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tallseaweed · 1 month

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Relinquish Your Burden: Chapter 6

"The Sun Will Shine On Us Again"

Word Count: 3.9k

Relinquish Your Burden - Chapter 6 - tallseaweed - Loki (TV 2021) [Archive of Our Own]

"Again."

"Let's go faster this time."

"My Variants are already out there."

"Nothing survives, Loki. Not even the Sacred Timeline."

"You cause a war that kills us all."

"What good is free will if everyone's dead?"

"You're replacing one nightmare with another."

"I know what kind of god I need to be."

"You do know yourself."

"A villain."

Loki awoke with a gasp, his limbs tangled in sweaty sheets. A soft light was filtering in through a small leaded window on the far wall. Where was he? He needed to get back, the timelines needed him—

The scent of a familiar cologne surrounded him, soothing his panic.

Mobius.

It all came rushing back.

Sylvie.

Thor.

The Watcher.

Mobius's eyes and the dancing lights…

Loki rolled over, finding the other side of the bed vacant. Muffled voices were coming from the other side of the door.

He pulled himself from bed, bare feet padding toward the window. Outside, a grey spaceship with purple and turquoise stripes sat in the snow. The low-hanging clouds made it difficult to tell, but it must have been close to midday.

Mobius's laugh carried over the hum of voices in the other room, and Loki couldn’t help but smile to himself. Raking his fingers through his sleep-disheveled hair, he went to open the door.

The scene that greeted him made Loki do a double take. Thor was frying up some sort of egg dish on the stove while Love chatted with him from a barstool. Sylvie was on her tiptoes rummaging through one of the cabinets, and Mobius was chopping something on a cutting board. It all looked so ordinary, but the circumstances that had brought them all together were anything but. Loki felt as if his two worlds were colliding.

Across the room, Mobius's eyes met his own. Immediately, he set down his knife and smiled. "Mornin' sunshine."

Thor and Love's conversation tapered off, and everyone turned to face Loki. He gave a halfhearted wave as Mobius made his way toward him.

He and Mobius had fallen asleep in the clothes they'd been wearing the night before, but the latter was now clad in a brown knit jumper and denim trousers. If the luggage in the corner was any indication, he'd used Sylvie's TemPad to go retrieve some essentials.

"How'd ya sleep," Mobius asked, leaning up to give Loki a brief kiss on the cheek.

"As good as can be expected," Loki sighed, running his hand down the side of Mobius's arm. He could feel a blush creeping up his ears from the weight of everyone's attention.

"You owe me 5 units Aunt Sylvie," the young girl's cheery voice piped up.

Mobius rolled his eyes and took Loki's hand, leading him toward the table. "Do you want some lunch? 'Fraid we both slept through breakfast."

Loki caught Thor's eye from across the kitchen island. His brother looked surprised by the exchanges of affection but recovered himself quickly. He shot Loki a warm smile. "I've made a Midgardian dish called an omelette, Brother. Would you like to try?"

"Sure. Smells lovely."

Loki hadn't realized how hungry he was until he put the first bite in his mouth. When was the last time he'd had a proper meal? He honestly couldn't remember. Three generous servings later, Loki began collecting everyone's dishes and bringing them to the sink. He was stopped by Thor's hand on his shoulder.

"Would you come for a walk with me, Loki?"

Loki turned to face him, meeting Thor's earnest gaze. "Alright," he replied, though his palms began to sweat. The last time Loki had truly conversed with Thor, he'd been attempting to rule Midgard and secure the Tesseract for Thanos. Safe to say, they hadn't exactly left on good terms. Making matters even more complex was the fact that this Variant of Thor had watched him die. Had clung to his body after the Mad Titan snapped his neck. Truthfully, Loki had no idea what to expect from the interaction.

As they made their way to the door, he conjured himself a Midgardian outfit, similar to what the rest of them were wearing. When they stepped outside, Loki was clad in a forest green turtleneck and dark denim trousers. He was glad he'd included thick black boots when Thor led them off the main path and into the snow.

