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fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks · 5 months

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ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52424179/chapters/132621133

Mobius stands under that tree for a long time, just watching the house he doesn't remember living in. He's having trouble processing what happened. When they all rebooted the TVA to be about keeping He Who Remains' variants from starting a war, he had something to do to distract him. But that can only work for so long. He needed a change. He needed somewhere quiet to figure out what he really wanted. Because now that he had a choice - a choice that Loki gave everything for him to have - there was no staying behind a desk doing a job anyone else could do. So he left.

He left and quickly realized he didn't have many places to go. He can't just figure out when he got taken from his life on the timeline and go back to that life. He doesn't remember it and as he watches 'Don' with those two boys, he realizes he wouldn't fit in that life anyway. He has been through too much and seen too much to just be able to settle for an ordinary life surrounded by people who wouldn't see him as much more than a stranger in the place of who they once knew. It wouldn't be fair to anyone involved.

But then, what does he do? Sylvie had no trouble finding a place for herself in a world she'd never been in before.

Wait... Sylvie!

Sylvie had been hopping from universe to universe with no limits to what she could do and she eventually found a life for herself and a place she could call home. Maybe Mobius could do the same thing. But that still begs the question: Where should he go? Where is the place that will feel "right" for him, or even just like something he could settle for?

Well, since they don't need to worry about timelines branching any more, there isn't any harm in looking around before making a decision, right?

Now, there's just one more question to ask here: "Where should I go first?"

. . . . .

After jet-skiing for the first time that he can remember, Mobius came to the realization that the ocean spray in his face, the thrill of hopping over a wave, the speed, the taste of salt, and the freedom that jet-skiing gives him...is a little underwhelming.

Like, don't get him wrong, it's fun. There's a rush to it that is so much better than sitting behind a desk as well as a meditative quality to it that, combined with the excitement, gives him a sort of euphoria, but... it feels like there's something missing. It's as though in all those magazines full of admittedly idyllic descriptions, and stories from people who genuinely love these water crafts, there must have been some sort of fine print he forgot to read with instructions that would help make the whole thing worth it.

Oh well. Some dreams just don't turn out like you'd expect them to. That's just a part of life. He'd always imagined he and Renslayer were going to be friends for the rest of time, 'protecting the sacred time line' like the greater good they all thought it was. We saw how that turned out. Don probably thought he and his wife were going to live a normal life and die of old age or diabetes or getting eaten by a shark like normal people. Instead, his wife is gone, and he gets abducted, mind-wiped, brainwashed, and forced into working for what he thought were three space lizards determining the story of the universe. "In hindsight, that is a pretty crazy thing to believe, huh?" Mobius thinks to himself. "Maybe Loki had a better point than I thought, even back then, before he had really started to change."

That was another thing Mobius never expected. Loki has always been known for not being easy to predict. When Mobius was assigned to study his life and question him, it was a little easier not to fall for the facades Loki used to keep it that way.

Loki could be as sneaky and intimidating and threatening as he wanted, but at the end of the day, he mostly just makes things up as he goes along. He's very impulsive, even though he tries to make you think he's always 1000 steps ahead. This is the person who fell through space to presumably never see his homeland again and to land who knows where, so that he could have a dramatic death in front of his father and brother. This is also the person who very easily fell in with the Grand Master's crowd on one of the most chaotic worlds there are. He was D. B. Cooper for fuck's sake, jumping out of a plane, flirting with mortals, and stealing money he doesn't need all as part of a bet he lost to his brother.

Loki switched sides easily depending on what he could get out of it, but you could never trust him to truly be on anyone's side but his own. He also was just a bit of an arrogant dick. At least, all this was what Mobius was led to expect with what he'd read of Loki's life. And he was right. His expectations were fairly accurate on those counts.

But Mobius has a troublesome habit of believing in everyone's potential to be a good person. He didn't allow himself to form any hopes yet, but he still considered it possibly for Loki to actually care about other people. He knew Loki was charming and knew how to read people, meaning he could understand them and maybe relate to them. One of the best ways to connect with someone is to learn more about them. Most of the time, you end up finding you have a lot in common with them. Mobius thinks Loki is the one who didn't expect anyone to give him a chance like that. In fact, he probably didn't even believe he was worth it.

It's kind of funny, really. Loki spent most of his life defying everyone's expectations of him and throwing the rules of their lives into chaos, succeeding by playing off how he expected others to react to the things he did.

When those rules, that he based his own life on, fell apart, and the people he found himself surrounded by seemed to know exactly what he would do, he surprised even himself, and changed for the better. That's probably why Mobius didn't fully see it coming what he was doing at the end until it was too late. Or maybe he just didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that Loki would soon be gone forever.

