Second Chances

Chapter 7

"I can't believe I don't get to sleep in my own bedroom," Loki mutters under his breath.

"Well, to be fair," Mobius says, "this is the other you's timeline. He does have more claim to it than you do."

"Okay, but did he have to be so smug about it?" Loki asks.

Mobius rolls his eyes. "Like you wouldn't have done the same."

"I wouldn't have!" Loki insists. "I don't get it! Why does that Loki hate me? Out of all the Loki's we've met, why is it the one we have to live with that hates me the most?"

Mobius shrugs. "Because you're so loud and he's so not." It's pretty obvious. He knew that before he'd even really spoken to Avengers Loki that this was his problem.

Loki finds it less obvious. "What?"

"You keep getting in his way," Mobius says. He can't believe Loki doesn't see that. "We showed up and now everyone wants to talk to us instead of him."

Loki scoffs. "That's not true!"

"Yes, it is," Mobius insists. "He hasn't gotten to talk to either of your parents yet. He's barely even gotten to talk to Thor."

"Then he should go talk to them!" Loki says. "It's not my fault he won't talk to anyone."

Mobius opens his mouth to argue, but decides against it. If anyone should understand, it should be Loki, not just because they're the same person, but because Loki's gone through the same thing with Thor. Thor used to silence him all the time. The phrase "Know your place" has been thrown around quite a few times before. If anyone should know how awful it feels to be pushed aside, it should be Loki. But he also knows Loki enough to know that he won't admit that he's doing the same to the other Loki, so what's the point in arguing about it?

So he changes the subject. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Of course I know where we're going," Loki says indignantly.

"We've been walking around for a long time," Sylvie remarks.

"Because it's a long walk!" Loki says defensively. "I know what I'm doing. I've lived here for a thousand years."

"Yeah, but you've never lived in the guest rooms," Mobius reminds him.

"Why does the palace have so many guest rooms?" Sylvie asks. "Do people stay in the palace overnight often?"

"I have no idea," Loki admits. "I guess we'll see, now that we're staying there."

Another moment or two passes, and Mobius asks, "Are we at least close to the guest rooms yet?"

"Almost there," Loki assures him.

Mobius still isn't fully convinced Loki knows where he's going, but he doesn't mention it again.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Sylvie asks.

Loki shrugs. "What would you like to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Sylvie admits. "What do you usually do in Asgard?"

"Not much, really," Loki says. "I don't know. Thor destroyed the Bifrost last year. I'm sure the Nine Realms are falling apart now." He pauses, then looks at Mobius. "Are the Nine Realms falling apart? You would know that, right?"

Mobius shrugs. "Yeah, but I don't know how bad it is. I just know that's what Thor was up to while you were in the dungeon."

Sylvie looks up at the god with her eyebrows raised. "You were in the dungeon?"