Chapter 27
Thor asked Loki more questions about the TVA, the concept of its existence outside of time continuing to elude him.
Loki explained how he had been tasked with finding a dangerous variant of himself which greatly amused Thor.
“Another variant of you? I can’t even imagine! Were there variants of me as well?” Thor asked excitedly.
“No, I didn’t meet any… I guess Thor’s never stray too far from the path…” he smirked, “I’m a bit more unpredictable.”
Thor chuckled, “that’s one word for it…”
Loki frowned, “Anyway, the TVA has sent a lot of these Loki variants to a little pocket at the end of time as it turns out,” he sighed, “all with endless variations and personal struggles.”
“A world at the end of time filled with Lokis, god help them,” Thor shook his head with amusement.
“But there’s one who is… the best of us… the strongest…” Loki said absently, voice fond.
“And it isn’t you? Come now, I’d like to meet this Loki that is so superior, where is he?”
“She’s off with Agent Romanov,” Loki smiled softly.
Thor looked stunned for a moment, “you mean to tell me that beautiful woman you came with is a Loki?” he gestured behind himself, voice low and incredulous.
Loki smirked, “she was… now she prefers to be called Sylvie.”
Thor processed that for a moment then looked somewhat impressed, “my congratulations, brother, I never thought I’d see the day you would find your match,” he smiled broadly.
“I had my doubts as well, brother…” he looked slightly self conscious, “do you not find it odd?”
“Odd? No, why should I?” Thor asked simply.
“Well, technically we’re variants of the same person—some might call that kind of relationship odd, at the least,” Loki’s voice sounded a little sad as he thought of Mobius’ words.
“Loki, when we were young, I once asked mother how I would know when I had found the right woman to be my Queen—”
Loki exhaled heavily, every bit the put upon younger sibling listening to his older brother’s rambling tales.
“She was of course the perfect Queen and I thought I could never possibly find a princess worthy of carrying her title one day…”
Loki rolled his eyes, arms crossing over his chest.
“Anyway, do you know what she told me?”
“Please, the suspense is killing me, I can hardly contain my eagerness,” Loki said flatly, tone dripping with sarcasm.
Thor pressed on, completely immune to Loki’s moods, “well, she said one day, I would know because I would meet my equal. The person who complimented me and made me want to be the best version of myself. Mother told me that the perfect Queen for Asgard would be the other half of the King, the other half of me,” Thor explained kindly, “it seems that you’ve found the other half of you, little brother, and I only find it odd that it didn’t happen sooner.”
Loki was speechless. He had expected Thor to mock him, or at the very least tease him a bit, but it seemed Thor was the only person who didn’t find it strange.
“I… I don’t know what to say…” Loki studied his brother’s smiling face.
“Well now that, that is something I find odd,” Thor teased.
Loki huffed a laugh of disbelief, “I find it happening to me more of late, she leaves me speechless,” Loki confessed without thinking.
“Now I really must meet her, where did Natasha take that beautiful version of you? Natasha?” Thor stood abruptly walking to the door to yell down the hall.
Loki’s jaw dropped with embarrassment and he stood to grab Thor’s arm, “will you please not make a scene? I don’t know if she’d be comfortable with you broadcasting the nature of our relationship to the entire building,” he scolded.
“Why not? Is she ashamed of you?” Thor looked annoyed.
Loki exhaled heavily, “I have no idea, but she’s never met these people and she knows how they feel about me so could you please just try to behave yourself?”
Thor heaved a dramatic sigh, “fine… behave myself if you do…” he grumbled under his breath. He walked over to the reflective window to admire his once again toned figure, not finding it as satisfying as he had expected.
After a few moments they heard the elevator ding and Thor turned excitedly. Loki gave him a stern look and Thor made a pacifying gesture to indicate he would be calm. Then the older brother strode down the hall, beaming with confidence and pride.
“Well, well, well,” Loki heard Natasha’s voice, “I see somebody had a little work done with Dr Loki,” she teased.
“Work? Pfff, you’re imagining things, I’ve always looked like this, but yes, he did get me new clothes, very kind of him,” Thor feigned ignorance as he boasted to his fellow avenger.
“She’s right, I didn’t recognize you at first,” Loki’s heart jumped at the sound of Sylvie’s voice as they walked back down the hall.
