They have just entered the TVA cafeteria, sitting down at a table and Loki is being unusually quiet. Mobius thinks the Asgardian may just be tired. After all, he did just wake up. But he suspects it's something more by the way Loki is staring off into space like he's a million miles away.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Mobius prods, carefully. Figures he might as well try.

"Huh? What?" Loki's eyes snap back to him and his brows wrinkle in confusion. "Did you say something?" That's it, Mobius thinks. Loki is never this scatterbrained and unaware of his surroundings.

"Okay. What's up with you? You've been acting weird ever since I woke you up?" Mobius tries not to ponder how well he already knows Loki if he can tell something is off about him.

"Oh... I... I'm... it's nothing... really." Loki sighs, then looks away like he's embarrassed and now Mobius is sure it's something serious because the God of Mischief is never tongue-tied like this. He always has some clever quip.

"We both know you love to talk. Talkie-talkie."

"You can tell me, you know." He pushes, so very gently. Because he knows that Loki will put up a huge wall around himself if he feels forced in any way. "Whatever it is that's bothering you."

Loki looks back at him and they hold eye contact for so long that it should probably be awkward, but it strangely isn't. In the end, Loki is the one to break off the staring contest and Mobius counts that as a big win. He actually feels a little proud. Then again, the look that Loki was giving him just now wasn't the murderous stare he'd had when they first met.

"If looks could kill."

Mobius had put up a brave front back then because he had to; because it was vital in establishing the power dynamic between them for him to gain the upper hand... he couldn't show fear or Loki would have picked up on it right away, preyed on it... so he'd pointed out the obvious instead and acted like he wasn't intimidated in the slightest. But that look had honestly terrified him. Loki's eyes had been black, soulless.

Mobius has always known that there was darkness in the variant, that he's capable of doing horrendous things when triggered. He knows that Loki would have killed him on the spot back then if given the chance. That he had indeed tried the first moment Mobius had, stupidly, turned his back. Luckily, he had caught on to Loki in time; been faster with the time twister, but it had been a careless move regardless. A mistake that could have cost him everything. He should have known better than to leave himself wide open to attack like that; especially from someone as unpredictable as Loki. Mobius is very alert to the fact that he can't afford to forget that this person is a mass murderer.

But on the other hand, as he watched Loki grow up on the timeline, Mobius had also seen another side to him. A side so gentle that it was hard to believe that it was the same person who had stabbed Phil Coulson in the back without a second thought or torn out a man's eyeball. Of course, Loki had been somewhat under the influence of the mind stone when he did those awful things. Mobius isn't even sure if Loki is aware that the scepter was affecting him as well or if he believes all that darkness came from inside him. He must touch on that subject at some point.

Interestingly though, almost all those gentle times he remembered about Loki had involved Frigga or his brother in some way, shape, or form.

He recalls one incident with Thor in particular.

"You are my brother and my friend and sometimes I'm envious. But never doubt that I love you."

It had been on Thor's coronation day. Just the two of them. A rare private moment where Loki had decided to prove his brother wrong when he'd claimed him incapable of sincerity. And despite knowing that Loki had already set up a Frost Giant attack at this point to disrupt the ceremony, Mobius has no doubts that Loki had meant every word. The way his eyes had changed; they were as soft as baby kittens... radiating affection. That softness alone had told Mobius that Loki was, despite his obvious issues, inherently good underneath the facade he projected. Because no one who looks at someone else like that, who loves like that, so purely, could ever be truly evil. Mobius had learned very quickly to pay more attention to Loki's eyes than to his words and he can tell from the Asgardian's eyes right now that something heavy is weighing on him.

"I had a dream." Loki finally caves.

"Like... a nightmare?" Mobius asks. He doesn't think so, Loki had looked peaceful in his sleep.

"No... quite the opposite." And the Prince looks almost wistful. "Which is actually worse."

"Okay. Explain that to me." Loki looks up sharply at that.