They walked in silence for a minute or so, the cold wind biting at their exposed skin. Thor was dressed much warmer, but made no comment on Loki's choice to forgo a coat. Even before they'd learned his true heritage, the two of them had discovered that Loki could withstand the cold much better than Thor.

"So… you and Mobius…" Thor smiled suggestively.

"Yes," Loki huffed a laugh. "I'll have you know it's a very recent development, but…" The corners of his lips twitched, and he found himself unable to fight the ensuing grin. "Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to kill him when we first met?"

Thor let out a booming laugh. Until that exact moment, Loki hadn't realized just how much he'd missed that sound. "Actually Brother, I can. You've never exactly been quick to open up."

Loki clicked his tongue but conceded the point. Prior to meeting Mobius and Sylvie, he had been slow to warm up to people. Taking Thor's lead of stating the obvious, he said, "Your daughter is a force to be reckoned with."

Thor smiled fondly. "That she is. Do you know how I came to adopt her?"

"More or less."

"Then you'll likely already know that she was Gorr's daughter first. He was a mortal, but when Love emerged from the Altar of Eternity, she had the powers and vitality of a goddess." He paused. "Selfishly, I'm quite glad for that. Until yesterday, she was the only family I had left. If I were to lose her so soon—"

Loki was a bit taken aback by the display of vulnerability. He supposed he shouldn't be after their emotional reunion the night before, but still, he wasn't quite accustomed to it. Open communication had never been their family’s forte.

"I think Mother would have liked her," Loki said quietly.

"I'm sure she would have," Thor agreed.

A beat of silence passed. "When I first learned she'd died, I—" Loki broke off, a lump forming in his throat. He swallowed. "I'm not envious of you for having to go through that."

Thor let out a deep sigh. "Be grateful you didn't. Though I can imagine the way you found out was horrible in its own way."

"You're not wrong there," Loki murmured quietly. He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "If it's any consolation, I've seen countless timelines where Mother is alive and well. Jane too, for that matter."

Thor drew in a deep breath, simultaneously swiping a stray tear from his cheek. "Good. I'm glad.”

They began trudging up a small hill when Thor broke the heavy silence. "Mobius and Sylvie told me how they came to know you, but I'm curious. What is it like? This TVA?"

Loki thought for a moment. What a complicated question . "It's— horribly bureaucratic and stifling. And honestly, a bit terrifying at first. They use Infinity Stones as paperweights."

Thor halted in his tracks. When Loki turned around, his brother looked aghast. "By the Norns, I— I knew that place was powerful, but I did not imagine…" he breathed.

Loki nodded grimly, standing still while Thor took a moment to process. "They kidnapped me from my timeline right after New York because I managed to escape with the Tesseract. That particular act took me off of the Sacred Timeline, my predestined path . When I managed to regain possession of the Tesseract at the TVA, it wouldn't work. All of the Stones they keep there are rendered completely useless." Thor's expression was somewhere between horror and sympathy. Loki wasn't sure he could stand it. "At first, I wanted to burn the whole place to the ground." Thor chuckled. Good. "Sylvie did too. She might still want to, honestly."

They began walking again before Thor asked, "Was it strange, finding out there are countless different versions of you out there?"

Loki cringed. "You have no idea."

They had arrived at a large rock near the cliffside, overlooking the sea. Thor frowned at the snow blanketing its surface. Loki shook his head with a small smile and cleared the snow off with magic. Thor flashed him a grin. "I had forgotten how useful you are to have around, Brother."

Loki rolled his eyes and gave Thor an exasperated smile. "Glad I can be of service, Your Highness."

Thor laughed as they sat down. After a moment of taking in the view, Loki continued. "I suppose I grew somewhat partial to the TVA once I learned that all its workers were brainwashed Variants. It's not like they'd asked to be kidnapped from their timelines. And, well, by that point, I was becoming rather fond of Mobius."

Thor smirked at him and Loki narrowed his eyes. The desired effect was lessened by the involuntary smile pulling at his lips. He broke their eye contact and sighed, looking back out over the water.

