favoriteanalyst | what if...I took a basic meme premise and made it fucky - for icasm

Skip to Main Content

what if...I took a basic meme premise and made it fucky - for icasm

[He keeps things from Loki, of course.

Not the important things, the pertinent things. Everyone has their secrets, and no one is ever truly an open book. (Regardless of how well he knows Loki. Extenuating circumstances.) And while Loki has slowly gotten to learn more about how the TVA works, he isn't privy to every detail. He's genuinely curious sometimes. And maliciously curious at other times. Mobius tries to strike a balance, let him know or learn on his own the things he can, steer clear of the things he shouldn't.

So while he's Mobius' partner, something of a junior agent in his own right with several, several caveats, he also doesn't need to know about every aspect of his job.

It's harder when it's another Loki variant that comes across his desk. Sylvie is a point of...contention? A special case, that's for certain. Dangerous, yes, and well worth his involvement, but...different. Not, as such, a case at all anymore, not really. But this one's fairly cut and dry. He frowns when he looks through the casefile. Because Loki shouldn't be anywhere near this one.

Variant L1952 took a different turn after being picked up by Thanos. A mix of biding his time too long, the effects of the mind stone, some powerful persuasion, and a budding army of zealots - this one turned from desperate survivalist wannabe conqueror into a fullblown child of the Mad Titan. It's not pretty, the way things devolve for the variant from there, at least as far into the branch as they've been able to track. The trickiest part is how this one seems to elude their immediate grasp. He's slippery and powerful and needs another set of eyes to make a plan of action to find him and take him in with as little injury to the hunters as possible. The scepter is a tremendous artifact with a stone of great ability if used right (and he can see it now, a trophy in Ravonna's office, and the thought hurts more than he thinks it should), and even when Gamora and Nebula aren't around, or Proxima Midnight and the rest, there's still a Chitauri army to contend with.

It's the kind of thing where he realizes he could use Loki's insight on this, too. Not just for it being a Loki variant - Mobius has seen many come and go without issue before. There's a combination of who it is, and the circumstances surrounding him, and not to mention Thanos in play, that makes him realize that a little help might be prudent for expediency's sake.

He doesn't want to let Loki know. It's...delicate. The kind of thing that his Loki is still relatively fresh from, that might still bleed as an open wound. But Loki's a nosy little shit, and he has noticed a new case that he has decidedly not been specifically on, so there are questions. And he hates this. But. But.

Stonyfaced, he hands Loki the file.] You're not gonna like it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You, obviously. I'll feel less like an embarrassment if it's you. You fight plenty well without magic helping you out. What, did you think I'd ask B-15? She will break me over her knee. She might even not meant to do it.

There is an amount of failure that goes hand in hand with being taught anything properly, [ he points out, but Loki is warmed that he would be Mobius' first choice for teaching him to fight.

He takes a deep breath, feeling the weight of Mobius against his chest and reveling in this small gesture of closeness. He can count on his fingers the number of times he's sat like this with any lover; it's not a two-digit number. ]

Well, yeah, but you won't break me over your knee. You'll help me up and give me some sarcastic quip and then go again. I guess. I won't ever be as good as you without magic, and I won't even ever be as good as a hunter, but it'd be something. More than nothing.

Not that I'm about to hop up and be able to do much at the moment.

Sometimes it's a little annoying how well you know me.

[ Mostly Loki is kidding about that, actually. It's nice to be...seen? ]

No, you'll have to rest.

Hope you're prepared for me being a terrible patient. And getting up to fetch me things. Fussy nurses, probably. You don't have to stay if you don't want. But I'd...I'd like it if you did.

If you'd like me to stay then I'll stay; the rest, I can handle.

[ Fussy nurses, fussy Mobius. Loki knows he's not much better when he's laid low with an ailment or injury, honestly, so he views this as just desserts from the universe. ]

Do you have to spend all your recovery time in this room, however?

[That alone puts Mobius more at ease. Having Loki around is as much about making sure Loki's okay as Mobius, if he's honest.]

Well...guess that's up to the medical professionals. If they aren't worried about infection or my insides being too scrambled, I can probably get released to my place. Which'll be much cozier for the both of us.

True.

[ This bed is small and the room is cold; Loki is actively not complaining about it. Well. About the size of the bed, the room being cold just means he needs to keep Mobius bundled up in blankets. ]

Have you been injured in the field like this before?

Oh yeah, I've had my fair share of bumps and bruises. Can't say I've been next best thing to skewered, though.

The being skewered part falls under the like this umbrella, Mobius.

[ He takes their entangled hands and brings them up to his mouth, kissing Mobius' hand. ]

I'm a little affronted that no one has insisted you learn to fight before now.

I've had my face punched in by a Winter Soldier once. But he didn't use his metal arm. I think I made an impression on him. But like this, no. I also haven't lost an entire team when I was with them, either. I'm usually around for the...aftermath of things. Rather than right in the thick of them. Not usually so...

[He tries to think of a word, reaches for it, lets it go with a sigh. He's not up to snuff in a lot of ways right now. And talking bluntly about it is uncomfortable.]

It's not usually this.

I suppose I should be thankful to this Winter Soldier. [ Does Loki know who that is? Not really. But he can't imagine a metal arm to the face would have done Mobius any favors in the 'living and breathing' department. ]

This isn't entirely your fault, you know. Lokis are dangerous. Mad ones even more so than usual. [ And now he's gone, to be food for Alioth. So it's... well. It's not fine, exactly, but it is no longer an active problem. ]

It is, though. I know how Lokis are. I knew how this one was. We've already had a couple failed attempts to get him before. This was my mission, so it's my responsibility. And I could've lost you, too.

[ Instinctively he's dismissive of the idea that he might have died, despite the honesty of the situation being closer to reality than he'd like.

Setting that aside for now, Loki frowns and wonders at the structure of the TVA that it just throws bodies at these sorts of problems. ]

Alright, [ he says eventually, because he doesn't want to argue and also doesn't see room where he can without going after all the things Mobius believes in. ]

[There's a long enough silence that stretches that Loki would be forgiven for thinking that Mobius had drifted back off, save for the occasional shifts in position, a twitch of his hands.]

Alright.

[He expected arguing, really, and isn't as relieved as he thinks he should be that there wasn't one. It feels more like concession than agreement. It's uncomfortable, but he is also not at all up for getting into it right this moment.]

Sorry. For... [It seems like he's going to say something and changes his mind to something else.] Worrying you and being shit company.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only