, ripping at his hair and clinging to his clothes. They were the cold caress of a valkyrie down his spine and the burning acid pouring down his throat. He gagged, clutching at his neck as he struggled to breathe.
The darkness in his lungs pressed painfully on his chest, gathering around his rapidly-beating heart and squeezing.
His breathing grew faster and faster and he sank to the floor, tipping back his head as though it could clear a way for air.
He couldn’t breathe. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.
Mobius, unaware of the god shattering into splinters on the ground by the door, finally found the light switch in the corner of the room. He flicked it on and the light bulb above blinked into life, bathing the small space in harsh, white light.
The shadows vanished, ripped from Loki’s lungs and burned into nothing. But the panic remained. The bright light stabbed into his eyes. The cracked, mustard walls began to close in, the ceiling plunging down.
He was going to be crushed alive, compressed into nothing but blood and dust.
His eyes snapped shut, fingers tearing at his hair. His chest heaved as he forced in gulps of air.
Loud, rasping breaths alerted Mobius to the man in distress on the floor at last. His pulse raced as he hurried to Loki’s side and lowered himself to the ground next to him. His hands fluttered as he debated physical comfort, but was concerned that it would make things worse.
“Deep breaths, Loki,” Mobius said, firm but gentle. “Here, breathe with me. We’ll get through this together.”
He took in a long breath, before exhaling slowly. He repeated this several times, but Loki didn’t seem to hear him and continued to tug at his hair until the scalp beneath turned red.
Desperate, Mobius grasped Loki’s hands, carefully untangling strands of his dark hair and entwining their fingers together instead, clenching his teeth at the pain of the ferocious grip.
Loki stopped breathing altogether.
The soft warmth seeping into his hands was a lifeline cast into the void of his mind. It acted as a tether to the world, dragging him back into his exhausted body.
The walls no longer pushed in, the ceiling remained high above. The light was bright, but not overwhelmingly so. The ground stopped rolling underneath him. The ache in his chest ebbed away as his pulse slowed.
“I’m here with you,” Mobius murmured, relief washing over him.
Loki opened his eyes, locking gazes with Mobius, and he realised-
This was the first time that he had seen even the slightest bit of fear in Mobius’ expression.
His pounding heart skipped a beat.
“I’m here with you,” Mobius repeated, barely above a whisper.
Loki closed his eyes again and rested his head on his knees, letting his shoulders droop. Fatigue wilted his body.
They sat in silence for a while, their breathing in sync. Eventually, Loki loosened his grip on Mobius’ hands.
“How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”
Loki opened his eyes. He shook his head slowly, not yet ready to talk. His mouth felt full of cobwebs, his tongue heavy in his mouth and his bones were like lead. The energy had drained from him, leaching into the concrete below.
“Okay,” Mobius said, “You take as long as you need. But I do have some bad news.”
Loki stared at him expectantly, struggling to concentrate.
“Well, we’re locked in here.”
His eyes grew wide, the pale, blue iris almost white underneath the fluorescent light.
“We’re trapped?” He rasped.
His mouth was so dry, like he’d eaten chalk.
“Yes. But,” Mobius offered a reassuring smile, “B-15 should return in a few hours to check on our progress, and probably check you haven't murdered me, so we’ll just have to hang on until then. In the meantime, we can have a look through these files like we came here to do.”
“Wonderful,” the ghost of a smile appeared on Loki's pale face.
Mobius released Loki’s hands, stood up and brushed the dust off of his trousers.
Loki was startled. The absence of warmth left him feeling strangely unbalanced, as though he was missing a piece of himself.
No longer able to keep still, Loki began to chew on a fingernail. He watched as Mobius walked to a cabinet, opened it up, and carefully removed a large stack of folders. He then placed it in front of Loki, before taking a seat beside him.
His legs folded beneath him and their knees brushed together, making Loki’s ears turn a faint shade of pink.
The pair worked in comfortable silence, pouring over the files and papers, looking for the article Renslayer wanted. They only paused to adjust their seating position, or to confer about a particular article. The only sounds were the rustle of papers and Loki biting his nails.
After about an hour, or thereabouts - time was not so linear, and therefore could not be precisely measured - Loki finished reading one of the more useful pieces of paper, and leant over to Mobius to share it.
They were not, however, as far apart as Loki had assumed. Throughout their time in the cramped room, the stacks of files growing around them had led the pair to unknowingly position themselves closer and closer to each other. This ultimately led to their foreheads colliding as Loki misjudged the distance between them.
They both winced and laughed, Mobius rubbing the pain away.
“I didn’t realise how close we’d gotten.”
“Oh, don’t play coy, Mobius. You haven’t been able to keep your hands off of me all day,” Loki smirked.
“Of course I haven’t, kitten,” Mobius murmured, “You’ve been such a good boy today.”
The tips of Loki’s ears turned scarlet, and he looked anywhere but at Mobius’ smug face. The cracks in the wall paint suddenly seemed so captivating.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Look me in the eyes and say that,” Mobius challenged, laughter in his voice.
Loki met his stare with a defiance that immediately dissolved into amusement, and something else. Something that made his heart leap and his stomach knot. It made him want to drown; drown in those crystal blue eyes and search for that light that burns within. How a person could be so bright inside continued to baffle Loki.
Enthralled by the softness in Loki’s eyes, Mobius leaned closer until their foreheads touched, until all he could see was vivid blue-
A loud clunk interrupted the silence.
The pair sprung apart, Loki jumping to his feet. He offered a supporting hand to Mobius, averting his gaze with a sheepish expression. Mobius accepted and allowed himself to be pulled upwards.
The door opened with a metallic creak to reveal Hunter B-15 in the hallway.
Loki dove out of the door, shoving past B-15, and sprawled out on the floor.
“Freedom, sweet freedom!” He cried, splaying his arms wide
“On your feet!” B-15 yelled and thrust her ret-can towards the variant.
“Wait, it’s fine, leave him be,” Mobius said, “We’ve been locked in there for quite some time, he’s just happy to be out.”
B-15 lowered her ret-can, but remained wary of the god lying on the ground.
Mobius quickly snatched up a few files to look into further and turned off the light, hurrying out of the door in case it locked him inside again. As Mobius exited the room, Loki brushed himself off, coughing as a cloud of dust formed around him.
Mobius laughed.
“Let’s go get something to eat and go through these,” he said, holding up the documents.