QandnoA

This is my new account specifically for fanfic!

[qandnoablog]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 5/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale, Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Allison Argent, Sheriff Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

Summary:

Many genies are cruel. Twisted. Bastards, even. They laugh at the misery of others. They revel in it.

Few are decent. Neutral. They just heed the words of the wish-maker, grant it, and then they're gone. Sometimes the wishes are good. Sometimes the wishes turn out horrible. But they’re never around long enough to find out. Maybe that’s a gift. Maybe it’s a curse. No one can really know for sure.

And then, there are the rare ones. The ones that were never really meant to exist. The ones that are kind.

They take the time to listen. To observe. To really take in all the events going around the wish-maker, both past and present. And what makes them the scariest of all genies… They’re the only ones that can ignore. They can ignore wishes, big or small. And there are no records to their limits. How many times they can ignore. How many wishes they can grant.

The most mysterious. The most powerful. The most scary genies. They are known as the kindest you will ever find.

- OR -

The one where Stiles accidentally makes a wish to a genie and shenanigans ensue.

Author’s Note:

I know I’m extremely late to the Teen Wolf fandom, but TikTok lead me to Sterek (because the algorithm knows me too well) and then to tons of fanfics (mostly on AO3)

Just a fair warning before you read! I have EXTREMELY limited knowledge on Teen Wolf. I'm taking BunnyFacey's (TikTok) wise words to heart: "PSA if you read Sterek fanfiction but you haven't watched Teen Wolf, don't watch Teen Wolf." I know I should watch it, especially if I end up writing about it, but I can't bring myself to start... I just want Stiles and Derek to be happy! To have a bit of danger mixed into their lives, with some angst and fluff for a bit of flavor, but nothing too tragic! My heart can't take it T-T

[qandnoablog]

Dance (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 11, [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,963

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Hope you all like this part! I loved making it <3

Part 11 - Dance

Perhaps he was thinking about this too much.

Loki glanced at the growing pile of empty glasses that were slowly being cleared by the servers. It barely affected him at first, but now there was a faint buzz he felt in his system. Not enough to be drunk, but enough to feel the weight ease off his shoulders just a slight bit. He needed something to soothe the dull ache that wouldn’t go away in the deepest reaches of his heart.

He had left the table when he noticed that Sylvie had drifted off to sleep. No matter how much she fought it, she couldn’t win against her exhaustion. And maybe he shouldn’t have fought against it either. But… No matter how much he tried to escape his own thoughts, they still resurfaced like a pestering bug. Constantly feeding him things from his “future,” that he never seemed able to escape from since the moment he watched it.

“My name,” a voice almost dripping in honey said in the back of his mind the second he let his guard down. “What? You don’t remember it?”

Reaching for another proffered glass, he gulped down all its contents in one fell swoop. Still, it did little to silence the voice.

“[Y/N],” it resolutely reminded him. “My name is [Y/N] [Y/L/N].”

Then, the same voice said something contradictory. It was the exact same voice, but the tone and presence was different.

“Not [Y/N],” she countered, an image of her now emerging in his mind, no longer just her voice. “I already told you. My name is [Y/A].”

He frowned and motioned for another drink.

“I told you,” her voice was still very sweet, but it was now dripping in venom. “I’m. Not. [Y/N]!”

“Then who are you?!” He demanded as his fist hit the bar counter top, startling the bartender.

Realizing his mistake, Loki apologized sheepishly to her before quickly taking the new drink and downing it again in one go. He held his head as the alcohol was taking painfully long to kick in. It wasn’t giving him a pleasant buzz, but instead helping his suppressed memories of [Y/N] resurface.

Loki couldn’t quite wrap his head around what to do when it came to her. He once wanted nothing more than to meet her again. Especially after all that he witnessed, he wanted to sit down with her. Have a proper conversation with her. Forget about his worries or life and just ask about her.

How long had she been stuck on Saakar before the two had met? What made her cry that day she was looking out the window on that planet? How did she meet the Avengers? Was she an Avenger? How did she meet Thor? Did she really not have any feelings towards his brother? And what happened to her hands? Did it hurt? And, most of all… Was she happy? Even… Even without him by her side?

But all these questions were meaningless to the [Y/N] he was with now.

This [Y/N] had no memories of the [Y/N] he had witnessed in the lobby of Stark Tower. She even viewed herself as an entirely different person, being offended at being compared to the other. She insisted on being called a different name, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. If he did, it was like admitting that this truly wasn’t the [Y/N] he desperately wanted to get to know. If he did, what of his feelings then? Was what he was feeling a lie?

But he knew he felt something towards this [Y/N], even if she insisted he was mistaken. He knew, because deep down he wanted to know everything there was to know about her. Regardless of her time with the TVA, or her training, he wanted to know about her as a person.

Did she know Mobius? Were they friends? Which office did she work in? Has she ever met any incarnations of himself, like now? How did she feel after meeting them? Did she try to protect them like she tried to protect him?

Now that question made his eyebrow twitch and he quickly had to move on before lingering on that thought.

Has she ever been to Asgard? Had she seen how beautiful it was when the sun hit the castle just right? Has she ever experienced the parties they would throw after a grand victory? The music that would play? The never-ending dance that everyone would join into? And had she met his mo… The queen? If not, would she like to one day?

His mind wandered so far, that his grip over his illusionary uniform faded. But no one really noticed. They were all paying attention to themselves, not to anyone else. And neither did he. He was so lost in thought, pondering all these questions, that he didn’t have time to notice. But someone did. Someone realized it the moment it wore off, and suffice to say they were not pleased.

~

[Y/N] couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.

When the illusion cast around her was dispelled, she quickly turned back the way she came. Thank goodness she wasn’t around other people, because she would not be able to explain what was going on. She was expecting all sorts of things that might’ve resulted in the illusion failing. Perhaps Loki and Sylvie couldn’t take it anymore and were fighting again. Or maybe they blew their cover and were going against the guards. Or perhaps they were discovered by the TVA and were already captured.

So many possibilities… But nothing could’ve prepared her for this.

There, at the same booth she left the two, Sylvie lay fast asleep. And Loki? He was nowhere to be found. She knew he was still on the train, given that they needed the Ark to charge the TemPad, but she felt a migraine forming as she thought of how she would look for him while not drawing attention to herself.

That’s when something else gave her a surprise.

“Back already?” A smooth voice whispered into her ear.

She whirled around, her instincts kicking in, and grabbed the collar of the person who stood right behind her, nearly tackling him to the ground. That’s when she saw who it was. Who had the nerve to sneak up on her during this situation.

“Loki,” she grumbled, still holding him by the collar, “what do you think you’re doing?”

He held his hands up in a teasing display of defeat, but hidden behind that suave smile of his was shock.

Loki hadn’t expected [Y/N] to be back so soon, but when he saw her rush through those doors, adorned in her TVA uniform, he realized what had happened. Looking down at himself, he confirmed that his magic was no longer at work. It wouldn’t have really mattered to him too much, if he didn’t see the panic that was evident on [Y/N]’s face.

