Chapter Text
More Pressing Matters
Mobius chased after Loki, though the circumstances were far more dire than their playful games. Loki hadn’t looked Mobius in the eyes since he kissed the man and Mobius kissed him back. Loki sent off his hawk with a conjured piece of dried meat and picked a direction to start walking. He decided along the way that he was heading to the royal stables. Mobius had yet to say a word behind him, and Loki couldn’t think of anything to say. Nothing, at least, that wouldn’t peel the skin back from his bones and expose a vulnerability Loki didn’t feel capable of surviving. Panic and nerves rattled at his system, and Loki inhaled deeply before entering the stables. No one had begun to panic, seeing as the royal family were the only people who Heimdall notified of the attack on Midgard. Loki was glad the frost giants weren’t invading Asgard, but as Midgard was a part of the nine realms his father conquered, attacking Midgard was practically a declaration of war.
Loki entered the stables and unclasped the latch of the stall holding his black stallion. He ran a soothing hand over her mane before leading her out.
“Is that…?”
Loki turned to see Mobius looking wide-eyed at the horse.
“My horse,” Loki said slowly, adjusting the saddle on her back.
“Sleipnir?”
“Oh no, that’s my father’s horse,” Loki said, “and yes, I am aware of the rumors. I did not, in fact, birth the eight-legged horse. It was a horrible rumor my brother started on Midgard.”
Loki led his mare, Svarta, out of the stable quickly, and Mobius trailed after him as he led her into the grass field outside the stables. It was a closed-off cliffside attached to the palace. The landscape cut off abruptly, towering over the lower levels of the palaces. A couple of other horses were in the field, incapable of escaping but content to graze and overlook the view.
“Oh,” Mobius said.
“Sleipnir was my father's horse long before I was born.” Loki hoisted his leg into the bridle and swung over the saddle. “I have no children.”
“I knew it was a rumor,” Mobius offered, “I just had never seen the horse before.”
Loki gave him a look, remembering that Mobius knew a lot about his life, having been assigned to his ‘case’. Quietly, Loki had come to the conclusion that Mobius must have interacted with a variant of himself or his timeline. He might even have pruned a variant of Loki before. It didn’t change the way Loki felt about him. If anything, it helped him understand Mobius better. How Mobius knew so much about him, why he felt so obligated to help, why Mobius was so hesitant despite showing clear signs of interest. There seemed to be a factor of guilt involved in the way Mobius treated him and the only explanation Loki could think of was that it involved something at the TVA. It was the only thing that made sense. Involuntarily, Loki remembered the look of shock on his face after Loki kissed him, the hesitation and the clear uncertainty that made Loki certain he had crossed a line and made a massive mistake. But then, Mobius pressed forward before Loki could hiss out an apology and left Loki’s head spinning from the passion of it. There was a desire there that Mobius was holding back. Loki just had to figure out how to drag it out of him.
Loki glanced away quickly, gathering himself.
“Well, you can pick any horse but that one and saddle it,” Loki said, gesturing towards the other horses that included the warrior four and his family’s steed.
“I don’t know how,” Mobius admitted, “I’ve never ridden a horse before.”
“Really?” Loki said, surprised, “I assumed since you traveled through time-“
“We weren’t exactly allowed to interact with the timeline.”
Loki offered his hand, and Mobius looked at it with hesitation. Loki said, “I’ll have to teach you, then. Later. At the moment, we have more pressing matters.”
He gestured with his hand again and Mobius took it. Easily, Loki pulled him up and Mobius sat on the saddle behind him. With a flick of his hand, Loki magicked it larger to accompany them both. Svarta whinnied softly at the additional weight, and Loki gave her a soothing pat. He urged her forward and within moments, they were bolting through the stable and down the hallways. Mobius let out a surprised yelp behind him and wrapped his arms around Loki’s waist, gripping him like a lifeline.
Loki glanced back at him to see if he was alright, but saw Mobius’s utter delight. Loki turned forward again, a small smile on his face as he raced out of the palace. Mobius let out a joyful laugh, and Loki heard the sound directly in his ear as Mobius’s arms clung around his middle. He was almost entirely distracted by Mobius that he nearly forgot about the grave circumstances of war as they galloped across the palace bridge and towards the Bifrost. As they came in contact with the luminescent bridge; however, Loki was reminded quite sharply why they were here. Mobius’s arms tightened around his waist as Svarta’s hooves cast echoes of color in their wake from the thrum of magic humming within the Bifrost.
Loki slowed their gallop to a trot and glanced back at Mobius. He hadn’t let go of Loki’s waist since they slowed down. If anything, he gripped Loki tighter.
“You alright?” Loki murmured.
“Hm?” His arms flexed around Loki’s hips. “Oh. Yeah. I’m fine.”
Loki caught him peering over the edge of the Bifrost and frowned.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Mobius said quietly, “Just not a big fan of…”
“Heights?” Loki finished when Mobius trailed off.
He hooked his chin over Loki’s shoulder. “Something like that.”
They came to a stop as they reached Heimdall, and Loki dismounted first so he could offer Mobius a hand to get down. The dismount was slightly awkward as Loki had to twist his legs around Mobius as he got off, but Mobius’s dismount was far more unsteady with his lack of experience. As Mobius’s feet hit the ground, they glanced at each other, making lingering eye contact before they hastily dropped their hands and stepped back.
“Heimdall, what’s the situation?” Loki said, seriously.
“The frost giants have invaded midgard, your highness,” Heimdall said cordially, looking out to the vastness of space. “They have invaded the place of Thor’s banishment with around two hundred jotun warriors.”
“Two hundred?” Loki repeated, aghast. “Against what army?”
Heimdall relayed, “The warrior four are defending the civilians as much as they are able, but they are quickly becoming overwhelmed.”
“What of my brother?” Loki asked, “He can destroy an army of one hundred in minutes.”
“Your brother is practically mortal now. He is without his strength and godhood until he becomes worthy,” Heimdall said.
Loki cursed under his breath. He watched as Heimdall’s eyes rapidly flickered back and forth, seeing something they could not.
“What? What is it?” Loki urged, “What do you see?”
“They are losing,” Heimdall said gravely.
Loki grabbed Heimdall’s arm, green seiðr lighting up his palm as he pushed his enchantment through to Heimdall’s mind, and in turn, his sight. Loki gasped and felt his eyes glow as his sight fell away and was replaced with what Heimdall saw.
Arizona was a desert land that was quickly becoming overrun with ice and frost. Half of the town’s buildings were encased in ice, and Loki saw midgardian civilian’s faces frozen with horror as they were trapped in the jagged ice. Heimdall’s sight jumped from the citizens to the warrior four. Each asgardian was engaged in combat with at least ten frost giants as the enemy tried to transform the desert into an arctic wasteland.
Thor was finally spotted, ushering a group of civilians away from the rapidly growing ice. He piled children into the bed of a Midgardian vehicle and stopped on a woman who was helping him. She slammed the door shut and yelled to the driver, “Drive!”
“Not yet!” Thor roared, stopping the driver from pressing the gas pedal as he yanked open the front door. Thor turned back to the woman. “Jane! You must leave with them.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Jane shook her head.
“You will not survive this, please, go with them-”
“They’re getting closer!” A child wailed from the back of the trunk. A frost giant shot a blast of ice toward the top of a building near them and part of the building tumbled down, smashing into the space near the civilians.