"Is that your catchphrase or something?" He quips and Mobius chuckles and shakes his head, amused. Loki continues. "Why are you always asking me to explain my feelings? Are you sure you're a cop and not a therapist?" Now Loki is the one to shake his head in disbelief. "And why is it that I always feel the urge to open up to you when you do?" Mobius wonders that too sometimes.

"It's probably because no one else ever took the time to see your side of things." Mobius says. "With every little mischievous prank you pulled, they just jumped straight to discipline. All you've known is punishment without a trial. No one ever gave you a real chance to explain yourself."

"Mmm…" Loki hums in agreement. "You're very perceptive."

"I kind of have to be because of my job." Loki nods at that.

"And you are indeed very skilled at what you do."

"Thank you?" It comes out as a question. Compliments from Loki? They are in weird territory right now and Mobius doesn't know what to make of it, so he just continues his thought from earlier. "You were always guilty per definition, Loki. Your whole life. They never bothered to listen to you. But I do."

"That you do." And there it is again. A hint of softness in Loki's eyes. Directed at him. Not quite the same level that he gave Thor but it's there. Mobius is the one to look away this time and he doesn't look back until Loki speaks again. "I dreamt I was back in Asgard with my brother. Before everything happened."

Ah. Mobius knew this had something to do with Thor.

"We were happy, you know?" Mobius does know, he has seen it with his own eyes. "For the most part, we had it good. I couldn't see it back then, but I see it now."

"So... you're homesick?" Mobius is getting a little worried now. "You know I can't take you home, right?"

"I know." Loki takes a deep breath. "And in any case... it's kind of difficult to take someone to a place that doesn't exist anymore, isn't it?" Mobius swears he sees tears form in Loki's blue eyes before he blinks them away quickly. He knew the demi-God was more affected by Ragnarok than he led on.

"Loki." The name flows from his tongue almost as soft as a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Loki scoffs. " From what I read in the file and saw in the Time Theater, I… he… the other me actually played a huge part in it."

"It was Thor's idea." Mobius tries to soothe.

"But he was the one who resurrected Surtur."

"On Thor's command."

"Oh, so he suddenly didn't have a mind of his own? Is that what you're saying? That this other version of me was somehow a slave to his brother? I highly doubt any version of me would sink that low." Anger. Regret. Loss. It's all displayed on Loki's face, in the depths of his eyes, in the cadence of his voice. "No, Mobius. He did this. He destroyed his own planet and the only home that I've ever known."

"You can't put this on yourself. Hela was the main cause of Ragnarok. Surtur, the secondary. Not you or Thor. That woman was stronger than the both of you combined and she twisted your hand. You did what you had to do."

"Don't try to defend his actions." There's a flash of frustration in Loki's eyes now. "Even if you don't count Surtur, he banished our father and drained his power. Odin would probably have been able to hold on for a while longer, maybe we could have found another solution, but when he died, Hela was set free, and we were out of time. Thor was right when he said it was my… his doing. No matter how you look at it, the other Loki is to blame." The demi-God pauses briefly and looks away. "I'm just glad my mother wasn't alive to see it. It would have crushed her."

It is not lost on Mobius that Loki keeps using phrases like "him" or "his" or "he" instead of "me" and "my" and "I" when referring to himself.

He also suspects he knows why but it's not the right time to bring it up.

"All of that is pure speculation. You can play the "what if" game for all of eternity but it will only lead you around in circles, Loki. I am telling you like it is. I watched all of it happen too, remember? And trust me... destroying Asgard was preferable to your witch of a sister running things. She made you look like a harmless puppy compared to her."

"Hey." Loki actually looks offended by this so Mobius switches tactics and tries to lighten the mood.

"I also noticed that she's almost the spitting image of you. Tall, pale, slender, long black hair, blue eyes." Something flashes across Loki's face, but it's gone in seconds, so Mobius keeps going hoping to distract him. "Not to mention her affinity for green clothing and flair for the dramatic. Makes it seem like Thor's the adopted one. What is that about?" Mobius chuckles but Loki remains dead silent. He is quiet again for a long time and Mobius wonders how exactly he's put his foot in his mouth this time.

