pairings: loki laufeyson x reader, mentions of other loki characters
warnings: loki tv show spoilers, probably tva inaccuracies, mobius being trusted even though i don't actually trust him lol, mentions of death, tears, a little sad angst but happy ending
about: requested, DF26 with TVA Loki running into the variant of his dead spouse

loki has narrowly avoided the tva for years, opportunities much better than this and chaos a lot more chaotic than this have already been caused and passed. so the how and why he has been taken in at this very moment- while he's eating at one of those fast food places you used to like- is very, very unknown to him. he should know, however; you've explained to him the tired concept of time traveling many times before, although the most important things were told to him when he thought you a mere mortal like the rest- something you were not- and could not possibly know something he didn't- also something very untrue,

but the reasoning for his capturing is not at the front of his mind- although close- his main objective staying on how to get out of this unknown place and go back to looking for you- whether the fragile fabrics of reality and string of the timeline fray and break or don't. he knows it possible, having seen the avengers do something similar, so why can a god like him not?

he's ripped many holes, and he supposes the consequences for them are finally catching up to him, a lot sooner than he'd like. in another world, he'd already have you, and, with you by his side, you both would've been out long before, or never captured at all. although, he supposes, in a perfect world, you never would have been taken away from him in the first place.

he knows stopping for food he didn't even necessarily need- or, really, like- was not a smart decision. he's realizing exactly how not-smart of a decision it was with every passing second that the fools in armor drag him along the halls. the stop wasn't needed, much less planned, but the memories the greasy food and dirty restaurant brought were too pleasant- a break full of you in the nonstop mission to find you. he could nearly feel your fingers touching his, hear your voice urging him to at least try and your bubbled laugh when he cringes. the fizz of the soda had made him grimace like the first time, except there was no you to giggle at it.

loki nearly thinks it was worth it. nearly.

when the guard shoves him into another room, loki takes a second to examine the exits, barely noticing the man at the desk. the person next to him pushes him further, dropping the tesseract and various stolen pym particles on the desk. loki takes note of where the man puts them so he can steal them back.

the guard stops with him in front of a small elevator, pulling a lever and waiting. loki looks at them, "where am i? get me back right now, i have things i must attend to." the guard only looks at him, and loki scoffs, "i am loki of asgard, god of mischief and trickery, believe me when i say there will be deadly consequences if you do not do what i ask."

the guard huffs a small laugh, "i've heard that before. we'll see."

the doors in front of him part, opening to a room he's rammed into. he looks back the guard, one foot already out when he's suddenly back where he was, watching as the entrance closes. he senses the machine before he can have a good look at it, a claw that he's seen too many variations of beginning to poke at the fabric on his shoulders. he swats it away, standing tall as he glares at the smiling machine. "absolutely not! this is high tech armor, only few of this exists."

the tech on the machine turns the grin into a frown, pulling back the talons and instead extending another apparatus that scans at his clothing, removing them with a yellow glow until he's completely bare. he looks down at himself before looking back up at the face, pointing a finger, "now what-"

his words are cut off when he falls through the opening ground, falling onto the bottom room, now dressed in an uncomfortable tan jumpsuit, orange letters reading TVA on the left breast. a bored man in front of him pushes a pile of papers to him, "please sign to verify this is everything you've ever said."

loki ignores his words, pushing it back, "i need to find someone, stop the absurdity." the man only blinks as a machine whirrs, printing a piece of paper he reaches over to take and place on top of the pile. he hands loki a pen, "sign that too." loki frowns, "did you not hear me? i have important things to do." the machine does it again, and the man repeats his motions and shakes the pen in his hand. "that, too." the god only sighs in frustration and signs, slamming the pen down before he's dropped again.

another man greets him in a monotone, not even looking at him while he reads off the clipboard in his hands, "please confirm to your knowledge that you are not a fully robotic being, were born an organic creature, and do in fact possess what many cultures would call a soul." loki's eyebrows furrow, "i'm not a robot- how many people don't know?"

"thank you for confirming, move through," he requests. loki glances at the machine in front of him before stepping through it, a small picture printing after he's on the other side. loki catches vibrant orange and red with hints of green that overcome any other color. "through the door, please."