“We have to go! Is she getting on or not?” The driver barked.
Thor gave Jane a pleading look, and she stared back defiantly. After a beat, Thor launched forward and picked her up by her waist. Jane yelled, kicking and flailing at him as he lifted her and put her in the trunk of the truck. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him forward.
“Don’t die,” Jane demanded.
“Stay safe,” Thor responded instead.
The vehicle drove forward on the dusty road that had not yet been covered by ice. Thor watched the truck peel away, and Jane maintained eye contact with them. Behind him, explosions of ice and battle exploded and Thor turned around, holding a metal pipe that still had a piece of rubble attached to it.
He doesn’t stand a chance, Loki thought.
A frost giant caught sight of him as they were icing the roads and huffed frost around the protruding tucks in their mouth. Thor charged forward with a mighty war cry and ducked underneath the club the frost giant swung. Thor smashed down his weapon on their foot but it did little but break around their feet. He hesitated upon seeing his weapon demolished and the jotun backhanded Thor, sending him careening across the road. Face bloodied and bruised, Thor coughed as he pushed himself up on his elbows and watched in horror as the jotun sent an ice blast toward the truck in the distance.
“NO!” Thor roared as the ice hit the truck and sent out an explosion of ice and fire. “Jane!”
Loki gasped as he yanked away from Heimdall. The man jerked away from him with just as much force.
“Do not do that again,” Heimdall ordered as soon as they separated.
“Loki, what did you see?” Mobius urged, pulling Loki away from Heimdall and stepping between them, almost protectively.
“Heimdall’s right. He’s losing,” Loki said, “Dying, maybe.”
Mobius paled. “He’s what?”
“He’s dying. Mobius, you said he nearly died when he went against me but an entire fleet of frost giants?” Loki ran a hand through his hair, anxiously.
“He’ll be alright.” Mobius squeezed Loki’s shoulders.
“You don’t know that,” Loki said, “We changed things. What if-”
Loki took a step closer and lowered his voice, “What if me trying to be-“ good, the hero, somebody I’m not, “-this- is ruining everything?”
“Hey, don’t talk like that. Bad things are gonna happen regardless.” Mobius rubbed Loki’s shoulders and tilted his head. “All we can do is keep trying. I promise you turning to the dark side won’t make anything better.”
Loki huffed, almost a laugh, and gave Mobius a look. “I wasn’t going to.”
“I know,” Mobius said and his complete faith in Loki made him falter. Their gazes shifted nearly at the same time, falling down to their lips, and Mobius inhaled sharply and abruptly dropped his hands. Loki tried not to deflate in disappointment and shook away any distractions like feelings of longing and hurt. There were more pressing matters.
“So,” Mobius plastered a smile on his face, “what’s the plan, your highness?”
“Well, it's obvious he won’t win this battle without me,” Loki said and Mobius smiled at him fondly. Loki almost wanted to bask in that look but turned to Heimdall.
“There’s no time,” Loki said, “Heimdall, watch my steed. I’ll be back for her after the battle.”
Heimdall bowed his head in response, still looking slightly miffed that Loki enchanted him and borrowed his sight, or perhaps he always looked that way in Loki’s presence. Loki gave no warning as he grabbed Mobius’s arm to teleport them outside Odin’s bed chambers.
Instantly upon their arrival, Loki pulled Mobius behind a nearby tapestry, and Mobius stumbled after him. The momentum of teleporting kept Mobius moving until he was abruptly stopped by Loki’s body as they almost hit the wall in their haste to go unnoticed. Perhaps it wasn’t entirely an accident that Loki had to steady Mobius by grabbing his arms. The tapestry was around the corner so the guards had not spotted their arrival.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” Loki whispered almost directly into Mobius’s ear from their close proximity. “You’ll distract the guards, and I’ll slip into my father’s bed chambers.”
“Okay, yeah,” Mobius nodded, distractedly, and then frowned, “Wait, why?”
“I’m stealing my father’s scepter,” Loki whispered.
Mobius’s eyes widened. “Are you sure that’s-“
“Trust me,” Loki said and didn’t wait for Mobius to respond before he peered out of the tapestry to see the guards standing still as statues in front of his doors.
“Okay, on my count, you distract them. I’ll turn invisible and sneak past,” Loki said, “and keep watch for anyone else who may enter.”
Mobius hissed, “Keep watch? How am I supposed to-“
“Okay, let’s go.” Loki turned invisible.
“Loki, wait-“ Mobius stopped when he couldn’t see Loki any longer.
“What happened to counting down?” Mobius muttered and Loki smirked in amusement, though he waited for Mobius until he stepped out from the tapestry.
Invisible, Loki silently approached the guards while Mobius walked around the corner and approached him. They didn’t acknowledge his presence as Mobius grinned sunnily at them.
“Hey guys! Uh, I don’t think I caught your names?” Mobius started.
The guards did not respond.
“Right, well, my name's Mobius,” He continued, finding his footing. “And… I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m supposed to be escorted by a guard wherever I go.”
The guards glanced at each other.
“And as you can see,” Mobius chuckled and gestured around himself. “I don’t have any around. Kinda breaking the rules.”
“Where’s your guard?” One of them demanded. Both straightened impossibly further and gripped their weapons tighter.
Mobius gave an innocent shrug. “Lost ‘em. Did I also mention I’m good pals with Prince Loki? God of mischief? Yeah, we get along great. I think it’s our shared love for causing chaos and mischief.”
Loki almost snorted.
Mobius placed his hands on his hips. “You know what? It’s kinda nice being on my own, unsupervised. There are some places in the castle I haven’t checked out yet. ‘Restricted’ or whatever that means. I think I’ll just check them out.“
Mobius started to back up, gesturing backwards with his thumb.
“Wait,” A guard started.
Mobius stopped and glanced almost directly at Loki who was hovering near the doors. Then, he bolted.
“Halt!” The guard said and started to chase. The other guard stepped away from the door, distracted by the commotion enough for Loki to slip through the doors unnoticed.
He crept down the hallway, still invisible and entered Odin’s bedchambers. Odin was sleeping, safe in the magical dome of healing his mother cast over him. Loki’s breath caught in his chest at the fragile state he was in. Loki would never get used to seeing him like this. The last Odin sleep had been so long ago and short enough that they all could pretend it didn’t happen and go on as if they didn’t know their King’s immortal body was coming to its untimely end.
Odin’s scepter was standing tall in a stand next to his golden bed laden with furs. Loki tore his eyes away from his father’s face and let the mask of invisibility fall away. Careful footsteps echoed on cold stone as Loki stepped up to the bed and reached out a trembling hand towards his father’s scepter.
“The scepter will not get you closer to the throne,” Odin whispered.
Loki froze.
Slowly, he turned to his father who had his one eye cracked open and trained on him. Loki swallowed and found his voice.
“It’s not for the throne,” Loki said.
“Do you think this charade will give you all that you desire?” Odin asked.
Charade? Were all of Loki’s efforts nothing more than a trick to him? Was all his hard work diminished and mangled to merely a scheme of mischief and tricks? Loki knew that he was the God of Mischief but was it all he was confined to be? Couldn’t he be more than that?
“What is it that you desire?” Odin murmured, “The throne of Asgard? The fall of it?”