Loki takes a deep breath before speaking again… like he's steeling himself for what he is about to say.

"I think maybe Odin sculpted me after her when he… altered me." Loki finally answers. "Because you're right, we look so much alike that it can't be a coincidence and I obviously had no part in deciding my appearance. All of this…" He gestures to himself. "… came from the mind of the Allfather." Oh crap. This was not the level of deep Mobius was going for, he was trying for lightheartedness but, apparently, he'd hit a nerve. "Maybe he missed her and wanted a permanent reminder around." There's an edge of bitterness to Loki's voice now. "It's ironic, really. He locked away an evil daughter only to gain an evil son that could be her twin."

"You're not evil, Loki." Mobius says.

"How can I not be? You saw the atrocities I committed on Midgard. Odin must have been having major flashbacks when I tried to destroy Jotunheim and then take over New York. Can you imagine the Deja vu?"

"Loki. Stop." Mobius can't listen to this anymore. "You are aware that the scepter was a big part of why you behaved in such a savage way, right?" By Loki's confused look, Mobius can tell that the variant has no idea.

"What are you talking about? I can't be controlled. I'm a God."

"True, but you can be influenced by a mind stone just like any other creature in the universe. Those things are incredibly powerful." Loki blinks, contemplates, before dismissing the notion.

"I'm not sure I believe that theory."

"It's not a theory, it's science, Loki." Mobius argues, frustrated. Why is this guy so determined to believe he's just rotten to the core? "Think about it. Really think about what you did. I know you've done questionable things before but never ever to that extent."

"Mobius, this is absurd. I remember every moment of it, and I chose to do it. No one told me what to do. It came from me."

"I don't doubt that the initial anger came from you. But the stone amplified all the hate you were feeling and then put a psychotic twist on it. It made you enjoy torture and you've never been that cruel. You said it yourself. You don't enjoy hurting people but when you stole that man's eye, you reveled in it. That wasn't the standard mischief you're known for, that was something else entirely… a level of barbaric that's not a part of your usual nature." Something finally seems to click in Loki's eyes.

"I… huh. Maybe you're right. When I think about it… that really wasn't like me."

"Obviously." Mobius lets Loki chew on that for a minute before he continues. "And regarding your father… Odin forgave you. I know you watched the tape. In the end, he recognized that you are nothing like Hela. He loved you. He told you so before he died."

"He said that to the other version of me." Loki looks down at the table. "I hate him, Mobius. My alternate self."

"But that Loki was you. He was always the person you would have become."

"Well then, in that case... I guess I hate myself."

I know, Mobius thinks. There is the heart of the problem. It always has been. Loki's self-hatred.

He moves his chair closer hoping to keep their connection strong as he speaks his next thought.

"Loki. You died a hero saving your brother. How can you hate that?"

"He should have put himself first like we always did before. When I watched it, I was honestly baffled that he went for the knife and not his magic… that he even tried at all. He was stupid and careless and look how he ended up. I would never have done that."

Mobius isn't buying it. Loki doesn't even sound like he believes himself.

"That Loki did what he did out of love. And no matter what you claim… there's a reason you could never follow through on your so-called attempts to kill Thor when you fought him in the past. You have always loved him more than you love anyone."

I love Thor more dearly than any of you.

Loki just shakes his head and sighs and when he speaks again, he's given up the pretence.

"You know, Mobius. I am really starting to resent how much of my life you've had access to." He says and there's a hint of irritation in his eyes. "But yet again, you're right. When it came down to it, I couldn't do it and the other me obviously couldn't do it either." He pauses for a second to gather his thoughts. "It used to drive me crazy."

"What?"

"That I couldn't turn off those emotions. My feelings for Thor have always been my greatest weakness. I wanted to be free of it. Because I knew someday it would probably get me killed… and… surprise... it did."