"In time, I started viewing a handful of them as my friends. If we're being honest, I—" Loki hesitated, glancing over at Thor. "I never really had true friends, back on Asgard."

Thor looked like he wanted to protest, but seemed to think better of it. Loki was pleasantly surprised. He almost hadn't said anything, but decided he was curious as to what Thor's reaction would be. If he were being honest with himself, he was waiting for Thor to jump to the defense of the Warriors Three and Sif as he'd always done.

After a weighty pause, Thor murmured, "I'm sorry that I never noticed."

Of all the things Loki had thought his brother might say, the last thing he'd expected was an apology. Completely taken aback, Loki swallowed the lump in his throat, dipping his head into a shallow nod.

Suddenly, the sun broke through the clouds, and Loki couldn't help but tip his face toward it. It had been so long since he felt the warm caress of sunlight, let alone took the time to enjoy it. He glanced over at Thor, squinting against the brightness, and was alarmed to find tears streaming down his brother's face.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked gently, turning to face him.

"Yes, I'm sorry, it's just—" Thor took a shuddering breath. "Before you died, you assured me that the sun would shine on us again." Thor chuckled wetly, shaking his head. "I assumed it was one of your rare moments of misplaced optimism, but, well… here we are."

Loki couldn't help the surge of remorse he felt for the man beside him. This Thor had lost his brother, and Loki was just sitting here, acting as if he could fill the chasm his Variant had left behind. "Thor… I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Brother," Thor said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "We're finally together again."

Loki's heart constricted painfully. After a moment, he said, "Do you truly still claim me as your brother, knowing I'm not the Loki you lost? After all the destruction I wrought on Midgard? On Jotunheim?"

Thor turned toward him, his eyes sparkling with sincerity. "Of course I do, Loki. You will always be my brother. Nothing could ever change that." He glanced back toward the horizon, the smile slipping from his face. "After facing Thanos myself and witnessing your terror when you recognized his ship…" He trailed off, a dormant rage flitting over his features. "I can only imagine the horrors you went through under his command." Loki closed his eyes, resisting the memories threatening to resurface. Thor went on. "Thanos was after the Tesseract and sent you to Earth as his pawn. I no longer blame you for what happened in New York, I— I blame myself for letting you fall into that monster's clutches."

Loki's heart twisted painfully. "The events preceding that were hardly your fault."

Thor turned back to him. "Was I not the one that instigated war with Jotunheim? Got myself banished from Asgard? If I had been there for you—" his voice broke with emotion, "perhaps you would not have let go."

"Thor…" Loki sighed, "that decision had nothing to do with you. It was impulsive and brash, and no one's fault but my own, but—" He drew in a breath. "I was irrevocably upset with Father. At the time, I believed he saw me as no more than a political pawn."

Thor made to argue, but Loki held up a hand. "It was not my most sensible conclusion, but none of it was your fault. Hel, I was even the one that goaded you into attacking Jotunheim in the first place."

"You warned me against it—"

"I knew you wouldn't listen. I never planned for us to get past the Bifrost— but I was playing with fire. With all that happened afterward, that scheme was undoubtedly one of the worst decisions I've ever made." He snorted derisively. "Though I suppose if I hadn't made it, I would have ended up at the TVA all the sooner."

Thor was silent for a moment, processing. "The circumstances of how it all happened may have been awful," he began slowly, "but not everything your scheme led to was all bad. I gained humility on Earth, and Father and Mother finally got around to revealing the truth of your heritage."

Loki made a face. "If you call Father finding me panicked and turning blue in the weapons vault 'revealing the truth,' then yes, I suppose he did. Midway through that conversation, he ever so conveniently fell into the Odinsleep."

Thor grimaced in sympathy. "I cannot imagine."

"No, I suppose you can't," Loki sighed.

They were silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. "Before you died, before Thanos—" Thor took a steadying breath. "In your final words to me, you reclaimed yourself as an Odinson. I know you're not the man I lost, but even with less shared history between us, nothing changes the fact that you're my little brother." Loki met Thor's gaze, shining with emotion. "And that I'll always love you."

