For All Time. Always!

22 - The One Where You Try to Prune a Loki

   "What are we supposed to do now?" Mobius begins pacing around the area while I stand there, trying to think. Minutemen begin flooding in from portals, probably trying to fix the massive branch.

  "Where could he of gone?"

  "Do I look like I know?" I snap. He backs away, holding his hands up in defense. "Sorry... just tryna think."

  Why would he just stab us in the back like that? He said he was on our side!

  Why would he leave me like that?

  Before I know it, my eyes burn with tears. I thought we were getting along. Now? I don't know if I could trust it. 

  My tears turn into anger as I feel my pocket vibrate and hear it beep, taking the small device out of my pocket. He used the pager I gave him. That son of a bitch is trying to contact me. He has the AUDACITY to call me from the TVA?

  "You." I point to A-14. "You're pruning stick, give it to me," I order. He's about to argue before I glare at him, making him stop and hand me the baton.

  "Y/n... what are you doing with that...?" Mobius asks, slowly approaching me.

  "I'm gonna go catch me a Loki." I take out my tempad, creating a portal to the TVA and walking through it.

⚛

  I speed-walk to where I believe they would be, the elevator to the time-keepers. I pass by bodies, confirming my theory. It also helps that I can hear fighting from around the corner. I turn, seeing a Loki and a woman, presumably the other variant, in combat. They don't notice me yet.

  "Hey!" I shout. They both turn to me, dead in their tracks. Loki fills with relief, happy to see my face.

  "Y/n, you got the message!" he says, smiling. "See, variant, this is where our deal ends." He gets up, starting to walk toward me. "Prune her."

  I turn the stick on, pointing it at Loki. The male one. He stops, furrowing his brows and giving me a hurt look. "Y/n?"

  "You think I would just be okay with you leaving us there?," I laugh. "I thought you were smarter than that."

  "You don't understand, I did this to benefit us. Don't you see?" I start to lower the stick, listening to his words. "That's it..."

  "Don't listen to him." I look over his shoulder, seeing the other Loki behind him. "He's a liar."

  "Well, I'm not very comfortable with you either, but what makes you say that?"

  "He wants to overthrow the TVA. Told me himself," she explains.

  Loki turns back to me, panicked. I raise the stick once more, making him raise his hands up again. "It was a trick, I swear! I was going to betray her!" He begins to ramble on, trying to make up an excuse.

  "Loki!" I shout, making him stop. "Stop it. Stop trying to confuse me! I really thought I could trust you, but now I don't even know what to think anymore," I plead, my eyes burning once more.

  "Maybe you could start with putting the stick down..." he begins slowly walking towards me, but I point it at him more, making him stop.

  "No. I'm not putting this away until it's got you pruned," I reply, beginning to charge at him. He dodges, but I turn around to get to him once more.

  He doesn't attack me, only dodges. Why won't he try and stop me? The variant joins in our fighting, trying to stop the both of us. Loki grabs his daggers, fighting his opposite while dodging my attacks at the same time.

  "Hey!," we hear, making us turn. The woman gets behind Loki while I run up closer to Ravonna, grabbing my stick that was knocked out of my hand.

  "Come any closet and I'll kill him," the female threatens.

  "Do it," I urge.

  "Go for it," Ravonna agrees. Loki takes a tempad out of his jacket, fumbling with it as we charge at him. I get close enough where I start to fall in the portal he summoned, but luckily I grab onto the floor to catch myself.

  "Ravonna!" I yell, trying to get her help. She thinks for a moment before helping me back up. "You really had to think about saving me?" I mutter.

  "Now's not the time for sarcasm, Y/n." She brings us to a portal, back to Roxxcart so we can try our best to fix this major branch.