A guilty pang stabbed lightly at his already aching heart. But then another thought surfaced, burying that feeling with another. Curiosity.

He recalled the thing his “future” self loved to do. And he, too, wanted to revel in it first-hand. He wanted to see how [Y/N] would react if he, just like his “future” counterpart, whispered in her ear. Would she be startled and jump up? Would her face take on a slight hint of pink from embarrassment? Would he love it just as much as “future” him did?

But reality was truly different.

How was he to know just how long [Y/N] was trained to do field work for the TVA? How was he to know that the “future” [Y/N] he had seen in the “Sacred Timeline,” never had any formal training? And how was he to know that if he snuck up on [Y/N] who had military-esche practices ingrained into her for who-knows-how-long, she would choose fight over flight?

What really made him stunned, though, was how he took that difference. A part of him worried that this might happen. That she would be different from the [Y/N] he had only the briefest encounters with. That he would inevitably be disappointed. But… There was no disappointment to be found. Only… Relief?

While Loki pondered this unforeseen emotion, [Y/N] was impatiently waiting for an answer. And seeing how he had gotten lost in thought, as well as a nearly emptied glass in his hand, she put two-and-two together.

“Are you drunk?” [Y/N] questioned, finally letting him go, with a look of utter disbelief spread across her face.

Now that got his attention.

“You’re drinking on the job?”

She couldn’t believe her eyes. [Y/N] knew the consequences of alcohol, as it was a rule that they were not even supposed to touch such drinks while on a mission, but to think that this man would-

Wait… [Y/N] took a moment to readjust her thoughts. Can Frost Giants get drunk? Asgardians have a high alcohol tolerance, but… What was it about Frost Giants again?

“How many did you two have?” [Y/N] asked as she glanced at the booth that Sylvie slept on.

Not a trace of alcohol could be seen.

Loki could see the disappointment evident on her face. Truth be told, he did have a lot. It was indeed much more than any of the passengers could handle. But it wasn’t enough to cloud his thoughts. Only give him a nice buzz. However, that didn’t change the fact that [Y/N]’s already low opinion of him was drastically getting lower.

But what could he do? What could he say? The glass in his hand, the smell of his breath. Everything screamed that he had indeed been drinking. How was he supposed to know that [Y/N] would disapprove? Did his “future” self know this? Was he not paying enough attention during their “future” moments on Saakar? Did she drink during the Grand Master’s parties?

The more he thought, the more jumbled his mind became. And the more distracted he was, the more [Y/N] contributed this to the alcohol. She couldn’t even look at him anymore. Not with the situation being so serious.

Noticing her turning away from him, and with alcohol still very much in his system, Loki panicked.

“Dance with me.”

[Y/N]’s head whirled to face him so fast that he was worried she’d get whiplash.

“What?”

She couldn’t believe her ears. And deep down, she really did hope she heard him wrong. Maybe he said something else, and she failed to register it with the bustling of the other passengers. So she gave him the benefit of the doubt, with more confusion written on her face than the anger bubbling underneath.

Loki, on the other hand, couldn’t believe his own words. Where had that come from? Was it because just earlier he was thinking about if she had ever been to Asgard? Experienced their celebrations? Danced with the other warriors? What was he doing?

“What did you just say?” She repeated, hoping that she really did hear incorrectly.

But Loki was already too lost in his own thoughts now. They were no longer thinking at the same wavelength. He, now, registered her question with a memory from his first experience at the TVA. Recalling a different agent he had only had the pleasure of meeting twice during his whole time there. The one who had lived his whole life behind a desk. Casey.

“Dance,” Loki repeated, motioning his hand towards the band to get them to play a tune. “You do know what dancing is, right?”

He really hoped she did, but also hoped that it wasn’t because she had danced with someone else. Maybe he didn’t want her to know what it was after all. Just the thought of her in the arms of another, regardless of man or woman, annoyed him to no end. But if she hadn’t… Would she allow him to teach her?

“You’re confused,” [Y/N] sighed, snapping him from his delusions. “You’re confused about the situation you’re in. We are not here to have fun. We are not here for games. We are here to escape, remember? To survive. This isn’t the time-”

“One song,” Loki interrupted as he grabbed her hand and pulled her in closer. “One dance.”

Before she could resist, he called for everyone to join.

The other passengers were already intrigued with this strange pair, and with the lively music that swung into play, the room quickly came alive. [Y/N] had missed her chance to escape his clutches, as she realized that the more people watched them, the more attention they would draw if she fought back.

And so, [Y/N] was stuck in one of the worst traps possible. The trap of societal convention. She had to begrudgingly accept her fate as Loki swung her to-and-fro. Her body twisted and turned alongside him, his expertise in navigating the crowd slightly getting her attention. Her eyes trailed down to her feet, unable to focus on anything else as she tried to not trip over anything and make a complete embarrassment of herself.

“I guess that’s one question answered,” he quietly murmured as he brought her ever closer.

“What?” She asked, not looking up from the ground.

“You’ve definitely never danced before,” he chuckled, the sound rumbling to her own body.

She should’ve felt offended, but when she looked up at him to counter, she noticed his expression. The way he looked at her… It seemed like he needed this. As if one worry had lessened on his mind. Her irritation vanished almost instantly, so she decided to let the matter drop. And besides, it was the truth. Where in the world would she have even taken the time to dance? Definitely not back at the TVA.

“It’d be my pleasure to teach you, if you’d allow me.”

“Hmmm,” she mused, pretending to think about the offer.

Strangely, it was tempting. She didn’t know why she would even want to learn to dance. It wasn’t practical. There would never be a need to use it while on a mission. But when he offered, a part of her begged to accept. Still, she was more rational and silenced the voice.

“I’ll take a rain check on that.”

With that, it should’ve been a smooth transition to leave the dance floor. To edge away from all the attention. The music had certainly slowed down enough for her to leave. But, her dance partner had other thoughts in mind.

The room spun as she was pulled back into his arms. Suddenly, at a speed she couldn’t quite comprehend, he held her gently as she was dipped with her back facing the floor. During the movement, her arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders and his arms held her around her waist. It wasn’t to the point where her back was strained, as he supported most of her weight, but she could barely process what just happened in this brief second.

“One dance,” Loki reminded her, with a soft smile and a look that pulled at her heart. “One song.”

Unable to refuse, as if in a daze, she danced with him once more. This time, she didn’t resist. She followed his lead, and soon she began to pick up the rhythm. Although this was her first time dancing, her body was well-trained to adapt. Soon, she swayed to the beat and was expertly moving along with his steps, no longer looking only at the ground. She began to predict where his feet would go, and she in turn moved along.

Her mind no longer focused on how to move, but instead on her partner. On how he was so poised and balanced, even while intoxicated. On how his breathing was smooth, even when they were moving so much. So her frustrations quickly turned to curiosity. And curiosity eventually lead the way to mischief.

