Loki was laying on a stiff mattress, hands folded neatly over his stomach. The ceiling was gray. The walls were a different shade of gray. No room for anything but thoughts. He curled his lip.

Mobius wasn't right… but he wasn't wrong either. It was complicated.

I'm a god, not a man.

He hadn't been trying to use Mobius as a test subject. It was hard not to, though, when he was just standing there. All… there.

Now he was thinking of Sylvie again.

"I just want you to be okay."
"Well I'm not you."
*pushes me into another timeline*

Really, what a terrible thing to say. So much for Loki opening up to, well, anyone. So much for trust. Or love. Not that he had loved her like that. At least he didn't think...

I can't believe she kissed me.

"WE HAVE THE SAME FUCKING PARENTS," Loki yelled, suddenly, sitting up in bed. He was met with silence.

She just couldn't believe he wasn't trying to trap her, trying to betray her. Which meant HE couldn't believe HE wouldn't betray… himself? This was hurting his head.

Loki turned so his legs hung off the side of the mattress. Elbows on his thighs, he ran his hands through his hair.

He had been trying so hard to prove that he wasn't… He wasn't what Mobius said he was the first day they met.

"You were born to cause pain and suffering and death." "You've literally stabbed people in the back like fifty times!"

"Mobius, you can trust me."

It suddenly struck Loki that he had, at least in Mobius's perspective, betrayed him. Yet when it all came down to it, Mobius still chose to trust him.

But Sylvie couldn't trust me even when I hadn't done anything to hurt her, I tried so hard.

"What, so I'm just deeply ingrained with self hatred then? Real nice, universe," Loki snarled into the silence.

"Are you aware I'm trying to sleep over here?" Mobius said, voice muffled, on the other side of the wall.

Technically, Loki had not known that. He actually didn't know where Mobius slept… How much has he heard? He cleared his throat.

"Mobius?"

He heard a sigh, and the creak of bedsprings. How had he not realized Mobius was right there? Sure it had only been a week on Aeyhle together, but still.

"Any more navel gazing and you're going to fall over, my friend," Mobius replied, sounding very much like the man Loki had met… some amount of days or weeks or metaphorical measures of existence ago.

Loki got off the bed and walked towards his door, turning the handle quietly to step out of his room. The hallway was drafty, Loki wished he had a shirt on. Not because he was cold, but because breezes simply do not belong indoors. Craning his neck into the space, Loki saw that the next door down from him was open. Mobius stood in the doorway.

"I thought that was a closet."

Mobius snorted, looking down. His arms were crossed just under his chest, and he wore a white t-shirt with blue and white striped pajama pants. If all the context was drained from their situation, Mobius would have looked like anybody standing blearily in their pajamas. But now, so much had been shoved in between them and around them, like standing in a cluttered, tiny room. Ever since… (ever since when?) Loki had been split between wanting to hug Mobius for all eternity and wanting to never see the blasted man again. He wasn't sure which would be easier. But standing in the doorway, framed in soft yellow light from his bedroom, Mobius looked so warm that Loki was increasingly certain the decision had been made for him. Just then, Mobius spoke.

"I'm sorry."

It was hushed, like almost everything Mobius said. He spoke like his sentences were smashed together and then sanded down.

"For what, exactly," Loki answered, the words coming out harsher than he meant them. He could've sworn Mobius winced.

"We're under a lot of pressure and I didn't mean to be so critical, it was just-" He stopped, trying to find the words. "It was just a lot today, seeing her go like that." Mobius was still staring firmly at the ground. Loki stepped out of his room and towards Mobius.

"Without any concessions of my pride, I will admit you weren't… totally wrong."

Mobius looked up, grinning.

"Aw now don't act like you haven't been conceding your pride left and right," he jibed, expecting Loki to jump right into their familiar rapport. He didn't, just took a step closer.

Lowering his voice, Loki looked into Mobius's eyes. He felt as though he was seeing straight through them. "Do you want that?"

"More concessions of your pride?" Mobius asked, still smiling, but his voice was quieter. There was no one else on the ship, but the pair spoke as if they were being spied on.

"No, no," Loki realized his voice sounded flustered and tried desperately to regain control. "To go back. Like Shane did."

Mobius was silent for a long time. He didn't break eye contact. They were frozen in the weight of that question. No magic could fix this. Loki felt his heart sink straight to his feet.

They all leave, no one wants to stick around with you.

Mobius must've noticed. Without changing his expression, without moving a muscle, Mobius replied.

"I'm not sure yet." His voice was steady, measured. "Are you hungry?"

"What?" Loki asked, confusion blooming in his chest. He took a step back. Mobius took that opportunity to begin walking down the hallway. He was wearing socks, his steps were muffled.

"I'm hungry so I'm going to go eat. Do you want food?" Mobius explained like Loki was a child.

"I- well, I suppose so," Loki followed him. He still felt confused. The god was not enjoying all this uncertainty. Not that he had been more certain before all this, but he had been far better at pretending. Now he was walking around like someone had stripped down all his barriers, leaving the softest, most vulnerable parts of him exposed to gusts of freezing wind. Wrapping his arms around his bare torso, Loki followed Mobius down the hall. The only sound was their breathing, their footsteps, and the hum of machinery in the walls.

…

Spaceships shouldn't have kitchens, it's unnatural.

It was small, and gray. Aeyhle was very gray. A dingy yellow light hung over the table, giving off a lovely prison cell vibe. Mobius was illuminated by the light of the fridge he held open.

"We really have nothing here," he sounded disappointed, as if the fridge should be expected to supply itself. Well, I guess at the TVA food did just show up.

