A/N: *slaps roof of fanfic* "this bad boy can fit so much angst in it"

...

After a very prolonged period of silence, Loki sits forward abruptly and starts tampering with the projector on the desk in front of him.

"What are you -" you trail off as Frigga appears on the projection. She's sprawled across the floor, very clearly dead. Your breath catches in your throat, and Loki looks at you for a second before looking back to his mother.

"I suppose – did you know her?" he asks, his voice sounding oddly constricted.

"A bit, yes. What is this?" you ask, nodding towards the projector.

"The Sacred Timeline." Loki says, his voice suddenly dripping with disdain. Your heart beats a little bit faster as Loki starts fiddling with the projector again.

"Are you sure we should -" you stop talking as you and Odin appear on the projection. Confusion flashes across Loki's face, but you understand. You've lived this part of the timeline, on Asgard.

The sound of your laugh, alien to you for some time now, fills the room as Odin disappears and Loki takes his place, having dropped the illusion. You're scared to look at Loki, the Loki sat opposite you, to try and gauge his reaction.

Your chests aches.

The scene cuts to Loki sat on the throne. You're curtseying before him, grinning behind your hair.

"Stop it." Loki smiles, holding out a hand for you to join him. You settle on his lap, your legs crossed over one arm of the throne. Loki puts an arm around you as you lean into him, and you clench your jaw so tightly that something cracks, furiously blinking away tears as you watch.

"I know I say this almost every night, but I wish Odin could see this." you tell Loki on the projection, your voice slightly distorted. Past-Loki smiles ruefully.

You watch as he opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, present-day Loki does something else with the projector to fast forward the scene. Neither of you says anything; you're not sure what you would say if he tried to speak.

The next scene is of Loki and Thor sat next to Odin as he tells them he loves them; Loki's eyes light up as Odin says, "I love you, my sons." both past-Loki and present-Loki. Or... future-Loki, for present-Loki. None of this ever happened to the Loki sat opposite you. Your head hurts thinking about it.

Next, Thor and Loki stand in a lift together, on what you presume to be Sakaar.

"Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were going to fight side by side forever." Thor says.

In the next scene Thor grips Loki in the tightest hug, on the refugee ship, and Loki, present Loki, lets out a happy, surprised laugh. Your heart pounds in your chest; this had all only been a few hours ago for you.

You don't know if you want to keep watching.

The next scene shows Loki stood before Thanos. You watch in horror, familiar horror, as the nightmare you'd not long ago experience plays out before your eyes, until something different happens.

Ebony Maw appears before Thanos, with you, earlier than he should have. You watch, aghast, as Thanos smiles grimly before proceeding to torture you in front of Loki.

He caves almost immediately, conjuring the Tesseract, and Thanos drops you unceremoniously to the ground.

Then Hulk appears, tackling Thanos, and Loki teleports you to safety. You've all but forgotten that you're in a room with another version of Loki; this is so absurd, watching a life that isn't yours play out before your eyes.

In the next instant there's a bright light: The Bifrost, and then you and Hulk are gone.

The scene cuts, and you find yourself wishing it would just play through: you want to know what happens to you, and Loki, in minute detail.

The next scene has you, Loki, Tony and a group of others who you don't recognise wrestling with Thanos to get the gauntlet from his hand. It must not work, because in the next scene you're sprinting towards Loki, who seems to be disintegrating.

Your mouth falls open. Thanos succeeds in murdering half of the universe in the sacred timeline? The projection goes black as Loki falls apart beneath your hands, and future-you drops to your knees.

Loki does something to pause the reel and turns to you.

"How much of that happened to you?" he demands. You don't want to look at him with your red-rimmed eyes.

"Everything up to when Thanos tortured me. That never happened. I killed him." you say thickly. He nods, frowning at the projector.

"How could they choose such a bleak timeline? Surely your timeline is preferable, with Thanos dead." Loki says.

"So are you." you remind him.

"Yes, but that's hardly a matter of concern for them, whoever they are." Loki says, referring to the Time Keepers, waving a hand in the air. You can't help but feel shocked at how blasé he is about it.

"Is there more?" you ask, after a beat. Loki resumes the reel, and you watch as you reappear on a battlefield, older now, with a huge scar gracing one side of your face. Your eyes are burning purple, and there's a sizable sword sat in your hand. You sit forward and stare at yourself, mouth slightly open.

An enormous battle takes place, which you must win, because in the next scene there's a wedding.

Your wedding.