Suddenly, it was all too much. Loki couldn't control the tears flowing down his face as he braced his elbows on his knees. Thor's warm, steady hand rubbed comforting circles against his back.

It was a while before his shoulders stopped shaking.

"You know, I'm actually your older brother now," Loki said after a while, attempting to sound lighthearted. Thor raised his eyebrows skeptically. "I spent centuries attempting to fix the Temporal Loom before I learned it was a useless endeavor. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize I had to hold the timelines together for the Multiverse to survive. It was all quite poetic, really; Eternal servitude to repent for my sins. Or so I thought. But, uh— I've got at least two or three centuries on you now."

Thor just watched him solemnly, his piercing blue eyes missing nothing. "You don't need to sacrifice yourself to be a hero, Loki."

Loki looked away, willing the tears not to fall again. He took a shaking breath . Since when had Thor become so perceptive?

"I've had to mourn you more times and more often than any other. No sacrifice is worth losing you again I—" Thor's voice dropped to a rough whisper. "I don't think I could bear it."

Before Loki even realized what he was doing, he was pulling Thor into a hug. Immediately, Thor squeezed him back, firmly gripping the back of his neck. "I missed you so much," Loki whispered through his tears.

"You'll stay?" Thor murmured into his hair.

"As long as you'll have me, Brother."

---

Left to their own devices to clean up what remained of lunch, Mobius and Sylvie settled into a comfortable rhythm. Clad in yellow rubber gloves, Sylvie carefully hand washed each dish before handing them off to Mobius to towel dry.

"I— I know this might seem out of the blue," Mobius began, "but, I'm really sorry for all those millennia I spent hunting you down." Sylvie turned to look at him, and he quickly clarified. "I don't expect you to ever forgive me—hell, I probably wouldn't—but I just… wanted you to know. You deserve to be happy, and— and you and Loki made the right call in freeing the timelines." He sighed heavily. "Even with all that happened afterward."

Sylvie set down the dish she'd been lathering and turned off the sink. "Thank you, Mobius, I appreciate it." She turned to face him. "You're a good man, you know that?"

Mobius looked down, shuffling his feet. "I'm not sure I'd go that far…"

"Well I'm not going to waste time arguing with you about it, but like I said yesterday, I'm sorry for keeping Loki's location from you." She looked out the window, lost in thought. "I was so caught up in finally having true freedom—so grateful for Loki's sacrifice, that it took me a while to see the bigger picture."

"We're all just doing the best we can to get by," Mobius said gently. They stood there in comfortable silence for a moment before Sylvie went back to washing the dishes.

"Ya know, in light of recent events, I might have to demote you to ' second favorite Loki,'" Mobius teased. "A certain God of Stories might not be too happy with me otherwise."

Sylvie threw her head back and laughed. Mobius didn't think he'd ever heard her sound so carefree. "As if I were ever truly in the running," she smirked, eyes twinkling.

After finishing the dishes, Mobius and Sylvie sank onto the couch. It was just the two of them since Love had slipped into her room with a book on Astrophysics once Thor and Loki left.

"Mobius?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to leave— once Loki and Thor get back."

Mobius sat up, turning to face her fully. "Really? Why?"

"I'm really happy with the life I've built, and now that Loki is free, I— I've done what I set out to do."

"Can I at least convince you to stay for dinner? It'd be a nice send-off. And Thor loves a good party."

Sylvie looked hesitant for a moment, but eventually conceded with a small smile. "Alright. One more night."

The sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant hues of pink and orange. On the front porch of the cottage, Mobius's fingers carded through Loki's ebony curls. He didn't know how the God had wound up with his head resting in his lap, but he'd be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.

"You know, I was right about you all along," Mobius smirked. "You really are just a little pussycat."

Loki huffed indignantly "I'll have you know that I'm a prince , Agent Mobius, and I will not tolerate this abased slander." Despite his words, he made no effort to move away.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness," Mobius chuckled.