“Brother! Look who I found by the elevators!” Thor gestured as if presenting Sylvie and Natasha as they entered the room.
“Yes, I can see Thor, we were in fact expecting them, this isn’t a surprise,” he said reproachfully earning a smirk of amusement from Natasha.
Sylvie walked over to him and it felt like he could suddenly breathe easier. It was like stepping outside after being trapped in a room with low oxygen.
“Hey,” Sylvie said softly, briefly touching his arm.
“Hey,” he parroted back, eyes taking in her slightly flushed skin and damp hair, “you okay?”
Sylvie nodded softly, “you?”
Loki smiled gently and nodded back.
Thor and Natasha watched with amusement as the two seemed completely engrossed in one another, oblivious to the world around them. Natasha cleared her throat loudly and walked to the door.
“Come on big guy, let’s give these two some privacy, we need to fill the rest of the team in before they end up not talking for a year again,” Natasha said dryly.
“But I wished to properly meet my brother’s woman?” Thor complained earning a smack on the chest from Natasha.
“She has a name dummy, now come on, you can meet her later,” she scolded as they turned the other direction down the hall.
Loki brushed her damp hair back, drying it as he did. He looked over her face affectionately, continually struck by her beauty.
“How did it go?” Sylvie murmured softly.
Loki smiled, “good, he was wary at first, but soon it was like we were back on Asgard… though… with more honesty…” his eyes flicked away ruefully, “from me… Thor was never dishonest with me, he was just a bit… obtuse.”
Sylvie smiled faintly, “did you tell him about me?” Her voice was soft but slightly nervous.
Loki’s eyes looked concerned, “I did, I hope you don’t mind…?”
Sylvie worried her lip for a moment, “No, it’s alright I suppose… what did he say?”
“He was astonishingly accepting,” Loki breathed a soft laugh, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so proud before, it was a bit disconcerting…”
Sylvie looked thoroughly confused, “proud of what…?”
“That I found you… that I ‘met my match’ as he called it…” Loki looked fond, “he wasn’t wrong…”
Sylvie fought a pleased somewhat bashful smile, rolling her eyes at his affection.
“You know I did end up telling Natasha what a romantic sod you are…” she teased.
Loki’s brow furrowed in astonishment, “you talked about me to Agent Romanov?”
“Not at first, but we ended up sparring and taking measure of each other. Turns out we have a lot in common… I don’t know why but I just wanted to confide in her…” Sylvie seemed confused by her own actions.
“I believe that is what she has been trained to do…” Loki said nervously.
Sylvie shook her head, “maybe at first… but I felt something when we sparred… I got a flash, just a flash mind you… but it was real…” she said distractedly.
Loki smiled softly, “so you made a friend?”
Sylvie gave him a small scowl, “you don’t have to make it sound like we’re school children on a playground.”
“I’m not!” Loki held up his hands in surrender, “I’m honestly happy you met someone you can relate to… for all our similarities you and I have led very different lives… it sounds like that may not be the case with her…?”
Sylvie smirked faintly, “she was taken from her mother as a child like me… we both had to grow up fast,” she smiled a bit wider, “I gave her the pieces to figure out who I am as well… she seemed more curious than anything.”
Loki nodded idly, eyes soft and sentimental.
“She fights well, it was a nice change of pace,” Sylvie teased with a cheeky grin.
Loki huffed but shook his head at the jab, “well I’ll gladly let her take the hits, I prefer fighting by your side.” He pulled her closer by the hips and quirked an eyebrow, “did she seem receptive to my help? Our help, I should say…”
Sylvie nodded, “she said you’re different… she gave me the bulk of the credit for that,” she lifted her chin with a haughty grin.
Loki grinned like an idiot, “rightly so…” and leaned down slowly to kiss her softly.
Sylvie hummed quietly and placed her hands on his chest as she melted happily into the kiss. Loki’s hands moved gently to her waist, one hand eventually moving to cup her cheek as he kissed her a little more boldly. They parted and Loki rested his forehead against hers as they breathed against each other’s lips.
“I don’t deserve you…” Loki murmured softly.
“Maybe not,” Sylvie teased gently, “but you have me all the same.”
Loki smirked and captured her lips again, mouth moving in a slow, sensual exploration. He sighed and savored the brief moment of respite and relief he always found in her kiss.