“My turn,” she warned, an evil glint in her eye, as she caught Loki by surprise.

Her foot moved just a bit faster than the music, so subtle that only a trained eye would be able to capture the change, and she took that moment to forcefully step right where she predicted his foot would go. Unfortunately, she smiled in triumph too soon. What she didn’t take into account was that Loki was also well trained. Perhaps for longer than she was trained in the TVA.

Loki expertly dodged her attempts, but she wasn’t deterred by the failure. The two went back and forth, [Y/N] always on the offensive and Loki always defensive. Whenever a chance arose, she would extend her foot and he would move out of the way. They were almost waltzing together, in a chaotic yet synchronized way.

She couldn’t deny it. [Y/N] was beginning to genuinely enjoy this. Although she couldn’t say the same thing for any dance, this one in particular was… It was the most fun she had in a long, long time. Perhaps the first, if she could remember that far.

It was almost like they were the only ones in the room. Like everyone else was gone and only the music could be heard. Like they were the only ones that existed in this space.

A laugh escaped [Y/N] when Loki twirled her once more. She had forgotten the mission and even her small acts of revenge. Now, she was just enjoying this moment of peace. And Loki… He was enraptured by her smile. For once, he was not overlapping her with “[Y/N].” No, right now, all he could see was her. And only her.

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Side Note: Honestly, the inspiration for this part came from this YouTube clip of Tom Hiddleston’s waltz scene from another movie: [link]. It’s not a perfect description of the scene, but I hope you liked it!

[qandnoablog]

Love (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 10, [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,173

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Here’s part 10! Enjoy :)

Part 10 - Love

By some miracle, and some assistance from Sylvie, they had succeeded in getting onto the train.

Sylvie had made herself comfortable on one of the booth seats, so Loki had acted the same and took the seat across from her. Moving slightly more inwards, he motioned for [Y/N] to join but she remained standing.

“How long does this,” [Y/N] began as she gestured at the uniformed donned on her, “last?”

“As long as I need it to,” Loki replied with a mischievous smile. “If that’s all you’re worried about, then come sit.”

“Hmmm,” [Y/N] reciprocated his smile before her face fell into a familiar TVA-esque stoicism. “You two stay put. I’m going to look around.”

The smile on Loki’s face fell almost instantly, but he quickly replaced it with another award-winning smile.

“Whatever for?”

“I’m going to survey the area,” [Y/N] explained with a blank stare, as if she was just on another mission. “But I don’t trust either of you after that whole ‘asking for directions’ fiasco. So stay put.”

“No.” Loki shook his head as he made a move to stand. “I’ll go with you. The magic might not last if I’m not around.”

“I guess all of us are going then?” Sylvie sighed as she, too, began to stand from her seat.

“Sit. Down.” [Y/N] commanded, her voice dripping with irritation as an invisible force pushed them down back to their seats.

Loki was about to protest, but [Y/N] shot him a glare so cold that even his Frost Giant blood couldn’t save him from the chill.

“And don’t even think about using your tricks on me,” [Y/N] warned with a threatening smile. “You said it yourself. The magic will last for as long as you need it to.”

Before either of them could say anything more, [Y/N] turned away from the two and left them to their own devices. Although she didn’t trust them, she put her faith in their distrust towards each other. And… And a bit of her couldn’t help but feel certain that Loki would never run away with the TemPad and leave her to die here. She was so sure of that feeling, that the thought of it never even crossed her mind. That’s how she was able to leave the two alone and go off to examine the train.

~

“FYI, that wasn’t even a plan.”

Loki finally turned around, looking away from the closed doors [Y/N] had long gone through. 

“Oh, really?” He replied in a bored manner, already aware of Sylvie’s disapproval.

“Plans have multiple steps. Dressing as a guard,” she lectured, but quickly decreased her volume as other guards began to walk past them, “and getting on a train is just doing a thing.”

Although he couldn’t shake his anxiety without [Y/N] beside him, within his sights, he centered his attention back towards the one he was assigned to capture. The reason the TVA even let him live past his own capture. Sylvie, she called herself. An alias. Something he couldn’t even begin to dream of. To replace his own identity, his title as a god, with another.

“Oh, you a bit tired?” He asked, his voice laced with sarcasm, due to her yawn. “Feel free to, you know, get some rest.”

“I can’t sleep in a place like this.” She grunted in response.

“You can’t sleep on a train?” Loki mocked as he feigned confusion.

“No, I can’t sleep around untrustworthy people,” Sylvie clarified with a huff.

“Oh, right,” he whispered, “That me?”

A dime in a dozen that label was. A liar. A trickster. A traitor. All of them amounted to the same thing. Untrustworthy. He had been called worse, and all of them were told to him again and again after his outburst against Thor, his blissfully ignorant brother. Even before his treasonous actions against his own father, regardless of blood, he was always labeled as such. Only one person ever saw him differently and stood by his side all those years ago.

“My mother.”

Loki’s trailing thoughts coincided with the two’s conversation. After their back-and-forth with who should sleep, she claimed that she wouldn’t waste her time anymore with the TemPad when someone had taught him “fairly decent magic.” He only confirmed her thoughts, an answer Loki found obvious to her unasked question.

Sylvie turned away with a soft chuckle, an almost lonely expression peaking behind her fake smile. She inhaled slightly, her gaze shifting as if debating her next words carefully, and finally came to a decision.

“What was she like?”

Now it was Loki’s turn to hesitate.

Kind. Warm. Gentle. All sorts of answers rushed through his mind as his childhood flashed across like really-watching an old movie. Noble. Elegant. Compassionate. More and more words came rushing in as he continued to recall his fondest  memories with her. Strong. Wise. Just.

“She was, um…” Loki began, sorting through his thoughts.

Frigga. Wife of Odin. The one who raised him, even while knowing full well what he was. Treating him equal to her own blood. Loving, yet stern. Someone who could both nurture and scold. Morally good in every way.

He knew how much she cared for him. Even while he struggled in Thor’s shadow, keenly aware of all the differences between himself and his brother long before he discovered just how different the two really were, there was no comparison to Frigga’s love. She saw him as no different than her own child. To her, though he did not share a single drop of blood, there was no question that he was her child.

A mother.

“A Queen of Asgard,” Loki continued, locking away those complicating emotions as images of his future resurfaced.

Frigga… His mother… Lying still on the ground. Blood trickling down her lips. Her eyes forever closed.

Deep down, he couldn’t forgive himself. Even though none of that happened to himself, even though he knew it was a future that would now never happen to him… Loki knew that he shared the blame.

If the TVA had never taken him away, if he had never happened upon the Tesseract and escaped his fate, he knew his choices would mirror the future he saw. The blood on his future self’s hand, he shared that burden. How could he still call himself her son after what he had done?

“She was good. Purely decent.”

“Are you sure she was your mother?” Sylvie scoffed, poking fun at his distant answer.