Loki only saw mistrust in his eyes. He knew that his father sensed the dark path that Loki was supposed to go down in the original timeline, but Loki hadn’t truly done anything to warrant such mistrust. Yes, he was going to, but he changed! He fixed it! Every mistake he made, Loki was trying to make up for. He was trying to be good! Why couldn’t Odin understand that?
“I never wanted the throne,” Loki hissed, “I just wanted to be Thor’s equal.”
“Ah,” Odin said, closing his eyes. “You seek to eliminate him from the competition. To end his life.”
“I seek to save it,” Loki snapped.
Odin frowned and his surprise was the most emotion Loki had seen on his face other than anger.
“You cannot save him,” Odin said, “This is a battle he needs to fight on his own.”
“He’s dying,” Loki said. Odin’s face remained the same.
“You know.” Loki realized. “Your only son is dying, don’t you care?”
“I cannot help him,” Odin said, “And neither can you.”
Loki balked in shock.
Thor had always been the chosen one. He was the favorite and even though he was banished, Mobius told him of how Thor remained Odin’s favorite through time and eventually became king over their fallen people. Thor always had Odin’s favor, his attention, his trust. It came so easy to him and Loki chased and chased for years like a dog on a bone trying to understand why Odin didn’t love him as much as he loved Thor. Something inherent about Loki was just so much harder to love than Thor was and yet, Odin refused to help the golden child, the true heir, the firstborn son. He refused to let Loki help. Odin rejected the hand offered to him just because it was Loki asking. Odin truly must hate me, Loki thought and his face hardened, and he was never going to listen.
Loki wrapped his fingers around the scepter and carefully lifted it out of its holder.
“You cannot stop me from trying.” Loki stared down his nose at Odin.
He would never have the trust and approval of his father, but Thor didn’t have to suffer because of it. His brother may be arrogant and selfish, but he didn’t deserve to die because of that mistake. Maybe on the sacred timeline, it was Thor’s battle to fight, maybe it was easier to win because it was against Loki. Whatever it may be, Loki and Mobius had changed things and Loki wasn’t going to risk being the reason his brother died in this timeline, like he was in so many others. He wasn’t going to let his father’s stubbornness stop him. It was as simple as knowing that in most timelines, Thor and Loki were supposed to kill each other that Loki wanted to deviate from that script. How dare some space lizards and a seven thousand-year-old dictator control his life?
Perhaps both of them would never be worthy in their father’s eyes. And Loki, who thought all this time that Thor always was, felt a sort of kinship with him that he hadn’t felt since they were children. Odin didn’t trust Loki to fix his mistake of letting the frost giants into the weapon’s vault and attacking Jotunhiem, but Loki had a chance to right his wrongs and prove himself to the people who mattered. The people who truly cared about him.
Loki took the scepter and Odin let him go.
It was dark and cold and Thor didn’t know where he was. He came to ringing and the sounds of battle, a sound so familiar he heard it in his dreams. Now it felt like a nightmare.
“Jane?” Thor couldn’t hear the sound of his own voice. He roared until he could, “JANE!”
He groped through the rubble, fingernails breaking against the frozen stone. He found her unconscious, lying with rubble over her legs. Thor immediately shoved his hands underneath the stone and strained against the weight of it. His mortal body toiled against his immortal mind and will, confined to pain and weakness. Thor managed to lift the rock off and let it collapse near her feet. He panted, head ringing with pain and lifted Jane’s unconscious body into his arms. He had to get her to safety. He had already accepted that this battle might be his last, but if nothing else, Jane must live on. She had so much work and research she still had to do! More wonders to discover! He would never forgive himself if this kind, amazing mortal did not live her life as long as she was able. Thor had run to the explosion, but Jane and the truck had been blown into a nearby convenience store by an icy blast. When Thor went to find her, the beast had sent another strong blast into his back, knocking him unconscious.
Thor stumbled through the broken remains of the building towards the shattered windows. The same brute that shot the blast ducked into the windows, grinning with its ugly, tusk-like teeth. Thor stumbled in the opposite direction, holding Jane tightly to his chest. He couldn’t hide fast enough and he heard the whirling magical sound of a jagged ice spike gathering at their fingertips. Thor turned around and held up a hand.
“Now wait, wait. Where is your honor?” Thor demanded, “She isn’t a soldier.”
“You carry the corpse like it matters,” the frost giant taunted, “Don’t worry, you’ll join her soon.”
Thor turned and fled, but he knew it would not be fast enough to avoid the attack. An ice spike embedded in the ground next to him as Thor dodged it and stumbled again, feeling frost creep up his neck at the proximity.
Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed as another entity dropped into it. Thor shielded Jane protectively with his body and slowly looked up as the dust settled. It was the Destroyer. Dread settled into Thor’s bones. He could not fight off two monsters, one of which was unkillable, in this mortal body. The Destroyer stared at him, its eyes glowing red and Thor wondered if this was the last moment he would be alive.
The frost giant sent an ice spike into the Destroyer's chest and the machine slowly turned to the jotun. Its chest opened, burning a furnace and melted the spike into nothing. It raised its hand and blasted the beast away in one blow. Thor felt hope for one moment, thinking that his father had come for him, to save him. Only his father had access to the Destroyer, controlling it by his scepter.
And then Thor remembered. Loki was trying to take the throne.
The Destroyer turned back to him and approached. The steps were slow and calculating and it exuded a threatening aura. Thor knew instantly that it was controlled by his brother- someone he trusted so thoroughly until his friends told him the truth. Loki had staged the frost giant attack that led to his banishment and was rapidly making changes to prepare Asgard for war. A war that Loki instigated and wanted to fight. He made sure to get rid of Thor so he could prove himself worthy of the throne and conquer the frost giants through the bloodshed of their people. His betrayal stung even deeper than the wound of his father’s banishment.
He gently lay Jane on the ground and brushed away the hair from her forehead. Quickly, he rose and stood in front of the monster.
“Brother,” Thor croaked, “Whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent.”
The machine controlled by Loki didn’t show signs of stopping or acknowledgment. Thor faltered for a second, falling on his back foot as it approached. He cast a look at Jane a couple of feet behind him and then turned back to the Destroyer, taking a couple of hasty steps forward.
Thor grew more desperate, “I beg of you, spare them. Taking their lives will gain you nothing, so if you have come here for vengeance, take mine, and end this.”
He knelt down a far distance from Jane, hoping to distract Loki from her with his own sacrifice. Thor stared into metal, empty eyes, praying he was getting through to his brother, that he would find the goodness in there that he hoped he still had.
“Brother, I know you don’t want to do this,” Thor pleaded.
Its eyes burned red and the metal folded open as it prepared to shoot a beam of fire from its face. Thor winced from the heat that emanated from it and turned his head slightly, bracing for the inevitable blow. At the last minute, the Destroyer lifted its head and shot a beam out behind Thor. Thor whipped around to see a frost giant creeping behind some fallen shelves. The jotun dissolved in an instant as the ray touched it.
Thor let out a gasp of relief and met the gaze of the destroyer. It gave him a lingering look and held out its hand as if to say ‘Stay.’
He watched it fly into the air, fighting frost giants alongside the warrior four and felt a smile tug at his bruised and bloody face.
“I knew there was still good in you.”
In the distance, a hammer crackled through the sound barrier.
