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Flinging open the stairwell door with such force that it almost bounced off the wall behind, Mobius bolted down the corridor, haphazardly yanking on the last of the clothes that he’d hastily grabbed from his closet.
He’d been woken abruptly after only a scant couple of hours by an emergency message from B-15, simply reading, “It’s time, come quickly”. And with those words, it felt as though the floor had opened up beneath him.
When he’d retired for the night, the TVA had been characteristically orderly, relatively calm, no hint of encroaching turbulence or chaos. Now as he ran, he was dodging and weaving his way through a glut of frantic personnel from a variety of departments, the air of urgency and repressed panic palpable.
Tearing into the main chrono bay zone, Mobius spotted B-15 directing a group of hunters in an admirably calm and authoritative manner.
“Where?” he gasped breathlessly, dashing over to her.
Her eyes widened as she saw him.
“The armoury.”
He took off without another word.
“Hurry, Mobius!” she called after him, the barest hint of emotion seeping through. He tried not to let it affect him as he put on a burst of speed, almost skidding around a corner as he darted past a startled analyst.
Shoving through the double doors of the armoury, he stumbled to a halt as he found Loki, gearing up with efficient expertise. He was resplendent in perfectly fitted leather armour, reminiscent of his standard Asgardian battle garb. The sight made Mobius’ heart stop, both in unabashed admiration, and from the previously latent apprehension that now bubbled to the surface.
Loki sheathed his last dagger as he turned around to find Mobius gaping at him. His serious, impassive expression instantly softened.
“Mobius.”
Just one word, but Loki’s voice exuded an abundance of both tenderness and heartache.
“Is this it?” Mobius asked tremulously, panting from exertion. Loki merely looked at him with an affected stillness, as though he wasn’t capable of saying anything more in that moment, or perhaps had no desire to.
Mobius swallowed thickly, taking a couple of slow steps towards him.
“Loki? Is- is… is this goodbye?”
For a split second, Loki looked like he was about to cry. But just like that it was gone, wiped away; Mobius almost convinced he imagined it.
Loki took a breath before speaking.
“I’ve been summoned by our allies, Mobius, yes,” he confirmed, also moving closer, “The enemy forces are amassing, mobilising… it- it looks like this could be it.”
Mobius cursed under his breath as he folded forwards for a moment, his insides dropping as dread pooled in a viscous mass.
Forcibly pulling himself together, he straightened again to find Loki had stepped closer still, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder as he gazed at Mobius with soulful eyes.
“None of us knows what this conflict is going to look like. Or how long it will take. I’ll do my best to keep in touch, where possible, but- but I don’t know if it will be,” he admitted.
“I know.”
Mobius had trouble meeting his eyes, lest he completely lose control of his roiling emotions.
In theory, Loki could ‘slip back to him at any time, but he was going to have enough to be getting on with, as was Mobius. Brief visits would be a welcome distraction, but just that, a distraction. They couldn’t afford any such thing, Loki most especially. In this situation, timeslipping had to be reserved for necessity only.
“Where are you going?” he asked, faintly curious, but predominantly wanting to delay the inevitable.
“Midgard to begin with, that’s where we’re initially strategising. After that… it will depend upon intel.”
Mobius nodded, desperately casting around for something else to say.
“I…” he paused, at a loss.
“Yes?” Loki prodded gently, almost whispering.
I don’t want you to go.
How selfish, how juvenile, how… indescribably shameful of him. There were worlds- no, entire timelines at stake here. The multiverse at large, potentially.
And Loki was so powerful, so knowledgeable… absolutely vital for any hope of potential victory.
None of this made separation any easier to handle, though. Especially when the stakes were so high.
When there was no guarantee of ever seeing each other again.
Loki was still looking at him expectantly, his eyes almost pleading with him to continue. But Mobius simply stared wordlessly, shaking his head in helpless denial. He ended up closing the small gap between them and slipped his arms around Loki, gently pulling him into a hug.
At this, something in Loki seemed to give, and he latched onto Mobius with a fervency that tore at his heart. Pressed together, he now realised Loki was shaking ever so slightly, the inadvertent reveal of his restrained anxiety bringing tears to Mobius’ eyes. He held him tighter in implicit acknowledgment, turning his face slightly into the surprisingly supple leather of Loki’s shoulderguard.
They stayed that way just a little too long for a simple friendly embrace, before Loki pulled away regretfully.
“I really do have to go,” he was whispering now, the unshed tears in his eyes reflecting Mobius' own.
“I know,” he replied once more, his voice catching.
Loki brought a hand to his face, a gentle touch and a sorrowful gaze silently addressing the words unsaid between them.
It was not the time.
But would it ever be, now?
Loki stepped back, preparing to timeslip, but locked eyes with him as he did so, refusing to look away.
“See you later, Loki,” Mobius managed to choke out, and after a solemn nod in response, he found himself alone.
Arm draped over his shoulder, Mobius hoisted the junior analyst he was assisting over to the makeshift camp, the kid stumbling as he tried his best to keep his feet beneath him. Whether his near-faint just now had been from fatigue, overexposure to the horrors around them, or an unhealthy combination of both, Mobius was uncertain. With remorse, however, he admitted that he cared very little, not even having the capacity to process his own trauma resultant from this detail that had been forced upon them.