She didn’t realize this, with how quickly Loki fired back that he was adopted, but that joking question cut deeper than any knife could. It was no question that Frigga considered herself to be his mother. He didn’t doubt for a second that she would ever change her mind about that. Even if she knew his actions would lead to her death, the thought of being anything but his mother would never cross her mind.

And that made him feel all the more guilty.

“You know, when I was young, she’d do these little bits of magic for me.” He smiled at the memory, letting his guilt be replaced with a wave of nostalgia. “Like turn a flower into a frog, or cast fireworks over the water. It all seemed impossible, but she told me that I’d be able to do it because…” He paused as he could faintly hear her in that distant past. A very, very long time ago.

“Because I could do anything.”

And as if recreating that piece of history, Loki demonstrated that same bit of magic for his counterpart.

“She was the kind of person you’d want to believe in you.”

“Sounds like she does,” Sylvie replied, a faint strain in her voice as her own mix of emotions began to surface.

“Well, she did.” Loki agreed as his eyes shifted downward, the nostalgia ending and guilt flooding his heart once again.

He couldn’t let himself think about this any more. And so, he did what he always did when it became too heavy. Too personal. He deflected.

Loki asked about Sylvie. How she learned magic, if not from the Frigga from her timeline. How she was able to Enchant people. And how exactly the magic worked on one’s mind. It was something he had been dying to know when he saw it happen right before his eyes. But he dared not experience it for himself. Not when he didn’t know the mechanics of it.

Sadly, Sylvie knew exactly what he was up to. A shame, but what could he do? He didn’t need to know, since it didn’t work on him regardless.

“Cheers,” Loki softly proclaimed, tapping the two glasses of champagne he accepted from the server. Who could refuse alcohol at a time like this? Especially when there were things he desperately wanted to forget.

The glass made a crisp clink! and he continued.

“To the end of the world.”

With a light sip, he savored the taste, albeit the alcohol’s weak effect on him.

“A pity the old woman chose to die.” Once again he changed the subject. “Don’t you think?”

“She was in love,” Sylvie replied.

“She hated him,” Loki countered.

“Maybe love is hate.”

Now that was something Loki couldn’t agree with. He couldn’t say this in his current predicament with… Well, he couldn’t say anything about his situation, but he most certainly knew his “future” self would highly disagree.

“So, on the subject of love…”

It was finally time to address the enormous elephant in the room.

“What is going on between you and [Y/A]?”

Loki nearly choked on his drink that he had gone for another sip.

“What?” Sylvie questioned as she observed his reaction. “There’s obvious tension. I’m not stupid. Besides, now’s the best time to ask. When she’s not here to listen.”

He really didn’t want to answer that. In fact, he didn’t even know how.

“Hmmm,” Sylvie mused at his silence. She could tell he was struggling, but she really had no idea why. “Then let me change my question. What is she to you?”

Now that was an equally complicated question that Loki found even harder to answer.

What was [Y/N] to him? They barely interacted with one another, so was she an acquaintance? But he disliked how distant that felt. So a lover? That clearly wasn’t the case with how she reacted towards him. Then what? A crush? Unbelievable. What was he? A child?

“A partner to pass the time?” Sylvie guessed, knowing it wasn’t the right answer. “Or just someone to keep you going?”

“No.” He denied her answer with a conviction he didn’t realize was clear in the sound of his voice. “Not her.”

The two sat, one observant while the other lost in thought. One calm while the other trying to silence the chaos that swarmed his mind.

“You know it won’t last,” Sylvie finally spoke up, leaving the question unanswered.

Loki knew what she was referring to. It was the same thing his “future” self had used as an excuse, losing so much valuable time. Time he just didn’t have. Time that had gone by faster for her, but was ironically taken from him first.

“You know, don’t you?” She asked again.

“Yes,” Loki said, his eyes clear without a hint of its usual tricks. “I know.”

There was no explanation, but the confirmation was enough. Both had lived long enough to know the mortality of a human’s life. Both had lived amongst them enough to see it happen. And both knew the risks of falling for one. Falling for someone not like themselves.

Loki understood the weight of that knowledge, but had chosen to learn from his “future” self’s regret. He wouldn’t pine needlessly yet run away from the possibility of being with her. Even if he didn’t understand the relationship between himself and [Y/N], time would never be the reason he would distance himself from her. If time was limited, he wouldn’t run away from it. He would savor every second of it.

“But is it-” Sylvie began, but she was quickly cut off.

“Real?” He finished the question before it could be asked. Yet another he just couldn’t answer.

“Love is mischief, then.” She stated, a smirk spread across her face.

Just from her reaction to his constant hesitation, his consistent loss for words, she came to the conclusion she had come to all her life. Love is tricky. Love is dishonest. Love is… Not real.

“No.” Loki rejected the notion before he could even ask himself the very same thing. “Love is…”

What was love? Did his “future” self know it when he came to the conclusion about [Y/N]? Did he have the answer that his present self didn’t? Even while watching the future play out before his eyes, knowing each and every choice his “Sacred Timeline” self made, did that Loki know something he didn’t?

“... Something I might have to have another drink to think about.”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Side Note: Hope part 10 left you hungry for more~! Part 11 should be out in 2 weeks, so stay tuned!

[qandnoablog]

Train (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 9, [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 1,901

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Thank goodness this part didn’t take as long as Part 8, am I right? I did say I’ll try to post by every other week! Well, here is Part 9! Enjoy :)

Part 9 - Train

Idiots. Absolute idiots!

[Y/N] cursed at them internally as she watched the two get blasted right outside the stranger’s door.

“What do you devils want with me?” The woman asked as she readied her weapon.

[Y/N] rubbed her temples as she thought back to the mess they created.

All they needed were simple directions towards the evacuation vessel, the one thing that might have enough juice to power the TemPad. Their only hope of escape. This information was easily accessible, thankfully, since they had a full-fledged member of the TVA by their side. [Y/N], as mandated by all TVA members, studied up on most timelines and especially apocalypses. Lamentis-1 was no exception.

But when these two block-heads finally found the one person that stayed behind in this ghost-of-a-town, Sylvie had to kick open the door while the other paraded around as one of their long-lost loved ones. What else could they be if not complete and utter-

“-idiots,” [Y/N] grumbled before clearing her throat and appearing at the woman’s door. “I apologize for these two. One is hot-headed while the other is… Well, let’s just say he’s a tricky one.”

“Are you a devil like them?” She questioned, her weapon slowly turning towards [Y/N].

“God, I hope not,” [Y/N] answered as she put her hands up. “Could you please just point us towards the Ark?”

“You’ll never get a ticket,” the woman flatly stated.

“We just need directions. That’s all,” [Y/N] replied with a reassuring smile.

The woman’s stern eyes changed, as if to look at [Y/N] with pity. And [Y/N] could guess what thoughts must be running through this woman’s head. She was probably thinking that these three strangers were pitiful fools, hoping like the rest of the town to see a glimmer of humanity beaming down on them and maybe, just maybe, get a ticket to salvation.