Mobius and Frigga found Loki sitting on the stairs in the weapon’s vault, scepter dangling in a loose grip as he stared at the glowing blue of the casket. The Destroyer had been returned to Asgard by the Bifrost after the frost giants retreated. His father’s weapon turned the tide of the battle as its exterminating heat blasted through their ice. Though the Warriors Five and Midgardians were outnumbered, the frost giants invaded a desert land that already put them at a disadvantage. Without the casket, their ice powers were limited and easily ran dry as they dehydrated from the Arizona heat and the Destroyer’s fiery destruction. Through the scepter’s power and enchantment, Loki controlled the machine and tore through as many jotun as Thor had that fateful day they attacked Jotunhiem. With every blast he shot, Loki felt a little more sick to his stomach. He was familiar with the intensity and horror of battle. Loki just never expected to be torn between two sides of it.
Jotunhiem was not his home no more than the frost giants were his family, but… Loki came from Jotunheim. He looked like its people and he knew a fraction of their customs and traditions thanks to Mobius. Battle was supposed to be honorable, and Loki knew he was doing the right thing, protecting innocent lives from slaughter, but he wondered if, on another timeline, he would have fought on the other side of this war.
A warm hand settled on his shoulder, prompting Loki to look up at his mother. He dropped his fist from where it was resting over his mouth and murmured, “Mother.”
“Are you alright?” she asked, “Is…”
“Thor is alive,” Loki said, numbly, “The battle is won. He is… worthy once more.”
Frigga couldn’t help the relieved smile that broke across her face. Loki turned away so he could not see it and felt Frigga squeeze his shoulder.
“Thank you, Loki,” His mother said, and insistently tugged until he begrudgingly stood. She pulled him into her embrace and Loki sighed, melting into it. His mother, at least, was proud of him, even if Odin thought him the villain still.
Loki pulled back and glanced at Mobius, opening his mouth to ask where he had been but frowned when he saw a bruise forming on Mobius’s cheek.
“You’re hurt,” Loki said and acted without thought.
He strode forward to cup Mobius' jaw and tilted it so he could examine the strike. His cheekbone was slightly raised and red, purple beginning to form on the skin. Mobius tilted his head accommodatingly but seemed reluctant to be fussed over, face flushed with embarrassment.
“You should see the other guy,” Mobius joked.
“What happened?” Loki asked and begrudgingly released his face.
“The guards gave me a run for my money,” Mobius chuckled, “Good thing you had me running so much. Otherwise, I would have ended up in that cell much sooner.”
“They put you in a cell?” Loki asked with a dangerous clip to his voice.
Frigga squeezed his shoulder. “I got him out. The guards reported his ‘crimes’ to me. I told them to not bother Mobius anymore.”
“A scolding? They should be flogged for harming him! Do they know who he is?” Loki snapped, and Mobius put his hands up placatingly.
“Hey, it’s alright. No punishment necessary. I was egging them on, so it’s my fault-”
“I was the one who asked you to distract them. I should’ve just-”
“It’s okay, Loki. You got the scepter and saved all those people. And your brother. So it was worth it.” Mobius leaned in to whisper, “And it's not like he’s the only one who landed a punch.”
Loki gave Mobius a reprimanding look, still not entirely convinced he shouldn’t act on the rage simmering just below the surface, but amused nonetheless.
“Did you happen to get their names?” Loki asked darkly.
“They were just doing their jobs,” Mobius said, almost scoldingly, and Loki tsked. He’d find out their names sooner or later and make sure they never had such a prestigious position as guarding Odin's chambers ever again.
Glancing at his mother he saw her looking at him with fond amusement, but her expression quickly sobered as it fell to the scepter in Loki’s hand. He straightened, pushing away the guilt from stealing his father's most prized and powerful weapon, and offered it to her.
“It served its purpose,” Loki murmured, “I have no further need for it.”
Frigga did not take it. “Keep it.”
“I stole it from him,” Loki explained, feeling the same loathing shame he always felt when he confessed his mischief to his mother. Loki would tell Odin anything but the truth to avoid his disappointment, but Frigga always had a way of pulling the truth out of him.
Loki went on, “He did not give me his blessing.”
“No, but you have mine,” Frigga said.
Loki’s mouth fell open in shock. Did this mean she truly trusted him? She wanted him to take the throne?
“I- I can’t,” Loki managed.
Frigga slid her hands up Loki’s shoulders and turned him to face her fully. Loki tried to avoid eye contact but felt himself compelled to look into the determined blue of her eyes. Before he knew the truth, he always thought he had his mother’s eyes.
“Loki,” Frigga murmured, “Odin has fallen into the Odinsleep-“
Loki winced, turning away with guilt. He knew it was his doing that caused his father to lose the last of his strength. Even when he resisted confronting his father about his true heritage, letting the wound fester and build, it seemed he still was doomed to cause his father’s downfall. Part of him was glad. Part of him thought Odin deserved it- all the simmering rage and hate and pain bubbling over Loki’s skin. All his life Loki had never been blameless and he didn’t think he ever would be. He was catastrophically bad at making good decisions.
Frigga stubbornly kept him turned towards her and ducked her head slightly to catch his downward gaze, glued to the floor.
“We need you. The kingdom needs you to take his place. The throne falls to you-“
“Thor will be back,” Loki's voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Thor will be back to reclaim his throne. I am not needed.”
“You are always needed,” Frigga said and Loki refused to cry, blinking back the welling heat behind his eyes.
“I-“
“I have seen the work you have been doing for our people,” Frigga said, “The care you have for them. You are becoming the king they need you to be.”
She placed her hands over the loose grip Loki had on the scepter, tightening his grasp and lifting it to stand proudly in front of him. Her eyes shone with pride and Loki’s vision swam as she bowed her head slightly and then back up.
“My king,” she cupped his cheek, “my son. We will follow whatever decision you choose.”
Loki met her gaze and inhaled, slowly bringing himself to his full height. He looked at the scepter in his hands, feeling the heavy weight of it. All his life, Loki was never trustworthy. Any trust he did have was broken and in turn, responsibilities were lifted from his shoulders. Futilely, he tried to convince himself that he liked that lack of responsibility. It was easy. There was no one he could disappoint if they never believed in him in the first place. Responsibilities were daunting and with them came the threat of failure, something that hit harder than any strike. Rationalizing it, however, did little to rid him of the gaping ache he felt at its absence. The absence of trust. Now that he had it, Loki knew he couldn’t break the fragile thing cupped in his hands but feared he somehow would.
“We will make a treaty with the frost giants,” Loki said, finding his confidence somewhere in the middle of the sentence, “We will end this war before it has begun.”
Frigga smiled warmly at Loki, but Mobius made a small sound of uncertainty behind him.
“Wait, you still want to?” Mobius hedged, “Even after the battle?”
Loki turned to him, remembering Mobius was standing next to them, watching the interaction.
“I thought we wanted to avoid the war,” Loki said slowly.
“Right, but how are we even going to convince them to stop fighting after a battle like that?” Mobius asked.
While it would be difficult, Loki had been thinking about it for a while now, since he tore down the wall enslaving the Dunilae. Loki lifted his chin slightly.
“We offer them something they can’t refuse.”
Mobius furrowed his brows at the answer, but his confusion quickly cleared as realization struck. They all looked at the casket.