"I don't see it as a weakness. Love is always a strength." Loki scoffs at that.

"Sure… a strength that people exploit and use against you." Mobius decides to ignore that comment.

"But do you know what this means? It means that the Time Keepers always meant for you to be redeemed... to end your days with a selfless deed... and you did just that... the right thing... again and again, and again, almost every single time. There was only ever one variant who escaped the scenario alive."

"Just one?" Loki asks, intrigued.

"Yep."

"But he wasn't supposed to, right? So… I take it you came after him?"

"Yes. But we didn't capture him for a very long time. He marooned himself on a barren planet, so naturally…"

"No branching, no tracking." Loki finishes his sentence and Mobius is impressed with how fast Loki has grasped exactly how the TVA works. He should also probably be a little worried about that.

"So… what happened?"

"He eventually left the planet, we intercepted him straight away and pruned him. Never figured out why he suddenly came out of hiding."

"How long was he stuck there?"

"1857 years." Loki's mouth drops open in shock.

"Huh… okay, yeah. I know exactly what happened."

Mobius wishes he would elaborate on that, but Loki doesn't so instead he gets back on track with what he originally wanted to say.

"Anyway… my point is… whenever you deviated from your path before and created a Nexus event, it was never in that moment. That pivotal choice always stays the same 99,9% of the time. You always, in some way or another, without fail, choose to try and save your brother." Mobius says and takes another breath before he continues. "I mean… even that one time when you conjured a duplication to die in your place, it still served the purpose of distracting Thanos from Thor. You always had the option of betraying your brother and joining the Titan group for the sake of just staying alive, but you never did. Not once. Because deep down, you're a good person. All the bad you had done up until that point was countered by this one final act. It changed your legacy."

Loki lets out a wet breath and blinks rapidly and Mobius moves his chair back a little knowing that the variant needs some space.

"Okay." Loki eventually breathes. "I concede that you've made some excellent points, but… I still think the knife was a moronic move… and frankly, I'm embarrassed by it." Mobius can't help but laugh at Loki's unimpressed face.

"You get no argument from me on that." Mobius smiles.

"Do you think he misses me? Wonders where I am?" Loki asks after a while and Mobius doesn't have to ask who he is referring to.

"If the timeline hadn't been reset in time, I think Thor would be searching the whole universe for you." A hint of a smile appears on Loki's face. "But Hunter B-15 did reset it before a permanent branch could form… so as far as Thor is concerned… you escaping with the Tesseract never happened and he believes you to be in a cell on Asgard right now. Which of course, you are. A version of you anyway." Loki visibly deflates at this. "But listen to me. I have seen your whole life, Loki. Thor loves you just as much as you love him. No matter what you did, no matter how hard you tried to push him away, he always forgave you. And you had his back in the end too. That connection doesn't just go away and it's okay if you miss him." Loki folds his hands in his lap and gives a barely perceivable nod. "But I can't lie to you. You will probably never see Thor again. You exist in a place outside of time now. Separate from the sacred timeline, separate from your brother and the life you had before. If you return now without being reset there would be two identical Loki's on the same timeline, living the exact same life, in the exact same place and I don't see how that would not create a massive Nexus event."

"I understand. The show must go on." Loki says and he sounds so defeated that Mobius can't help but give him hope.

"But if you help us out there's still a chance that you'll actually be reset instead of pruned. Then we'll put you right back on your timeline before your Nexus event even happened; it all goes back to how things were, and you proceed with your life the way it was planned. Of course, you'll have no memory of any of this."

"Honestly, Mobius. I think I would rather be pruned than live my life in that fiction you people have created for me." This shocks Mobius to his core. Loki would choose death over his life on the sacred timeline? Why?

"Why would you say something like that? You'd rather die?" It seems so unlike Loki who, by definition, is a survivor. Then again, he did commit suicide once when he fell from the rainbow bridge. Who's to say he wouldn't choose that again… only this time there would be no Thanos to resurrect him.