“Train station’s the edge of town,” the woman finally said as she put down her weapon.

“Thank you.”

[Y/N] jumped down from the small platform and carried on walking. She couldn’t even be bothered to look behind at the two idiots that trailed behind. It was such an easy task, and yet they nearly got themselves injured just trying to ask the woman a question. And… That wasn’t the only reason [Y/N] was angry.

Though the three hadn’t walked that far, [Y/N] still couldn’t help but turn back. And what she saw made her quickly turn away. There, in that short distance, the woman was watching the three leave. And in that brief moment, the two had made eye contact.

[Y/N] frowned with a click of her tongue and quickened her pace.

She had made a stupid mistake, one she hadn’t made in years. She couldn’t help it. For so long, [Y/N] had avoided going to apocalypses. There weren’t many opportunities, and she made it a point not to go. Even when it was just a test mission, to make sure that everything was in order, she refused to set foot onto them if she was given the choice.

That woman’s fate is sealed, [Y/N] reminded herself as she clenched her fists, digging her nail into her palms. There’s no way for her to live past this point in time. The Sacred Timeline takes precedence over all else, especially over these irrational emotions. Accept it. It’ll make it easier. Even she’s accepted it.

[Y/N] repeated these words like a mantra over and over in her head, but still she felt horrible inside.

The eyes of that woman were a very familiar sight. There was always someone with that same look in their eyes in these types of situations. The ones that had already lost everything and were just biding their time. Waiting for the moment that death would finally appear on their doorstep. Someone who had accepted that it was the end.

At times like these, she wished more than anything that she could set aside her duty as part of the TVA, as just a Minuteman, and be more. To act on her own desire to save others, no matter the risk to the timeline. To help those who had lost all hope, and to bring light back into their lives. To… To not have been made at all if the TVA was going to burden her with these useless consciences. But, alas…

[Y/N] couldn’t do it. She couldn’t act on her will alone. She couldn’t go against her destiny. Not when the greater-good was at risk.

Of all the places the TVA could travel to, throughout space and time, this was one of the places she despised the most. Not just Lamentis, but all apocalypses. A place so bleak that the spark of hope could send someone toppling further into despair. To grant someone kindness in times like these… Well, that’s like giving a dehydrated man the ocean. An endless sea of water, and yet something he can’t drink.

Torture. Being alive and well, then leaving such a place… Leaving everyone here to die, even though you have the power, equipment, and resources to help… To abandon hundreds - if not millions - of lives, just because it was predestined. Set in stone… To sacrifice so many for the lives of many more. The greater good.

If that isn’t torture, then what is?

~

It was noisy.

Many people had been standing in the same line, in the same place, for hours. They were all people hoping to get a ticket onto the train, the only vessel that could take them to the Ark. The train for the rich. The train for the powerful. The train to stay alive.

“Well, this looks fun.”

While the two variants continued their endless banter, [Y/N] examined their surroundings, quickly skimming past the weary eyes still clinging to the hope for salvation, to those with their faces covered and dressed in blue. They were the ones holding weapons. They should be where [Y/N] focused her attention on to find a way onto the train.

“All your plans involve fighting.”

[Y/N] slowly re-focused on the two’s conversation. It seemed they were also brainstorming on how they should handle the situation.

“Not this one,” Sylvie replied. “I’m going to enchant a guard, have him lead us through the crowd, and if anyone gives us any trouble…”

“Too risky,” [Y/N] shot down the suggestion as she continued to survey the guards posted around the station. “We don’t have enough information. What if people start asking questions?”

“Make him start shooting?” Loki sarcastically quipped back as he side-eyed Sylvie. “And then what? Kill every guard and hijack the train?”

“Whether or not there’s a fight is entirely up to them.” Sylvie shrugged.

“Again, too risky,” [Y/N] repeated.

“[Y/N]-” Loki began, but he was quickly interrupted.

“Not [Y/N],” [Y/N] warned as she finally turned away from the surroundings and shot Loki a glare. “I already told you. My name is [Y/A].”

During their walk towards the train, [Y/N] couldn’t take it anymore and had told Loki several times to stop calling her “[Y/N].”

She clearly told him that she wasn’t who he thought she was, and that her name was [Y/A], but no matter how many times she reminded him, this god always seemed to call her by that same name. Every time he did, her heart trembled in a confusing way and her head slightly throbbed. It was as if she was trying to recall something that she just couldn’t place her finger on and the feeling itself was frustrating. Besides, it wasn’t rational! What could she possibly have forgotten that she was so desperately trying to recall? That wasn’t even her name!

“Why don’t you make us invisible and we can all just get onto the train with no one the wiser?” Loki asked as he brushed past her stern tone.

“What?”

[Y/N] froze, her face instantly going from frustrated to baffled in the blink of an eye. She took a moment to register what was asked, and for a second, she thought she may have misheard him, even with their close proximity.

“You want me to do what?”

Now it was Loki’s turn to stop. He turned to her, his face mirroring her confusion.

“Turn us invisible,” Loki explained as he thought back to his past brief encounter with [Y/N] at the Stark Tower lobby and his “future” experiences with her. “From what I gather, you appear to wrap yourself in air - almost like a cloak - to veil yourself from sight.”

[Y/N] continued to stare at him, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying, until something finally clicked. Her eyebrows furrowed together as her jaw clenched in frustration.

“I told you,” she began, almost growling out the words. “I’m. Not. [Y/N]!”

Finally, it dawned on her why Loki thought she could do something so impossible. He was still considering her to be this “[Y/N]” person! He refused to call her by her name and insisted she was the same as the one he kept calling her by. And now look! He was even making it so they had the same powers.

It seemed this “[Y/N]” girl could turn herself invisible. What else she could do was beyond [Y/N]. But, while invisibility would be extremely useful right now, [Y/N] couldn’t do that! She had only just grasped her powers a bit more these past few hours, but all she could do was push and pull. Turn invisible? What was he expecting from her?!

Sylvie glanced at the two before taking the moment to examine [Y/N] a bit more closely. Her eyes narrowed in thought, but she blinked once and the look vanished.

“Then we’ll go with my idea,” Sylvie announced as she started walking forward again.

“No,” Loki denied, though he never looked away from [Y/N]’s eyes.

She was still glaring daggers at him, so he tried to reach for [Y/N]’s hand. Seeing this, her scowl only grew and she quickly turned away from his outreached hand and caught up with Sylvie, who proceeded to walk further away.

“We’re doing this one my way,” Loki continued, grabbing onto Sylvie’s shoulder and squeezing in between her and [Y/N].

Then, he quickly took her hand in his. Before [Y/N] could protest, her vision went green for a fraction of a second. Blinking away the sudden change, her eyes re-adjusting, she looked up to see Loki adorned in completely different attire. The same blue attire, in fact, with the train’s security.

“How do we look?”