Frigga squeezed Loki’s shoulder and excused herself to leave the weapon’s vault and left the two of them staring at each other, tensely.
“Loki… If we give them their most powerful weapon, they’ll just invade us,” Mobius said, slowly.
“So we don’t give it to them,” Loki replied, “We just help them with it.”
Mobius’s voice rose with frustration, “Help them with it-? Loki— even bringing the casket to jotunheim risks way too much! If they get their hands on it, they’ll have a better advantage against us.”
“You agreed to form a treaty just days ago,” Loki protested, “Why are you reacting like this?”
“I did but-“
“The only way they’ll even consider listening to us is if we give them something they need: help,” Loki implored, “And we can’t do that without the powers of the casket.”
He saw the ruins of the world he was born to. Skeletal buildings that whispered the ghost of their greatness to the wind that forever howled there. Red, angry eyes that bitterly spoke of what the war took from them and what they had lost. Laufey sat on his decaying throne and seethed with revenge. He and his people had nothing to lose because they lost the source of their power and greatness and war was a sure way to rebuild a fallen civilization or annihilate it entirely. If Loki could offer a peaceful alternative to rebuilding their kingdom then they wouldn’t need war to return to greatness.
“It’s not safe.” Mobius turned around and began to pace. “If it doesn’t work-“
He knew this was what he had to do. Since he had been born and smuggled over to Asgard, it had been his purpose. It was difficult to accept the idea that he had been taken only as a tool and souvenir. Insurance, just in case Odin needed to use him. Despite the bile that rose in his throat at the thought, Loki had always excelled in pretending he wasn’t constantly trying to win the favor of his father’s approval. If he was to be a tool at least he could be a bridge. If he was to be a weapon, let him at least foster peace. And maybe, just maybe, his father would finally be proud of him. Maybe he could be the hero everyone never thought he could be.
“We have to try,” Loki said, firmly.
“No, we have to think!” Mobius whirled around, agitated.
“I am!” Loki snapped.
“I don’t know what happens in this timeline!” Mobius burst.
Loki stopped, taken aback, and Mobius saw his shocked expression and looked away as if ashamed.
He spoke in a lower tone. “I don’t know what could happen. Nothing like this has ever happened on any timeline. I’ve studied hundreds of timelines, but I don’t know what will happen on this one. I don’t have access to my files, my tempad-”
Loki stepped closer to him, hands spread apart. “Mobius, that is life on the timeline. You don’t know what will happen. You have to- to take the risk. To jump when you’re not certain of where you will land.”
“Maybe the risk isn’t worth it then,” Mobius argued.
“Not worth it?” Loki scoffed, “Peace isn’t worth the risk? The welfare of Asgard and its people isn’t worth it to you?”
Mobius' entire body thrummed with frustration. “You don’t understand. Actions have consequences that snowball into things that can change the entire timeline.”
“I am well aware-“
“Just think about it, Loki. You’re a frost giant and the Prince of Asgard. You’re siding with Asgard! Why would they trust you? You want to help but what if they don’t want your help? They’re angry right now and dangerous-“
“Mobius, it’s worth the risk if we can have peace-“
“Not if you die!”
Mobius looked away immediately, eyes swimming with concern and Loki softened when he understood. Mobius was worried about Loki. In any other circumstance, Loki might take offense. Concern stemmed from a place of uncertainty, typically uncertainty in Loki himself or his abilities. But Mobius looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet as if kicking himself. Loki had never seen him so… disconcerted. Unraveled. Overwrought. Since he had met the man, he was in a constant state of steadiness. Mobius was a pillar to attach his gaze to when everything seemed to spin around him. Now Mobius looked as if he would unravel at the seams with worry. It was so sudden that Loki could not tell if the unraveling had always been there or if Loki just could not see it until now. It was for him and Loki couldn’t help but swell with affection for him.
“Mobius…” Loki murmured.
“They could take you and— I don’t know. Something could happen.” The muscles in Mobius’s jaw ground together as he looked at the casket, glowing blue at the end of the hallway.
Loki tried to reassure him, “It’s okay, Mobius, I-“
Mobius cut in, “Something bad could happen, and I couldn’t- I couldn’t fix it. I’m not strong or powerful like you.
“You don’t have to be-“
“I know the future, sure, but you’ve seen me with a sword. I’m not a god. I’m just some guy. If something were to happen-”
“You’re not just some guy,” Loki said firmly, “You’re my advisor. And I need your help making a plan.”
Loki waited for Mobius to turn back to him and watched his eyes soften as they landed on Loki’s face.
“Will... you help me?” Loki asked, vulnerability tingling on his skin in an irritated sting as he waited for Mobius’s answer.
“We have to be smart about this,” Mobius said and it was an answer in and of itself.
Loki felt himself smile. “We will.”
Mobius exhaled and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before his worried gaze landed on Loki. “Okay.”
“Perhaps you had a point,” Loki said through gritted teeth.
The hand steering them through the halls squeezed their arm reassuringly. As Mobius and Loki walked to the front gates of the palace, they both bumped shoulders and hovered much closer than a King and their advisor would normally walk together. Loki was grateful for the contact.
“Don’t pay any attention to them,” Mobius said, “You look great.”
Loki was adorned in regal wear fit for a ruler. They chose not to wear their helmet to avoid big gestures of grandeur and arrogance that Loki had been intentionally wearing the horns for that very purpose. Instead, they wore a smaller crown with smaller horns to display their position of royalty but without the intention to impress or show off. Mobius advised them that approaching the jotun with a healthy mix of pride and humility would encourage the frost giants to take Loki seriously. Their usual green cape was replaced with a white fur cape over their black leather tunic with a crossing pattern and leather pants. The black attire was accented with green and gold on their forearms and sides. Black and green draped around their waist like an open skirt and trailed behind their fur-lined black boots as they walked. They wore an outfit fit for a ruler but Loki was more concerned about the blue hue of their jotun form and the eyes trailing after them.
Loki sucked a breath in and exhaled shakily. “I’m sure they'll think the frost giants have taken over Asgard, with me as their traitorous leader.”
Loki glanced around the staff of the palace flocking to the side of the vast hallways, watching as they approached the front gates of the palace. The grand golden doors were closed as they approached the small army of twenty soldiers organized in a diamond formation in front of the closed doors.
“Nah, that’s the wrong timeline,” Mobius whispered with a grin.
Loki shot him an amused look. As Loki walked around the soldier's horses, they came to the sidelines and a nearby child gasped in fright at Loki’s appearance, seeing the monster under their bed for the first time, walking in broad daylight. Loki winced at the reproachful and fearful faces staring back at them and couldn’t help but regret their decision to advance in their jotun form. They intended to display their confidence in creating a treaty with the frost giants and show that this was the reason they had been adopted by Odin in the first place, but no matter Loki’s intentions, it always tended to get twisted.
Mobius took their hand and squeezed.
“You can always change back if you don’t feel comfortable,” Mobius whispered, “No shame in it.”
Loki exhaled sharply. “Yes, there is,” but Loki squeezed Mobius’s hand back.
Mobius huffed in amusement and gave Loki a proud smile. He swiped his thumb across a raised marking on the back of Loki’s hand.