No resurrections this time.

Mobius shudders but if Loki notices, he doesn't comment on it.

"No. I don't want to die. It's complicated. I don't expect you to understand. You were apparently born into this... well-oiled machine and never questioned any of it. Which means you have no idea what free will means to normal people. It's the most essential liberty we have, and you take that away from us. Literally. You dictate every moment of our lives and the second we do something you deem wrong you basically kill us. It's not right, Mobius."

"But you wouldn't even know…" Mobius tries to reason.

"That just makes it worse!" Loki screams, then lowers his voice when the TVA guards look their way. "Just the thought of living like a mindless puppet, controlled by the circus that is the TVA… trapped in an endless cycle… while you watch me like I am some sort of zoo attraction… my every move destined to fail no matter what I do, only for me to end up dead just a few years from now, before I've even really lived. I'm still young in Asgardian years, you know? It makes me sick. It's not a dignified existence. Especially for a God." The venom in Loki's voice is apparent and Mobius is taken aback by it.

He can't help but wonder when it had become his mission to peel off every layer of armor Loki had protected himself with to find the real person hiding beneath it all... but right now he kind of regrets it, because this honest and vulnerable version of Loki is getting to him.

"Loki. I..." He doesn't know what to say. For the first time ever, Mobius feels conflicted about what the TVA does. As if Loki can read his mind, he is quick to jump in.

"You don't have to say anything. I know the position you're in. I know you're not in charge, that there's nothing you can do. I'm just letting you know where my head is at right now."

"Loki..." Mobius' throat suddenly feels as dry as the desert, he can't even stomach the thought of Loki being pruned and his mind quickly comes up with an alternative. "Well... I guess we'll just have to find a way to keep you here indefinitely then. With me. Working with me, I mean. If you would like that?"

Loki seems genuinely surprised by this suggestion like he can't believe it's even an option. To be honest, Mobius isn't sure it is. He does have some pull with Ravonna, but no variant has ever stayed at the TVA for long. They are always either pruned or reset, there's been no in-between... until this particular variant arrived. Mobius is already running over the best ways he could sell the concept to his boss when he's brought back to reality by Loki speaking.

"I'm... partial to that idea, I guess. It's better than the other alternatives. But the question is... could you handle me as a permanent partner?" Loki asks with a soft twinkle in his eye and Mobius can't help but question if there's some underlying meaning to that statement or why that makes him feel warm inside. "And what will Renslayer say? She hates me. I am sure there's nothing she would want more than to get rid of me forever."

"You know just as well as I do, that I have her ear. One word from me and Ravonna would probably grant the request. We go back a long time." Mobius tries to sound more confident than he actually is. Why did he suggest this? Why does he care this much?

"Aww. Look at you... pulling strings for me. I'm touched." Loki pretends to swoon and grins at him.

"Okay. Settle down." Mobius can't help but smile back though. "It's a possibility, that's all I'm saying."

"Fine, I'll stop." He takes a sip of his coffee. "By the way... at your desk... that magazine..." It's random but also a total Loki move.

"Yeah? The one on jet skis?"

"Yes. Why do you have that?"

Mobius isn't sure if Loki is just trying to change the subject or if he really wants to know but he is desperate to talk about anything else than the topic they were just on, so he jumps on it. "Because they're awesome." Loki laughs a little at that and like magic, the tension between them breaks.

"I suppose they are."

It's not unexpected that Loki would agree on this. The demi-God was basically flying around on what could be classified as aerial jet skis in New York. Mobius is only a little jealous. Okay, a lot.

Their conversation has taken a bit of a left turn, but the Agent decides to let it happen because he could honestly talk about jet skis forever.

Besides, the Asgardian is an excellent conversationalist, and Mobius is not surprised when it turns out to be something Loki says that gives them their next clue. After all, this variant is as clever as they come… and Mobius would know. He's probably encountered every kind of Loki there is.

And although he would never admit it… out of all of them, this one is his favorite.

THE END