As Mobius stares at the salad he got for himself from a little place on the pier, he remembers the one Loki destroyed with his somewhat unnecessary display of how apocalypses are supposed to affect the way events cause branches from timelines. It was so over the top, as Loki always is, but it was also just so silly. The way he just stared into Mobius' soul, shaking the salt and pepper shakers up and down and up and down. The triumphant smile after he poured Casey's drink over it, like a little kid showing off his amazing painting skills on the walls. It makes Mobius chuckle softly to think of it. He thinks of Loki's smile and how it gradually became more and more genuine the more they just talked with each other. And they talked quite a bit for two people in the middle of saving the multiverse, about nothing and everything and things you really should rethink telling the person who's job is to keep you locked up or the person who's favorite prank is to put literal snakes in people's food or stab them after dying in front of them. Mobius almost wishes he would stab him right now, just so he can be back.

Aaaand that's the sign that he's thinking of Loki too much. Time to pick a new place to go and try and figure out what the heck he wants to do with the rest of his life. Maybe he'll go to see the Roman Empire before it fell. See what all those warriors really liked to do in their free time. He takes his time finishing his salad before getting out the tempad and setting the destination. He looks at the empty salad bowl, just plain white and round and not very interesting at all. There's huge mounted fish and stunning artwork on the walls of this restaurant. You can hear the calming waves and the group of sea lions just outside. There is no reason his attention should be so solely given to this silly salad bowl. And yet his eyes stay on it, even as they tear up. It isn't until he wipes at them that he looks away and stands up.

He leaves some money on the table and opens a time door to walk through. As he does, he feels a breeze ruffle his hair, brushing it away from his eyes. "Strange," he thinks, "all the doors and windows are closed, there shouldn't be a breeze in here." He looks around at the nearly empty restaurant getting ready to say goodbye to the morning calm and welcome the lunch crowd in an hour or two. He feels a warmth on his side and looks over to the large window where the sun has shifted its light and heat to blanket Mobius almost comfortingly. As he looks over, his eyes catch on a flash of the window, ever so faintly tinted green. There was movement of something not quite there, but unmistakably there enough to be visible. Like something between a shadow and a reflection. It was hard to make out a shape at first, but as it got bigger - no - closer, mobius saw the shape of a person with horns on their head and, if they looked closely, green and gold vines twisting around them like magic. Mobius stepped closer and was sharply met with two very familiar eyes. He took a breath.

"Loki?"

. . . . .

Part 2

https://www.tumblr.com/fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks/735068803984228352/part-1?source=share

#lokius #loki series #loki x mobius #loki fanfic #fanfiction #part 1 #post season 2 episode 6 #I'm intending for this to be a part 1 of potentially many #but that doesn't mean I'll follow through.#Also #I don't know if there's anything I'm supposed to do here that I should know about?#Like tagging specific stuff? Putting in warnings for other stuff?#Mixing the blood of a virgin with seven drops of quill ink to pour into the sacrificial goblet #and give to the writing gods in exchange for a lack of writer's block in the coming days?#I dunno.#Either way #here's the thing my brain threw at me and bullied me into writing.#Hope you like it!

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jessread-s · 2 months

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Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🩸🛡️ Review:

A promising start to an action-packed series with a scorching romance!

“A Fate Inked in Blood” follows Freya, a shield maiden blessed by the gods, as she battles to unite the fractured nation of Skaland under a power-hungry jarl—while also resisting her forbidden attraction for his fiery son.

Jensen weaves elements of Norse mythology into her world’s magic system and I was immediately hooked. The idea that the power of the gods can manifest in those who receive a drop of their blood during conception was really fascinating and following Freya’s journey as she navigates her god-given abilities was even more so. Her character is very distinct from others in the book in that she is iron-willed, and fiercely protective of her family, which made her perspective more compelling to read from.

Freya and Bjorn’s forbidden romance is so so good! I could not get enough of the tension, banter, and mutual pining that contribute to their irresistible chemistry. Bjorn is the perfect love interest: a skilled warrior that cannot resist fussing over Freya’s wounds, staying at her side always, and sharing a bed with her to keep her warm. I enjoyed watching the two take fate into their own hands by slowly giving in to their desires despite the forces keeping them apart.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book lost me a little bit. The pacing slows and I found myself gradually losing interest as Freya contemplated the same dilemma over and over again. Seasoned fantasy readers may find the ending predictable, but it still packed enough of a punch that I’ll likely reach for book 2 when it comes out!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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