Loki had never been a tactile person. Their brother tended to be overbearing in his affection and both his rage, and Loki learned to shift away from anything tactile, finding it slightly too overwhelming. They craved the warmth of their father’s hand on their shoulder but learned to never expect it. And only ever felt comfortable with the small warm touches their mother offered: a pat on their cheek or hand, a short hug, a brush through their hair. In their frost giant form, Loki still feared that one small touch would burn the hand that dared to comfort them, but craved the quiet validation of it still. It was such a simple gesture, but Mobius didn’t shy away from the very real threat that Loki’s skin presented. Mobius was well aware their touch could burn human flesh and ice it over in seconds. Even when ice did creep over Mobius’s skin, he didn’t flinch nor recoil from Loki, choosing still to reach out and offer that modicum of comfort.
Regretfully, Loki pulled away from Mobius’s hand as they mounted Svarta at the front of the diamond formation. Behind them, Mobius only struggled slightly to mount his horse. Taking a deep breath to steel themself, Loki urged Svarta forward and the towering golden doors opened as they trotted forward.
The secret of Loki’s heritage had already been exposed in the arena and the citizens knew their king fell into the Odinsleep while they were on the brink of war. They knew of the battle on Midgard and Loki’s plan to offer a treaty of peace to the frost giants before they attacked Jotunheim in retaliation. Loki decided to adorn their frost giant form and despite originally thinking it would be a wise strategy, their heart thundered in their ears as a crowd of citizens lining the streets watched a frost giant lead an Asgardian army out of the palace. They kept their head forward and steady, ignoring the gasps of shock and disgust from the crowd and murmured whispers of disdain and horror. Undoubtedly, they suspected Loki had schemed their way into a leadership position and surely would lead them all to their deaths. The citizens may be right, but Loki endeavored to prove them wrong.
Once they cantered through the city streets, they galloped across the Bifrost, leading the small army through the gates. Loki rode with one hand on the reins and the other holding up Odin’s heavy golden scepter, their cape and skirt flying in the wind behind them. As they arrived, the soldiers stayed on their steeds while Loki and Mobius dismounted. Loki never did get around to teaching Mobius how to ride a horse, so they were impressed that Mobius just picked it up by watching Loki. It helped that the steed Loki chose for Mobius was an older, calmer horse that knew what she was doing and would gallop with the rest of the horses and slow down when Svarta slowed to a trot.
Heimdall bowed at their approach and put his hand over his chest with the action. “My king.”
Loki faltered for a second, unused to being addressed in such a way, but quickly fixed his stride.
“Heimdall, we request safe passage to Jotunheim-“ Loki stopped talking as the Bifrost behind Heimdall lit up. They realized belatedly that Heimdall had his sword in the center of the Bifrost, activating the interdimensional device that traveled through space and time.
Before Loki could ask who used the Bifrost before them, the warrior four, three humans, and Thor all appeared in the Bifrost. Loki felt Mobius’s hand on their back as their entire body stiffened at the sight of Thor in battered human clothing with his hammer in his hand. The new arrivals took in the army of twenty behind Loki, and Loki themself in their blue frost giant form and Odin’s scepter in their hand. Loki could only feel a split second of dread before Thor’s jovial face shifted to one of righteous anger, directed entirely at Loki.
“Loki!” Thor roared, anger, contorting his features. Loki knew what it looked like. Betrayal, mutiny, treason. If they knew Thor would arrive at the exact moment Loki was leaving, they would have left earlier.
Loki lifted their hands, “Brother, I can ex-“
Mjolnir flew towards Loki before they could finish their sentence and Loki braced themself for the inevitable, painful impact of the star-crafted metal. Only, the impact came from the side as Mobius shoved Loki out of the way. Mobius stepped in front of the hammer’s trajectory and held up his staff to brace against the blow. His shove was only enough to make them stumble, but Loki wiped their head around to see the hammer crack through the staff and send the two pieces of it flying. It slammed into Mobius’s arm and propelled him backward until he hit the walls of the Bifrost, pinned.
“Mobius!” Loki cried out as the hammer fell, pulled towards gravity and released Mobius. He fell with it, arm dangling limply by his side. Loki ran to his side and slid to their knees, hands hovering uselessly over him. The scepter dropped to the ground next to Loki.
“You okay?” Mobius ground out, clearly in pain.
“You foolish man!” Loki yelled, “Why did you do that? You can’t withstand my brother’s hammer.”
Mobius wrinkled his nose, face pale with pain. “Just a little dislocation.”
“Mobius!” Loki hissed and gently reached out to lift Mobius’s arm. Instantly, he winced, and Loki softened their touch even further, feeling for broken bones. As they trailed their fingers up Mobius’s arm, they stopped at his shoulder, feeling the instant swelling and detachment.
“It’s more than dislocation, the bones are fractured, if not shattered-” Loki said, worry coloring their tone.
Behind them, Thor approached, apprehensively. “Loki-”
Loki wiped their head around and growled, “Stay. Back.”
The warrior five and the three mortals that followed him hovered behind Thor, but approached nonetheless, forming a half circle around them that Loki only registered as a threat.
“But-” Thor took a step forward, reaching out, perhaps to grab his hammer, the scepter, or Mobius, they didn’t know. They didn’t care.
Loki spat, “Take a step further and I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the vultures. Do not try me, brother.”
Loki could feel rage simmering through their entire body, manifesting in the tusks beginning to poke at their lips as they snarled and the ice emanating from their fingertips. Anyone who dared touch Mobius or Loki would have their skin charred with frostbite and a dagger in their side. The guards hovering in the doorway hesitated, uncertain whether to attack Thor or Loki. They had all drawn their weapons, but Loki focused their attention back to Mobius who was silently suffering the pain of a shattered shoulder.
They hovered their body over Mobius in a protective shield and glowered at Thor who looked as startled as he was confused. Thor took a step back and did not attempt to lift the hammer at Mobius’s feet. It was in Loki’s way as they stepped over it to reach Mobius’s wounded side and they gripped the handle, grunting with the weight, and tossed the hammer as far as they could, ignoring the protests from Thor and his friends. It landed only a couple of feet away from them, but Loki didn’t care as they turned back to Mobius and used their seiðr to remove the sleeve of his shirt. With green slices of magic, Loki cut away the sleeve of Mobius’s thick coat and tunic to inspect the red and puffy skin. The force of a hammer so strong and meant to hurt a god like Loki was strong enough to shatter the bones of a mortal. Mobius was lucky it had not hit his chest, let alone his heart. Loki shuddered at the thought and cursed the fragility of this precious mortal in front of them.
“It’s not too bad-” Mobius tried.
“Mobius, shut up,” Loki muttered and trailed their icy fingers over the bare skin of Mobius’s shoulder, looking for the precise place where it disconnected. Mobius almost sighed at the cool touch on his skin flaming with upset nerves.
“Okay,” Loki breathed, “I’m going to heal the shattered pieces-”
“Pieces?” Mobius repeated, “Maybe that’s why it hurts so much.”
“Yes, pieces, plural.” Loki said shortly, “And then I’m going to set your shoulder. It’s going to hurt, but I’ll return you to the palace where my mother can provide pain medication.”
“What? No! I’m not going back to-” Mobius cut himself off with a grunt of pain and slammed his head back against the wall as green seiðr emanated from Loki’s hands and began to draw the shattered pieces of bone back to their rightful place.
Mobius gripped Loki’s other hand in a death grip, prompting Loki to whisper, “I know. I know. It will hurt just for a moment more. You’re being so brave.”