-

he encounters the same guard from before with a frustrated glare, leading him to what looks like a courtroom, a woman sitting in the middle, reading off a file. "variant L4293, aka loki laufeyson-l/n, is charged with sequence violation 7-20-89. how do you plead?" loki tilts his head at her, "madam, a god- i don't plead."

the woman sighs tiredly, "are you guilty or not guilty?" loki's eyes thin as he observes her. "guilty of... trying to find my wife, yes. guilty of being extremely frustrated, yes. guilty of whatever it is you're accusing me of, no. not guilty." loki's hand curls, trying to use his abilities inconspicuously but dismayed to not be able to. he tries again, only to come up empty as he realizes what is happening. "magic powers are no good in the tva, mister laufeyson," the judge says absentmindedly. "i prefer l/n," loki diverts simply, unknowingly catching the attention of one of the attendees. the judge barely acknowledges him, about to say something else before a man jumps up, hand raised, "wait, wait- uh, i have something to add to this. before the court makes a decision."

the judge tilts her head at the man, pursing her lips before sighing and letting him approach the bench. loki leans in to try to understand the whispers that are exchanged, ending in the judge sending one last look his way before letting him go. "the court finds you innocent- and under agent mobius' responsibility," she clarifies, looking at the man and watching him nod quickly. she slams her gavel and motions for the man- mobius, he assumes, to take loki. he stands and awkwardly bows, before going over to loki and raising an eyebrow, "don't betray me," he says, words too true to be something playful. loki's head tilts to the side in slight confusion, watching as the man begins to walk, pausing to urge loki to follow him.

loki ignores the activity through the windows of the hall, choosing to concentrate on mobius. "why did you do that?" he wonders aloud, suspicious eyes following him as his head peeks into halls. "let's just say it's a favor, although you'll be on thin ice forever."

"favor for whom?" mobius doesn't answer, turning a corner. loki exhales sharply before following him, continuing to pry as he briefly heeds his surroundings. the sight of a woman in a suit much like mobius' catches his eye, her back to him but he recognizes the shape of her shoulder and the color of her hair. he looks away, pretending to concentrate on the clock thing on the television but actually chasing the overfamiliar features to a face.

the sound of your voice- something he hasn't heard in an obscenely long time- craved for so much longer it seems like a lifetime, snaps his attention to what surely must be a cruel joke. he can tell it's you now. you're standing there, head tilted at the same receptionist man and chuckling exasperatedly, "come on, casey, we've been over this. a fish and a lion are not the same thing-"

"but a lionfish-?" casey asks, and loki is pushing away the guards already, because you're there, you're solid and laughing like you used to and you can't not be real. he can distantly hear mobius' voice telling the guards to let him go as if loki hasn't already taken care of that, walking over to you with quick and quiet footsteps. his fingers circle around your wrist first as an assurance, and when you turn, hand still in his, eyes widening when you notice who he is, he pulls you into him completely. your arms wrap around him barely seconds later, finally registering the person in front of you as you squeeze him. "loki?" you whisper, inhaling the same familiar scent of him that you haven't had in what seems like forever.

"i missed you so much," he says, hands wandering over your back, touching your arms and your shoulders and your hips just to touch you. "me too- i didn't- i thought i would never see you again." your tears are falling on the fabric of his jumpsuit, small tearful gasps escaping your lips while you tug him as close as you can, tangling your fingers in his hair and shutting your eyes at the familiar feeling. "oh god, you're here-"

"i missed you so much," he repeats, and you finally notice his words, realization like electricity, making you tremble and sigh softly. "what does that mean?" you question, already fearing the answer and already knowing the effects: the mess of his usually kept hair and the red tint of his eyes, like a sheen of sadness that stains the color of the eyes you have missed for so long. loki pulls away from you only to look at your face, trace the shape of the lips he'd spent hours of the morning pressing kisses to, memorize the curve of the nose you'd scrunch in a laugh when thor was a victim to one of his tricks.

"i have been looking for you, darling," he murmurs, fingers running over your fallen tears while you notice the shine of his eyes, the tears that enhance the love he has for you. "because i'm..." you don't want to finish your sentence, and you can tell loki doesn't want you to either; he scans your features, small smile peeking through the shock and grief.

"i didn't... mobius didn't show me that, i thought-" your eyes flicker to the man before settling back on loki, the weight of the ring he'd given you feeling lighter now that it had found its pair. the various eyes on you don't go unnoticed, and neither does the look mobius sends to the rest of the workers, indicating for them to go back to work. the cold of loki's skin is comforting to the touch of your warmth, and you find yourself back in the summer afternoons where you would settle with your husband to read books, rubbing cool fingers on the hot of your skin when you felt suffocated by the heat of the sun.

another tear slips from your eyes when you realize you don't have to imagine anymore, there's no need to search for your memories and shut your eyes for them to run over you. your lips are on his when you can't help it anymore, eyes squeezed close and salty tears dropping from your chin when it finally settles that he's here and he's yours and he'll never be gone again.

he'll make sure of that.