It wasn’t fair that such a low-ranking desk-jockey like this guy had been roped into battlefield cleanup. But the TVA was spread so very thin, providing assistance in the numerous locations across various timelines that had been affected by the conflict.
Dropping the young man off at the aid tent, Mobius wearily grabbed a quick drink of water before trudging back out into the boggy wasteland to continue the seemingly endless and generally fruitless search for survivors.
For about the billionth time in the past three linear weeks, his thoughts drifted to Loki as he absently scanned the surrounding marsh. The TVA had been able to track his whereabouts for several days after he first departed, thanks to the influx of reports flooding in when the fighting initially began to escalate. But predictably, communication became increasingly erratic. And amidst the chaos, Loki, along with a few key Avengers, had up and vanished. No one had seen hide nor hair of them since.
One could only assume they had been successful in whatever their secret mission entailed, given the sudden cease in reported combative incidents. But nothing was absolutely certain until it had been confirmed by a reliable source.
Or any source, at this stage. Mobius was beyond desperate for news.
Finding yet another body, checking for vital signs, and predictably finding none, Mobius sighed heavily and marked the spot with a small flag upon an extendable metal rod, long enough to be spotted above the tall grasses abundant in the area. He moved on, shoulders slumped miserably.
Nearly an hour later, after flagging two more bodies and sending up an emergency flare for someone who was wounded but alive, Mobius stopped his search for a minute to stretch out his aching lower back.
An eerily familiar sensation emanated from the vacant space behind him, and he suddenly felt the presence of someone standing nearby. A surge of almost crippling hope caused adrenaline to spike instantaneously, but just as quickly, common sense began to talk him down. He refused to turn around, uncertain as to whether he would survive the disappointment.
Mobius took a breath.
“I’ve had a really shitty day, in a really shitty few weeks,” he ground out, “So that had better be who I want it to be, or… or-”
A firm hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around. He lost his footing, but it didn’t matter; after a fleeting impression of dewy, expressive eyes, Mobius found his vision partially obscured by a mane of dark curls as he was caught and enveloped by strong, lean arms.
He regained his balance as he fiercely wrapped his own arms around the heartwarmingly familiar figure.
“Loki?” he whimpered, far too shocked to care how feeble he sounded.
Loki buried his face in Mobius’ shoulder, his tall frame shuddering for just a moment, presumably with suppressed emotion. Mobius brought a shaky hand up to brush through Loki’s hair in a soothing gesture of comfort and reassurance.
“Loki…” he breathed, hardly believing this was real, “Are you okay?”
Loki’s head motioned in the affirmative, but he otherwise didn’t move.
“Where were you?!” Mobius was unable to hold back, “I’ve been completely freaking out; no one has been able to tell us anything at all for two whole weeks!”
“Doesn’t matter,” Loki mumbled at length, his voice muffled by the thick coat Mobius was wearing, “I’m here now.”
He needed a little more than that, though.
“But did you… were you- did-did you get him?”
Loki turned his head a little so he could speak unhindered.
“Yes. Yes we did, the Avengers have him now. He’s been secured, well and truly. I was one of the overseers… assisted with implementing the magical fortifications myself,” Loki assured him.
Mobius vaguely registered that they were still clinging to each other even as they talked, but it was more than welcome, and he had no desire to pull away.
“What about his forces?” he inquired, resting his cheek on Loki’s shoulder.
“Mostly deceased, the rest retreated. Well, one might more accurately describe it as running away, really,” Loki divulged, not without a twist of dark humour. Mobius couldn’t help but snort at this despite the implication of widespread bloodshed. The relief coursing through him made him feel giddy and somewhat unstable. His hold around Loki intensified, struck by the realisation that it was done, finished, all over… and that Loki had actually made it.
Throat suddenly tightening, he barely managed to choke back a reactive sob. But Loki must have still sensed something, because he slowly withdrew, bringing his hands up to place lightly either side of Mobius’ face, his brow slightly furrowed. Finally their eyes met. Mobius noted that Loki had a couple of minor cuts on one cheek and a small bruise upon his jaw, but they looked to be healing, and he mercifully appeared otherwise unharmed, at least physically. Loki’s eyes were somewhat haunted, likely as were his, and he foresaw a fair few night-time conversations in their future, probably involving whiskey or pie… or both. But in this moment, the darkness was currently outshone by discernible joy, warmth, and- and unbridled affection.
Mobius was hit by the realisation that this was all for him.
And how humbling it was, to be held in such high regard by a literal god. One who just aided a group of superheroes in saving the multiverse, no less.
They found themselves gazing at each other unabatedly, a frozen moment sustained, the air around them heavily charged with the suggestion of all that was still unspoken.
Yet, Mobius could see something in Loki’s expression that he felt in his own heart. And as Loki grazed a thumb over his cheek, and swayed forwards almost imperceptibly, his breath caught sharply as there was a second, a fleeting instant, where he thought that maybe…
But not yet. Loki tenderly kissed him on the forehead, which was by no means deflating… Mobius’ pulse raced in response. And deep down, a voice of reason whispered that a broken and bloody battleground was hardly the place to share something so intimate and special, anyway.
Still cupping his cheeks, Loki brought their heads together in a gentle touch. The pair closed their eyes to their bleak surroundings, content to let the world fade around them as they lost themselves in the comfort of each other.