Loki visualized the pieces connecting to their proper place and silently thanked their mother for forcing them to memorize human anatomy and study healing, despite their disdain for the subject. Finally, Loki sealed each shattered piece together using seiðr as the glue between the pieces.
Their eyes popped open to see Mobius’s face screwed up in pain as he breathed heavily through his nose.
“Good job,” Loki praised softly, “The worst is over. Now I can set it and you should be back to normal-“
“The man is mortal?” Thor asked from behind them, and Loki wordlessly snarled at him.
Refusing to answer, Loki ignored Thor as they placed their hands in the right position to begin to push Mobius’s arm back into his socket.
“Unfortunately,” Mobius huffed a weak laugh up at Thor, and Loki shot Mobius a reproachful look.
Loki counted down to three while Mobius was distracted and popped the dislocated arm into place. Mobius grunted, sounding angry for a second before he exhaled slowly and looked at Loki.
“Thank you,” Mobius puffed out, “I thought I was gonna lose my arm there.”
Loki stood. “You almost did.” They turned to Thor, “Because you threw your hammer first and asked questions second!”
“How was I supposed to know the mortal would protect you?” Thor argued.
“I shouldn’t need protecting from my own brother!” Loki snapped back.
Thor sputtered and gestured behind them. “You have an army! And are wearing the face of the monsters who attacked us!”
Loki felt themself flinch against their will.
“Don’t talk to them like that,” Mobius said behind them and Loki turned to see Mobius propping himself up against a wall to stand and glaring at Thor. Loki instantly helped Mobius up and braced him with an arm around his back.
“Who are you?” Thor demanded.
Mobius pushed himself up to his full height and cradled his wounded arm to his chest before he stepped slightly in front of Loki to stare up at Thor with an unimpressed look.
“I’m King Loki’s advisor,” Mobius said, “I’d shake your hand but….”
Thor looked at Loki. “King?!”
“Yes,” Mobius replied.
“Temporarily,” Loki answered, at the same time. They shot Mobius a look and grabbed his good arm to pull him back slightly from where he stood challengingly in front of Thor.
“While Odin sleeps, the throne falls to me-“
“To you?” Thor almost laughed, “Loki, I know not what tricks you have pulled over mother and father’s eyes, but you do not fool me.”
“There are no tricks,” Loki growled, “I am a-”
I am a frost giant!
They faltered, the words drying up as soon as Loki tried to speak them. Loki swallowed and tried to find a way to say the truth. Suddenly, Loki couldn’t bear to see Thor’s face transform into more hate and disgust than he already wore.
“You have betrayed us! The warrior four told me of your nefarious plans-“
“Nefarious plans,” Loki scoffed, “And what would they be? Securing our borders? Protecting our people? Preparing for war?”
“A war you started!”
Loki balked, “I’m not responsible for father’s actions!”
“No, and you never take the responsibility for your own, do you?” Thor growled, approaching.
“I don’t take responsibility? Who saved your life down on Midgard?!”
“You betrayed me! All of us!” Thor said, gesturing to the warrior four behind him.
“I never asked to be one of them!” Loki hissed.
Thor’s face furrowed in confusion though his facial expression landed on anger. “Stop these games and tricks, Loki. Take off the face of our enemies and stop this war.”
“I’m trying,” Loki gasped out, feeling panic claw at their throat.
Rapidly, Loki tried to shed their jotun form to at least get rid of the stares of disgust but found that they couldn’t. Each attempt left Loki as blue as they were this morning when they confided with Mobius that they wanted to wear their jotun form to the peace treaty meeting.
They were all staring at Loki, disdain, disgust and fear written on their faces. Jane, that mortal girl Thor loved, looked at Loki like they were a monster, and Loki felt their throat close up with panic. Even Sif and Fandral looked confused, hurt, and angry. They thought Loki a monster. They thought Loki was playing pretend, choosing to look like this and in a way, Loki was. It was a choice that Loki now regretted as their breaths came fast and hard.
Thor took a step forward, hammer raised threateningly and Loki took a step back. They had the fleeting thought that Thor might try to hammer the blue out of them- or that they would kill them if he knew the truth- that this was Loki’s true face and it was disgusting.
Mobius stepped completely in front of Loki and with his free hand unsheathed the dagger Loki gifted him at the arena and held it up to Thor, stopping him in his place. Thor stopped, more confused than threatened and once Loki saw him stop his advancement, turned to flee. Loki knew better than anyone when to make an escape and darted for the exit, intending to push through the small army they brought with them.
“Hey, hey,” Mobius stopped Loki by grabbing their arm and tugging Loki to face him. The dagger was safely pointed away from Loki and he quickly sheathed it as they stood a fair distance away from Thor and his friends.
“It’s okay. Don’t leave,” Mobius whispered, “We can still fix this. We just have to explain-“
“They’re all looking at me like I’m a monster,” Loki squeezed out of their constricting lungs, blinking rapidly.
Loki glanced at the crowds, both staring at them, watching them, pinning them to this confined space. None of them believed in Loki. No one trusted them or thought them worthy of the scepter Loki held in a tight-knuckled grip. Their brother instantly assumed the worst of Loki and maybe he was right. Maybe Loki was a monster and traitor. Maybe this wasn’t the right thing to do at all.
“No, you’re not a monster,” Mobius said, and Loki shook their head, “You’re not. Remember? Remember what I told you about them?”
Loki could feel themself panicking and hated it, hated the weakness that welled up behind their eyes and the stares. Gods, the stares. They could all see Loki breaking down like this and they were supposed to be the ruler. They were supposed to be strong and here they were, hyperventilating because their brother said some mean things to them.
“Hey, look at me, Loki, don’t look at them,” Mobius said, cupping Loki’s cheek to turn it back to Mobius’s warm stare. He was still a bit pale from pain and Loki could see the pinch in his face and felt a well of guilt bubble up behind their eyes. A tear slipped down their cheek.
“Breathe, Loki, take a deep breath,” Mobius ordered and it was as if there was a bubble over their ears, muffling any clarity.
Loki just shook their head, feeling their breaths come faster and tried to make themself as small as possible. If they couldn’t see Loki, if Loki held very still, if they didn’t breathe, then no one would be able to tell how unstable Loki was, how loud their breathing was, how terror raced through their veins.
“Deep breaths. Watch me. Don’t look at them, watch me, okay? You’re doing so good,” Mobius took exaggerated breaths and it was so obvious that he was trying to calm Loki down that it made Loki feel impossibly worse knowing everyone could see.
“I can’t,” Loki hissed.
“You can,” Mobius assured as he was so sure that Loki could when it seemed impossible that Loki would ever take a normal breath again.
“I want to change back,” Loki ground out and it was almost a whine with how little breath they had in their lungs.
“You will,” Mobius said. A fact. Truth that could not be reasoned with. “You’ll change back, Loki. Just focus on your breathing for now, and it will make it easier.”
Loki shook their head again, looking down, and Mobius gently nudged their head back up. “Just look at me, look at my nose. It’s a big old thing, you can’t miss it. It’s got this gash in it ‘cause I broke it a couple of times. You see it.”
“I see it,” Loki managed.
“Okay, good,” Mobius praised, “Did I ever tell you how I got it?”
“No,” Loki whispered.