As their banter subsided, Mobius's mind couldn't help but wander back to the night before. Although he couldn't fathom how Loki could ever want someone like him, the hours they'd spent under the aurora had done wonders to ease his anxieties. Despite this, there was one more thing nagging at the back of his consciousness. He knew it would sound ridiculous and irrational to voice it out loud, but he wanted to clear the air, and hopefully ease his mind.

"I'm not gonna lie Loki, I didn't expect this turn of events." Loki tilted his head up, giving Mobius his full attention. "This might sound kinda dumb, but I coulda sworn you were head over heels for Sylvie."

Loki hummed in acknowledgment, gently stroking Mobius's knee as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "Perhaps at one point I was, but for me, that was all centuries ago. She never felt the same, so those feelings didn’t last.” He huffed humorlessly. "She kicked me through a Time Door, remember? She was set on killing He Who Remains, and I wanted us to consider the consequences. I tried appealing to her emotions, and in turn, she manipulated mine." He looked up at Mobius. "I'll always care about her, but I assure you, I harbor no romantic feelings." His eyes sparkled, "Except, of course, the ones I have for you." Loki reached up and tucked a strand of Mobius's hair behind his ear. Mobius's heart stuttered in his chest.

"And how long have those been around," Mobius teased, before realizing it was a somewhat vulnerable question.

Loki rolled his eyes before they softened. "Unwittingly? It’s hard to say. I’ve been drawn to you ever since you told me you’d seen my entire life and didn't consider me a villain." Mobius raised his eyebrows incredulously. To his delight, a light blush began coloring Loki’s cheeks. "But knowingly? Since my 134th attempt at fixing the Loom."

"134th huh?" Mobius laughed. "And why's that?" Embarrassingly enough, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy toward the version of himself that had been there. Which is ridiculous, he chided himself. That Mobius had been wiped away in a Temporal Meltdown.

Loki looked a little bashful. "I was, er, having a rough moment, and you just… made me feel safe. It sort of all just clicked into place."

Mobius couldn't help but squeeze Loki a little tighter. He leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Keep saying things like that, sweetheart, and I'll never let you go."

Loki flushed even more, but Mobius caught a glint of mischief in his eye before he pushed himself up, positioning his lips centimeters away from Mobius's.

"Then don't."

A thrill raced up Mobius's spine. He pulled Loki into a deep, possessive kiss.

By the time the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, Loki had made his way into Mobius's lap, chin resting atop his head. After a few minutes of quiet embrace, Loki pulled back, looking a bit concerned.

"Earlier, I told Thor that I'd stay here with him. I never asked you if you'd want to go back to your life in Cleveland. I wouldn't be selfish enough to presume you'd want to uproot the entire life you've built to stay here in Norway with us, but—"

Mobius placed a finger against his lips. "If I'm welcome here, I'd be more than happy to stay." He let out a derisive huff. "The so-called 'life' I built? That was just me trying to keep myself distracted from your absence."

Loki gave him a bittersweet smile and squeezed his hand tighter. "Well, I can't imagine my brother having any objections."

Mobius smiled back, brushing a stray curl behind Loki's ear. "Earlier, Sylvie told me that she's gonna go back to her timeline. I convinced her to stay for dinner."

Loki hummed in acknowledgment. "I can't say I'm surprised. She's been uprooted too many times to leave it all behind again."

"I'm glad she's finally found some peace." Mobius sighed. Suddenly, he noticed two approaching figures in the distance. Loki took note of his distraction and followed his gaze. Thor was walking toward the cottage with a fierce-looking woman with long flowing micro braids—the King of Asgard herself.

"Well, looks like my brother brought a dinner guest," Loki observed, elegantly rising off Mobius's lap and offering a hand. "Shall we go greet them?"

-----

Notes:

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. Life got quite busy this past month, and I wanted to make sure I took the time to do Thor and Loki's conversation justice. They have quite a lot of baggage to unpack.

I'm currently working on a oneshot prequel about when Loki realized the true nature of his feelings for Mobius (during his 134th attempt at fixing the Loom). When it's posted, you'll be able to find it on the 'Relinquish Your Burden' Masterlist :)

Reblogs and comments are always appreciated 💞

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