Loki stops the reel abruptly and stands up, walking away towards the door as you stare at the frozen image projected before you, almost unable to breathe for grief. You both look so happy.

The fact that you're seeing it, however, means that it won't come to pass. None of it will, not now.

Not ever.

Loki makes a sudden gasping noise behind you, and you turn to see that he's laughing. You open your mouth, but then B-15 pushes the door open and strolls into the room. You stand up.

"What's so funny?" B-15 asks Loki, eyeing you.

"Glorious purpose." Loki scorns, his voice filled with contempt. You sit back down heavily. You can't do this.

Loki suddenly disappears from the room, and B-15 runs after him. You turn back to the projection of your wedding day and let yourself cry.

You understand why they call it the sacred timeline now, although it looks like you'd had to go through hell to get to where you are in that exact moment. It doesn't make you want it any less.

Mobius enters the room silently behind you, and you don't see him until he sits down opposite you. He looks sympathetic, if nothing else.

"If you were to reset me... would I get to there?" you ask, your voice thick with tears, nodding at the projection. Mobius looks as though he's deep in thought.

"You can't go back, not now you're here." he tells you, reaching forward to turn the projector off. You make a noise of complaint.

"No good staring it at. You're only torturing yourself." he tells you.

"More than being in a room with an asshole version of Loki who doesn't love me?" you scorn, wiping your eyes, "I don't think so."

Mobius shrugs, as though to say, 'good point'.

"And – you told me I could go back if I helped you." you realise suddenly, angrily.

"No, I said it was unlikely. I'd have to go through Renslayer for that, and she'd never allow it." Mobius tells you. Your heart sinks.

"Why'd you lie?"

"I want your help, but I think you're going to help me regardless." he tells you.

"What makes you think that?" you scoff.

"What else are you going to do?" he asks you.

You look down at the engagement ring on your finger, and don't reply.

A few moments later Loki strides angrily back into the room looking furious, his hair a mess.

"Loki? Nowhere left to run." Mobius says, turning to him.

Loki doesn't reply immediately, sitting down heavily on a raised part of the floor to the side of the room, setting the Tesseract down next to him.

"I can't go back, can I? Back to my timeline?" he asks, his voice trembling ever so slightly. Your heart contracts, even though it's not him. His mind is open, not by choice you presume, so you don't pry.

"No." Mobius says.

"I don't enjoy hurting people. I... I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to. Because I've had to." Loki says, staring into the Tesseract as he speaks.

"Okay, explain that to me." Mobius says.

"Because it's part of the illusion. It's the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear." Loki tells him, and you close your eyes. You'd never heard your Loki speak with such openness about his reasons for this before.

"A desperate play for control. You do know yourself." Mobius says appraisingly.

"A villain." Loki sighs.

It's not him. It's not him. So why are you hurting so badly?

"That's not how I see. You try and use that?" Mobius asks, referring to the Tesseract.

"Several times. Even Infinity Stones are useless here; the TVA is formidable." Loki says, resignation clear in his tone. You open you eyes and turn in your chair. Loki meets your gaze.

"This is new. I've never had Y/N and Loki variants from different timelines meet." Mobius says, as though to himself.

"Are we living up to your expectations?" you ask.

"Honestly, I'm relieved. Some variants would have probably murdered each other by now." Mobius tells you, and you blink in shock.

"But aren't we supposed to be – didn't you say...?" Loki asks, trailing off in confusion.

"Oh sure, you're all soulmates, but that's not to say that one variant is going to get on with another variant from a different timeline, or indeed the same timeline if you're from different times."

Loki frowns in confusion, and you shake your head.

"Well, look at it this way. 'Soulmates' doesn't have to mean in a romantic way, it just means you variants have such a deep connection that you're always drawn to each other. Sure, usually it's romantic, but I've seen Y/N and Loki variants as best friends and worst enemies too." he tells you.

This seems to make Loki feel marginally better.

"Right. Shall we go for the enemies thing, then?" Loki addresses you.

You let out a humourless laugh.

"Sure."

"What, no- no! I need you working together, that's the whole point of this." Mobius stresses, flapping his hands.

"What for?" Loki asks. Mobius sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Listen, I can't offer either of you salvation, but maybe I can offer you something better. A fugitive variant's been killing our Minutemen." he says. Loki stands up.

"And you need the God of Mischief to help you stop him." he says arrogantly.

"That's right. And Y/N."

"Why me... us?"

"Because the variant we're hunting is a Loki variant."

Loki blinks.

"I beg your pardon?"