“Well, it’s a funny story, actually. Want me to tell it to you?” Mobius asked.
“Yes,” Loki exhaled.
“Okay, well, that’s unfortunate ‘cause I actually don’t remember it,” Mobius said and it startled a laugh out of Loki, barely there, but enough to jumpstart their breathing and distract them from everyone else.
“What? Why would you-?” Loki huffed a small laugh.
“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d want to know,” Mobius confessed and at Loki's amused huff, Mobius smiled softly and his thumb rubbed over Loki’s cheek.
“That’s it, that’s it,” Mobius whispered, “In and out, just like that.”
Loki latched onto the smooth drawl of Mobius’s voice and copied his breathing. Slowly, they felt themself breathe easier and slower, focusing on the blue of Mobius’s eyes. Mobius kept his hand on their cheek and Loki reached up to cup his hand with their own.
“There you go, sweetheart,” Mobius murmured, “Feeling a bit better?”
“A little betrayed but yes,” Loki huffed, “I wanted to know how you broke it.”
“No idea. Got my memory wiped,” Mobius smiled at him, the edges of his mustache ticking up his face and Loki felt their breathing return to normal and that bubble around their ears popped.
Mobius dropped his hand from Loki’s cheek and Loki instantly missed, suddenly fervently wishing that Mobius would have kissed them. But that was absurd. Loki was a mess and kisses weren’t things that one exchanged like little tokens of love. They were tools of seduction, and Loki was far from seductive at the moment. Later, when Loki was back to themself, they would kiss Mobius, but now that little crumb of affection wasn’t needed. Loki didn’t need it. They didn’t.
“Now do you think you can change back?” Mobius whispered, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with the way you look, Loki.”
Loki inhaled sharply and nodded. “I want to change back.”
“Okay,” Mobius nodded back and then tilted his head. “I might miss the blue, though.”
“You can’t mean that,” Loki scoffed.
“You know I do,” Mobius said and the look that he gave them was so charged Loki almost broke their composure and launched forward to kiss Mobius anyway.
Loki cleared their throat instead and hastily wiped their cheeks that had small salt tracks from their tears drying on them and turned to Thor’s group. They were all talking amongst themselves and Heimdall was offering some context that was severely missed. Jane was the first to notice that Loki and Mobius were looking at them and started to walk over.
Instantly, Loki stiffened and tightened their grip on the scepter, and Mobius once again stepped in front of Loki as if he were Loki’s guard instead of advisor.
“Don’t slap them,” Mobius said, immediately at her approach and both Loki and Jane frowned in confusion.
“Why would I slap them?” Jane said bewildered, “I was just going to ask if you were okay. Both of you.”
“Oh,” Mobius said, “Yeah, we’re fine. My arm’s a bit sore.”
Loki intended to reply but distractedly looked at Mobius’s arm which was still sleeve free and swelling. They used their magic to conjure a brand new sleeve that matched the article Mobius wore and said, “My mother has some medicine to help when we return.”
“Yeah, after we return from the peace treaty talk,” Mobius said, and Loki glared and opened their mouth to correct Mobius and insist they postpone.
“The peace treaty?” Jane echoed, “So you’re really not… y’know.”
“Overthrowing Asgard and aiding the frost giants in defeating our people?” Loki drawled.
“…yeah,” Jane said, sheepish.
“No, no I'm not,” Loki said, “We were on our way to negotiate with them. In this… form, I thought it would be much easier to convince them to listen to reason.”
“I’m sorry we jumped to conclusions,” Jane said, “We just saw you and thought… Thor said you were Asgardian and the attack-“
Her face creased with pain, likely thinking back to the horrors of battle.
“I recently discovered I was Jotun myself,” Loki offered, “But I don’t side with the frost giants intentions.”
Thor approached behind Jane, slowly, with his hammer lowered to the ground.
“Brother…” Thor started.
Loki lifted their chin. “If Heimdall explained my origins to you, then you must know that term is not applicable to us.”
Thor frowned. “Then it is true then? You are…”
“One of those despicable creatures you wish to annihilate, yes,” Loki said it lightly and with a sharp-toothed grin.
Thor’s eyes flickered to the tusk-like teeth protruding slightly from their mouth and then back to their red eyes.
“I do not wish to annihilate them,” Thor said, “And if it is true that you want peace as much as I do then I have no grievance with you.”
Loki narrowed their eyes at him. “Try again.”
Thor frowned and looked as if he wanted to protest but then glanced at both Mobius and Jane who looked at Thor with disapproval.
“I am sorry, Loki,” Thor said, “For harming your mortal and jumping to conclusions. I was told of your betrayal, but I should have trusted you and your aid with the Destroyer during battle. I saw the army and your…”
Thor hesitated, gesturing to Loki’s form and faltered, “…and I jumped to conclusions. My intention was to stop you when I threw my hammer, but I acted impulsively. I didn’t realize the work you had been doing until Heimdall explained it to me.”
Loki looked away. They didn’t blame Thor for not trusting them, but it hurt nonetheless, even as Loki was trying so hard to be worthy of it.
Jane elbowed Thor’s side. “And-! I think blue is a fine color. It suits you,” Thor coughed, “Truly.”
Loki looked at him and stepped in front of Mobi gazed up at their brother with glassy, dead eyes.
“You do not comprehend the power you wield in your hammer,” Loki responded, “You could have killed my most trusted advisor.”
“I didn’t intent-“ Thor tried.
”If his life is threatened again by your impulsivity, peace will no longer remain an option,” Loki said lowly, deadly serious.
“Loki…” Mobius hissed, almost warningly, slightly reprimanding, but Loki paid him no mind. Mobius squeezed Loki’s shoulder behind them, but it only emboldened Loki.
Thor balked. “You’d threaten the safety of Asgard for one mortal man?”
”You’ll assuredly have lost my favor,” Loki said darkly, “And I’m told I make a truly awful villain to my enemies.”
Thor looked taken aback, offended, and slightly impressed. Though he was being threatened, Thor started to smile as he glanced between Mobius and Loki.
“You’ve found it,” Thor said, softly.
“What?” Loki asked, irritated.
Thor shook his head. “Never mind. I understand now. I promise no harm will befall your advisor, brother.”
“Hm. I suppose that will do,” Loki said and a Mobius snorted next to them. A smile tugged at Loki’s lips.
“Let’s get this show on the road then, huh?” Mobius said, rolling back his dislocated shoulder.
“I still have many questions,” Thor said.
“And I want you to return to the palace,” Loki said to Mobius and gave him a pointed look, “but I suppose we should carry on. I can answer your questions later.”
Thor nodded and excused himself and his group to return to the palace and speak with Mother. Another mortal woman whispered to an older mortal man as they passed, “Wait, why is Thor’s brother blue again? Are they an alien?”
Loki pointedly ignored the comment and mounted their horse once again, Mobius following them. Thor stopped before he left and looked up at Loki.
“Call upon me if you are in need of aid in Jotunheim,” Thor said, “I know we both hope for peace but should battle arise, I am once again fit to fight.”
Loki nodded their acknowledgment and refused to look at the lingering gazes of the warrior four as they followed Thor to the bifrost bridge. Loki glanced back at Mobius, searching for that constant pillar of strength and inhaled.
“Take us to Jotunheim, Heimdall,” Loki called out, and the bifrost glowed.