Loki one-shots fanfiction ♡

55. for strings and organ

He closed his eyes. Mobius's kind smile being the last thing he knew.

~~~

He should've known better. Mobius knew he should've known better than to trust Loki. Though if anything, he was more bothered by the hurt in his chest, that wouldn't go away, than the fact they lost two Lokis, and that... it bothered him a lot.

You thought you had something going on, didn't you? You and your Loki. How naive. That you, out of all people, fell for Loki's trick. Like your studying the god's entire life didn't teach you anything.

And here he was, hiding away in the comfort of his little cubicle when Ravonna and the Minutemen tried locating their escaped prisoner and the variant's whereabouts. He should be helping them, and he would be helping them. He just... needed some time alone with his thoughts, shame and hurt. The latter, Mobius laughed bitterly, haunted him the most.

Ravonna was right, he did have a soft spot for broken things. It backfired. Now, pathetically, he became the broken one.

The beeping from his Tempad would've gone utterly ignored like the first three times it happened (and Mobius felt bad about that, he didn't mean to ignore Ravonna, especially when he was responsible for Loki's escape. He, as previously stated, needed some time alone) hadn't it been for the... difference, something about the way the line on the screen went up way higher than what was considered normal. It wasn't Ravonna, it came from outside the TVA. It was — Mobius blinked, leaning forward to take a better look at the little screen of the device on his desk and hardly believing what he was looking at  — the beginning of a Nexus Event.

He rose on his feet, turning around to go and alert everybody. Then he stopped in his tracks. Something stopped him dead in his tracks; a feeling deep in his chest that he didn't understand and couldn't begin to explain. He should be alerting his team.

Mobius looked down at the device, now held carefully in his hands. The line was there, skyrocketing almost to the point of a Nexus Event now. Mobius supposed it would take less than half a minute, then everybody would know, whether or not Mobius alerted them, of the jeopardy of the timeline. Unless Mobius went there and prevented it from happening.

And if he were to act, he needed to do it now.

What are you doing? Protested the rational thoughts in his head. Tell Ravonna. Don't you dare go rogue. This is your life, where your loyalty lies.

Mobius looked around, no one paid him any mind. He, against his own belief and better judgement, opened the time door and stepped through it without letting a single soul know.

~~~

The signal took him to an empty field. Mobius looked around, taking in his surroundings, there was... nothing but overgrowth and ruin. The air was cold, sending chills through his bones. Though there was no sign of Loki or the variant.

He took a few steps forward. There had to be something, the Tempad sent him here on purpose, the sign of a Nexus Event originated from here.

Mobius didn't have to wander around for more than a minute when he came across a figure lying on the muddy ground. Tall grass nearly succeeded in hiding the man from Mobius's sight altogether. And Mobius held his breath, stunned, because even without seeing his face properly, and even with his outfit covered in blood and dirt, Mobius recognized the TVA uniform, which Loki wore, anyway.

And this... no, no, this can't be happening.

Mobius expected Loki and the variant, yes, but not Loki alone, dying on the ground. Or dead. Dread froze his blood, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.