We? [Y/N] thought before glancing down at herself. That’s when she realized her clothes had changed. She was no longer dressed in her usual uniform. Now, she was matching clothes with Loki.

“This is a shit plan,” [Y/N] immediately shot down before Sylvie had a chance to reply.

“It’s a great plan,” Loki countered, but [Y/N] only graced him with putting down her face covering that came with their new, blue uniforms in response.

Sylvie agreed with [Y/N] with a slight hum, looking the two up and down, as Loki resigned to their displeasure and proceeded to guide the two towards the entrance.

“Just follow my lead.”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Side Note: Hope you enjoyed Part 9! Part 10 should be out at the same time (ever other week) <3

[qandnoablog]

Alias (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 8, [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,676

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Wow, how long has it been since I last posted? Well, wait no more! Here is part 8! Finally, am I right? Sadly, I can’t promise consistency with my future posts, but I’ll try to get these next few parts out every other week.

Part 8 - Alias

“Who’s [Y/N]?”

[Y/N] repeated the question again when neither Lokis graced her with a response. The female variant seemed to genuinely not know who she was referring to, her expression showing more exasperation than understanding, and Loki… He just looked confused.

“What?”

“You heard me.” [Y/N]’s face crinkled into an impatient frown. “I’m going to ask you one last time. Who. Is. [Y/N]?”

There was still no answer. And how could there be?

Loki whole-heartedly believed that this was [Y/N]. It was impossible that she could be anyone else. It certainly wasn’t magic that made her look this way. Her face. Her voice. Her very presence. There was no one else she could possibly be. But… Her question… He could tell from the look in her eyes. She really didn’t know who “[Y/N]” was. That realization rattled his resolve to its very core.

No… He shook himself from the rising panic. That’s impossible. That feeling… Her powers… They’re hers.

While Loki was internally consoling himself, trying to think rationally from his rising nerves she had unknowingly inflicted, [Y/N] continued to wait in silence. Every change on Loki’s face registered perfectly clear to her. From utter confusion, to pale realization, then slight panic, and finally back to a sense of calm. They were all vividly apparent to [Y/N] who didn’t look away from the god.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the answer to her question was vital. That this answer was something that would shake the very foundation of her life. That this would be a turning moment that could change everything. And the more that feeling began to take root, the more it began to scare her.

A small part in the back of [Y/N]’s mind urged her to not ask anymore. To turn away from the question. To accept silence as an acceptable answer. It was like some distant part of her was telling her to just let this go… As if… As if just knowing would really break her.

But another part of her adamantly resisted that fear. She could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest as the name kept ringing in her ears. She had to know. She needed to know. It wasn’t just her head that was telling her things, but also her heart. She needed to know who that was. Who was [Y/N]? And why was this person so important to her?

The slight rumbling in the distance was all that could be heard between the two. They were so focused on each other, that they had forgotten one crucial thing. It wasn’t just [Y/N] and Loki here.

The rogue variant didn’t miss this opportunity.

She inched closer to Loki, the one who had hidden the TemPad away, and snaked her arms toward his neck. The move lacked any killing intent, so the two were caught completely unaware as the female Loki’s fingers glowed an eerie green and were placed upon Loki’s exposed neck, with an unusually gentle touch.

[Y/N]’s eyes widened, not expecting this sort of situation, and couldn’t quite understand what was going on. Still, she readied her battle stance, observing for any changes. But… Seconds trickled by and the longer she waited, the more [Y/N] couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. Even Loki, the target of the “attack,” couldn’t help but stare at the female variant, dumbfounded. Nothing seemed to be happening.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked as he eyed the variant strangely.

“What are you doing?” She countered.

“Are you trying to enchant me?”

Enchant? [Y/N] thought to herself as she calmed her welling powers back down.

“It won’t work,” Loki continued as the two variants stared each other down.

It seemed like this female Loki tried to use some sort of magic on her male counterpart, but something went wrong. Whether it was because he was a “magician,” as the female called him, or because his mind was too strong as Loki proclaimed, enchantment had no effect on him.

“Fine!” The female variant grunted as she took out her blade.

Loki took out his own in response.

“Enough!” [Y/N] yelled, her voice dripping in anger. “I’ve had it up to here with your fighting!”

She felt like she was talking to children! Not that she did much of that in the TVA, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was the only adult amongst the three. If she could put aside her close-to-murderous grudge against this variant, then these two should be able to put aside whatever they had against each other and think about their current predicament!

“Now, either we work together to get off of this God-forsaken planet, or get the hell out and get yourselves killed!”

[Y/N] was done. She really was. If they couldn’t work together, they were all dead. They couldn’t get off this planet without the TemPad, which Loki had hidden. They couldn’t charge said TemPad without this female Loki. How she understood the workings of the TemPad when it was past [Y/N]’s level of clearance was beyond [Y/N], but she decided to brush that aside for now. And as for herself? Well, she just got dragged into this mess! Literally. And… And now she was most likely labeled a traitor, knowing Ravonna’s mindset. She went out of her way to save a variant, which led to them escaping onto this doomed planet. So… Why prolong the inevitable? They were all dead anyways, even if they were able to escape.

And what about this “[Y/N]”? The question surrounding who “[Y/N]” was and why Loki had called her by that name? Well, the curiosity had died down after witnessing these two variants' squabbling. It was still very present, but not enough to deter her from the big picture: Surviving long enough to find out.

They didn’t have the time for her useless curiosity. Besides, the most logical explanation was that Loki knew “[Y/N],” and perhaps this person looked a bit like herself. It wasn’t uncommon. The universe was a vast and almost infinite jumble of possibilities. She had lived long enough to know it first hand.

The two Lokis were silent for a long time. They acted like children who were caught in the act and scolded. Then, someone finally broke the silence.

“The plan you interrupted was years in the making.”

The female variant was genuinely frustrated. Her voice carried a bit of exhaustion, as if the thought of her having to start anew was draining at her. Whatever she had planned for the TVA, it had consumed most of her life. But, one little act from this new Loki had set her plan ablaze. She could never get that time back, so yes. She was extremely frustrated.

“Years!”

But [Y/N] had a point.

“As soon as I turn that TemPad back on, I’m going straight back to the TVA to finish what I started.”

“And we’ll be ready,” [Y/N] scoffed, not believing in the slightest that this one variant could make even a dent in the TVA’s defenses. “But keep dreaming. That might actually help us make some progress off this rock of a planet.”

“Tell me why we’re still keeping you alive?” She challenged, her weapon still at the ready.

“Truce,” Loki interjected before [Y/N] could say anything back. “This is a temporary truce.”

[Y/N] rolled her eyes, as she started walking back towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Loki asked as he grabbed onto her hand.

Her frown deepened at his touch. She could feel the internal conflict between that small inner voice and her heart were getting more intense the closer he was to her. A slight headache began to form, so she firmly shook off his hold. The flash of disappointment she felt at her own actions made her scowl, clenching her teeth, as she ignored his question and walked out the door.