Watching Mobius, so small, peering into a fridge, Loki felt such a burst of rage, frustration, and injustice that he slammed his fist down on the cheap plastic table. It made a satisfying banging noise, and whorls of green light flashed from between his fingers. He quickly flexed open his fist.

Whoops, didn't mean to put magic into that.

Ever since enchanting Alioth, Loki felt as though something had opened inside him. A blockage cleared. Magic came easier than it ever had.

Mobius turned his head at the noise, still facing the fridge.

"What, do you want to go grocery shopping or something?" he said, then returned to his search.

It's not fair what they did to any of you, but especially you. You were the best one. You are the best one. They- he- took everything from you… They took less from Sylvie and look what she did because of it. You really are the best of us.

Loki didn't say any of that.

"Yes, let's, honestly. This ship is pitifully bare," he replied. "After we… dispatch this next 'he who remains' maybe you can show me candy."

"Or you can buy me a new salad," Mobius snorted, changing the target of his quest from the fridge to the cupboards. "Actually, that could be cool. I've never, well I don't remember ever buying anything for myself. Ah!" Mobius pulled out a nondescript package from the pantry. "This says microwaveable!" He was grinning.

Loki leaned back in his chair, fingertips skimming the tabletop. "Mm, plastic container, my favorite."

"Be careful with that smart mouth or I'll eat the whole thing," Mobius threatened, punching some buttons into the microwave. "Seriously, where did you get this ship?"

"Magic."

"Oh you're a real funny man tonight, huh?"

"Funny god," Loki corrected. Mobius just waved a dismissive hand, pressing enter on the machine and coming to sit across from him. The microwave whirred to life.

In all honesty, the ship was from magic. Loki had been pacing back and forth, heart racing, panic building up in his chest, thinking about how badly he just needed to get out. To fix all of this. And suddenly Aeyhle was building herself in fractured beams of emerald light. Loki had collapsed with the effort. He decided against telling Mobius, as the former analyst would probably think it could fall apart at random.

Which, I guess, isn't out of the question.

Mobius had tilted his head upwards, eyes closed. His silver hair was bathed in the lemon-lime light. He looked holy.

Loki had magicked himself an emerald robe, but not a shirt. He enjoyed watching Mobius's eyes flicker to his bare chest every so often just a bit too much for that. Suddenly, Mobius spoke.

"We need a better name than saying 'he who remains' every time. It's a mouthful." Loki nodded in agreement.

"Alright, that can be your job." Loki stood up, grabbing two plastic spoons from the drawer just as the microwave beeped in surrender. The tiny kitchen smelled like spices. Slitting open the container, Loki peered inside. "It appears your chosen meal-in-the-middle-of-the-time-we're-supposed-to-be-asleep is legumes with a flavored tomato sauce."

"Oh well you know how we like to live it up out here." Mobius reached out for a spoon with a quiet 'thank you', and Loki placed the container in the middle of the small table.

He watched Mobius take a bite, process the flavor, then give a little nod and hum of approval. Loki was struck, suddenly, by the immense absurdity of the moment. He was a god, he was supposed to be out in the world, stabbing backs and charming out secrets. Sliding through gaps in the system like the snake he was. Plotting and scheming and choking on his rage at everyone around him. He was not supposed to be sitting in Midgardian boxers and a silky robe, bumping spoons with a man wearing gold-toe socks over microwave lentils.

He wasn't supposed to be happy or normal. Sylvie had proved that.

Mobius looked up at him.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on with your magic?"

Loki froze. One day he would stop underestimating Mobius.

"What do you mean…" he replied slowly, carefully.

"Well, what I've seen you do in the past few days is an awful lot more than what you told me you could do back at the TVA. Convenient outfit changes, enchantment, even this ship feels like your magic, which I'm sure you'll refuse to explain to me. So either you lied, or something changed."

Loki looked down, twirling the spoon between his fingers.

"Back at the void, Sylvie and I enchanted Alioth together. We also saw the old variant of me pull off a massive scale illusion of Asgard to distract Alioth... it was gorgeous…" he began trailing off, staring into the distance. He snapped back to awareness just as quickly "It's just, after that, it felt like something opened in me. Like I stopped-" he searched for the right words. "-giving myself rules."

"You ever gave yourself rules?" Mobius snorted doubtfully before taking another bite of legumes.

"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are," Loki answered, leaning forward to try the food. It tasted warm and spicy. Mobius shot him a half smile.

They ate in pleasant silence for a while. It was comfortable. After so much explaining and questioning, Loki was happy to just, not think for a bit. He didn't always want to talk.

"Well," Mobius broke the silence. "I'm gonna go try and get a little shut eye. You should too, I'd prefer you not magic me into a weasel or something because you're falling asleep tomorrow." He stood up, dumping their trash in a bin. This ship really does have everything, it's awfully convenient.

Loki stood up as well, stretching his arms over his head with a groan. "Hey, you'd make a cute weasel."

"Well if that isn't what every guy wants to hear," Mobius shot back. Loki grinned. They both tried to get through the doorway at the same time, so Loki turned to the side within the frame, forcing Mobius to slide past him. There was no reason he couldn't have a little fun.

Instead of passing through, though, Mobius stopped halfway so they were firmly sandwiched within the frame. Loki's heart sped up, he could feel the man's breath. Sleep and paprika. He was too surprised to do anything. Mobius reached up and ran his fingers down Loki's lapel, so his fingernails brushed Loki's bare skin. He leaned closer.

"I've decided his name is Bob." He whispered, voice low. With that, he moved through the door, grinning cheekily. Loki swallowed drily, already missing his warmth. Oh how the student surpasses the master.

Talk about being a tease.

But he had bigger things to worry about, though. Very soon, they were going to start killing Bobs.

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