“There’s power somewhere on this moon,” the female variant said, brushing past the strange tension between the two, as she matter-of-factly explained. “We just need enough to travel through inter-dimensional time and space.”

Then, the three exited the safety of the metal walls and walked outside once more.

~

“So, you’re ignoring me now? Really?”

[Y/N] felt the space between her brows become sore. She was never known as the happiest in the TVA, but she most certainly wasn’t the grumpiest. At least, not since she was taken in by Mobius. So, she was definitely not used to how frequently she was scrunching her brows. And the source of her irritation kept pestering her.

“Can you shut up?” the female variant snapped, unable to take any more. “Just because I have to work with the two of you doesn’t mean I wanna be stuck in your annoying lovers’ quarrel.”

“He’s not-” [Y/N] began.

“Don’t interrupt, Variant,” Loki interjected as he jogged up to the two women briskly walking forward.

“Don’t call me, ‘Variant,’” his counterpart shot back with a glare.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not calling some faded photocopy of me, ‘Loki.’”

“Good. ‘Cause that’s not who I am anymore. I’m Sylvie now.”

[Y/N] glanced at the female variant, her eyebrows slightly unfurling.

“You changed your name. Brilliant.”

“It’s called an alias.”

As she heard them bickering again, [Y/N]’s thoughts trailed off as the word, “alias,” replayed in her head. She recalled back to the time she was still doing the grunt work at the TVA. Just a mindless, numbered drone amongst the many others. One of the worst moments in what felt like an eternity.

Z-73, [Y/N] thought to herself as she remembered her old name. Her old title. Every member of the TVA had a title. On rare instances, some came up with names for themselves. They were often those outcasted by the others or someone with too much time on their hands. It was only when they were bestowed a name by the Time Keepers, a symbol of worth for their new position, that it was acceptable to shed their numbers. Ravonna Renslayer was one of them. Mobius was another. [Y/N] on the other hand…

“What do you want to be called?”

Mobius had asked her that question so long ago that she couldn’t even remember the time.

“What?”

[Y/N] had responded with the most bewildered expression. She had just been recruited by Mobius, and after seeing her expression whenever her number was called, he had suddenly sprung the question on her.

“What do you want to be called?”

Mobius repeated his question with a gentle smile, as if coaxing a wary child.

It took her a long while to process his question. In fact, it made her mind go blank and she couldn’t come up with an appropriate answer. It was extremely rare for a hunter, especially one that went out onto the field to protect the Sacred Timeline, to pick a name for themselves. If it was the Time Keepers that bestowed you a name… It was a sign of honor amongst the TVA. And yet… Someone with that very symbol of worth and honor… Someone like Mobius was asking her what she’d like to be called. Was this a test? A test of loyalty?

“Take your time,” Mobius answered after a long period of silence. “And don’t get me wrong. It’s not a name, per say. Hmmmm,” he added with a theatrical hum, “Think of it like an alias.”

“An alias?” [Y/N] cluelessly repeated.

“Yeah.” Mobius nodded. “An alias. In your reports, it’ll still be Z-73. But when I’m just talking to you, off the record, I’ll call you by your alias.”

“You’re strange.” [Y/N] finally cracked a smile.

“In this place, that’s a compliment.” His friendly grin widened from knowing that he was able to make you smile. “And-”

“-Could that charge the TemPad?”

[Y/N] snapped from her trance and looked up at the question.

“Maybe,” Sylvie replied as she rushed up the ramp.

After being lost in her fond memories for who-knows-how-long, [Y/N] began to register her surroundings. It seemed like they somehow made their way into a deserted town. Perhaps not even that.

Run down buildings. Old, rusted metal. Litter along the ground. And not a single person in sight. A ghost town.

[Y/N] looked around, further out towards the distance, but felt a gentle tug that guided her towards where Sylvie had run to. She quickly looked down, only just realizing that in her moment of absent-mindedness she was being steered in the right direction to not get left behind. That’s when [Y/N] finally saw her hand enveloped in Loki’s. And that he was still holding onto her.

“Okay,” Sylvie called out, startling [Y/N] from her daze as she snatched her hand back from Loki’s gentle grip. “Hand it over.”

Her cheeks were on fire as [Y/N] desperately tried to hide her embarrassment.

Shit! [Y/N] cursed at herself, not even looking at Loki. [Y/A], you’ve really gone and done it this time! Have you lost your mind? You must’ve gone crazy. How could you let your mind wander like that?! What were you thinking? And among two variants, no less! Has the TVA taught you nothing???

In her moment of self-reproach, the sound of a faint scoff registered in her ears.

[Y/N] glanced up, only to see Loki snickering as he looked down at the hand that was holding onto hers not that long ago. And though the air was filled with the sound of his condescending laughter, his eyes did not shine with the same energy.

“Pitiful,” He murmured to himself, so low that neither [Y/N] or Sylvie could hear it. It was as if he was speaking to himself. Referring only to himself. Laughing at himself.

“I’m not giving it to you,” Loki continued, now looking up at Sylvie and placing his two hands at his hips. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that.”

“Then don’t give me your ‘tech savvy’ ideas either,” Sylvie sneered back, using air quotes to emphasize those two words.

And with that, [Y/N] turned back to the situation at hand and glanced at the pink, neon sign that Sylvie had just stepped away from. That’s when everything about their conversation clicked into place.

“A sign of that magnitude wouldn’t be able to charge the TemPad,” [Y/N] explained as her nerves finally calmed down and her mind raced with all the files of Lamentis she ever came across. They were old memories, but at least some details were retained.

“The Ark. That’s where we need to go.”

She was about to look around, in an attempt to find signs of where their new destination could possibly be, when she realized that the two looked at one another before looking back at her. As if they were waiting for her to continue. To explain.

“The Ark?” [Y/N] repeated, but their blank looks only confirmed her suspicion. “Unbelievable.” She couldn’t help but huff in exasperation as she turned her attention to Sylvie. “You were making such a fuss about Lamentis and you didn’t even know about the Ark?”

“Truce, remember?” Loki chimed in before Sylvie could say anything this time around.

“The evacuation vessel.” [Y/N] sighed as she massaged her growing migraine. “The reason this place is so void of life. The reason everyone here has fled and is still clinging onto the hope that they can be saved from this apocalypse.”

“Something like that would have enough juice to re-power the TemPad,” Sylvie replied as she finally registered what [Y/N] was getting at.

“How do we get there?” Loki asked after coming to the same conclusion and already moving on to their next step.

“We find someone,” [Y/N] answered as she looked away from the two and scanned their surroundings. “Someone to ask for directions.”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Side Note: I’m so, so sorry that Part 8 took so long to post! I almost gave up on this, but then I noticed that people were still liking my work and I couldn’t help but get motivated again. It took a while, but I really do hope these next few parts will be worth the wait! Thank you so much for your patience and for sticking around <3

[qandnoablog]

Just a quick update! Part 8 will take a bit longer than expected! Sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience <3

UPDATE: Though this wasn’t intentional, this has been one of the biggest lies I have ever accidentally told ^^;

Part 8 really was in progress, but both my editor and I were really disappointed with the outcome and scrapped the whole thing last minute. Then real life / work / writer’s block / lack of motivation set in 😣

I’m sorry this is taking so long. I’m in a rut right now and I can’t seem to find the time and heart to continue this at the moment. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. I still cannot give you a date for the next part, but still, thank you for taking the time to read and enjoy my work!

[qandnoablog]

Lamentis (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 7, [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 3,581

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: This took some editing, but here's the final product! Please enjoy and feel free to leave a comment <3

Part 7 - Lamentis

[Y/N] was the first to open her eyes.

The first thing she saw in her state of confusion was the Time Door closing above her. She could barely process what she had just experienced, disoriented from the sudden series of events. Then, she felt herself on top of someone and on instinct, she jumped from the embrace that had loosened during the impact of the fall.

She surveyed the dark room, cautious of the two that lay on the floor, and tried to examine as much as she could.

They were just at the TVA, in front of the Time-Keepers’ door. When she moved to go against the judge, she was pulled backwards before the weapon could make contact. Then, the three landed here, an unknown location in space and time.

[Y/N] realized that she had been mere centimeters away from being erased from the Timeline. From disappearing from existence. And… And the being who saved her was lying on the floor. The one who had pulled her into his arms and taken the brunt of the fall. The elusive variant that Mobius had taken the risk to work with and found some level of trust in. Loki.

Then, the two snapped their eyes open.

Her heart nearly flew out of her chest and a startled scream was caught in her throat as she desperately tried to hold it back. The woman who had woken up first took one look at the discarded TemPad and immediately struggled to get to it first. Loki, who realized her intentions, quickly latched on to her leg and dragged her back.

“Get off my leg!” The woman demanded as she grabbed Loki and slammed his head onto a small, metallic, decorative table.

[Y/N] winced at the sound as she witnessed this first hand. That’s when a thought occurred to her. These two… They seemed to have forgotten that she was here as well.

Hmmm, she mused to herself as an idea began to form in her mind. Well, it’s not my fault that they forgot about me, right?

What [Y/N] didn’t see, due to her eyes still adjusting to the dim light, was Loki’s discreet glances her way every now and then. He knew his priorities, but he first had to make sure that she was there, safe and alive. But [Y/N], sadly, did not see this and continued to believe that she now had the upper hand. The element of surprise.

“Goodbye, Variant,” the woman scoffed as she finally got her hands on the TemPad.

“You’re outta juice,” Miss Minutes’ voice stated through the device.

Not that it would have done much good even if the TemPad was at full power. [Y/N] wasn’t just standing idly by. She decided to take full advantage of the situation and cover the device with her own powers. It wasn’t very hard, since it wasn’t necessarily to protect or deflect anything. This was just a preventative measure to stop any of the two from getting away. Not before she could make sense of the situation.

The two fought a bit more, just like they had at the TVA. However, the stark difference was that Loki now had free reign on his powers. His magic. [Y/N] had read up on his files the moment Mobius decided to take the variant under his wing. She knew just how powerful this self-proclaimed god was, and knew that outside of the TVA, he was a dangerous force to be reckoned with. When Loki began to use his powers against the woman, [Y/N] knew who would come out the winner.

“Right,” Loki began as he easily unarmed the woman and snatched back the TemPad.

“Just give it back to me,” the woman interrupted, “You don’t even know how to recharge it.”

“Of course I do,” Loki countered as he looked down at the device.

Due to him not facing her, [Y/N] missed the spark of recognition that flashed past Loki’s eyes. He could feel the familiar power that enveloped itself around the TemPad. It felt a bit clumsier than what he had first experienced. A bit unrefined. But it was definitely the same power. It was definitely [Y/N]’s.

“You’re not the only tech savvy Loki,” he continued, hiding the fact that [Y/N] was here as well.

Loki. The name hit her like a ton of bricks. [Y/N]’s eyes widened as she snapped her attention fully on the woman. It was only then that she finally took in everything about this stranger. This intruder that clearly had malicious designs on the TVA. This variant… Loki.

“Don’t ever call me that.”

“Tech savvy?”

“No, a Loki.”

Their conversation no longer registered in [Y/N]’s ears. All she could hear were the screams of her dying comrades. The crackling of fire as it ate away at their oil-covered bodies. And that smell… That horrible stench. The smell of burning flesh. How human they seemed at that moment. How mortal their bodies were as it succumbed to the flames.

As [Y/N]’s mind raced, the female Loki’s headpiece became blindingly obvious. The broken horn. The cloaked figure. The suffocating smell of oil and smoke. And fire… The unbearable heat of fire. Everything finally clicked in place now that [Y/N] was no longer distracted. No longer focused on the Loki that was said to be on their side. Now, all she could see was this female variant. All she could smell was the night air of that day, polluted by the burning fire. And… And all she could feel was rage. Blinding, hot rage.

“Fine. For my next trick, I’ll make you disa-”

“YOU-!” [Y/N] shrieked, interrupting Loki who was readying his daggers, as her powers went haywire.

Words escaped her at that moment. All she wanted was to inflict violence. To cause this variant the same pain and suffering that her teammates had gone through that night. To chase away her own gnawing guilt that threatened to consume her whole and only focus on the anger that lay within. The anger and hatred she felt for this variant. To no longer have only herself to blame.

The female Loki was startled by the sudden attack, but her blade was already in her hands. She was prepared for battle, but there was a downside. [Y/N] had replayed the events of that night over and over again in her head. It was to the point that would drive anyone insane. Every single detail was ingrained into her mind. And all her mistakes were strikingly obvious with each and every replay. This Loki… This variant… She had a weakness.

[Y/N] wasn’t acting on just emotions alone. No, she was thinking a bit more rationally this time around. She did not get close to the variant. She didn’t even try to close the distance. No, [Y/N] played it smart and took several steps back instead. And using this space, she threw out everything she could. Every single ounce of her powers, every single bit that craved to be released from the prison that was her body, she sent out. And like a broken dam, it was a torrential amount of force that hit the female Loki like a tsunami. Like a natural disaster.

Still, the variant was a Loki for a reason.

Her Asgardian-like endurance was the same with any Loki. Although distance attacks placed her at a disadvantage, and she was being pushed back, her durability was no joke. She could take hit after hit continuously. The worst part… This Loki seemed to be adjusting with every strike. For every one hit, she was starting to dodge two more that came her way. She was exponentially improving while [Y/N]... Well, she was still inexperienced.

She could feel her muscles starting to ache from the sudden amount of force released from within herself. It was as if someone had stepped on the accelerator of a car and was eating away at every drop of fuel left within her. Much like the TemPad, if [Y/N] continued with this reckless attack, she would soon run out of energy. Perhaps she wasn’t in her right mind to think about the consequences, but someone else was. And he was getting more and more worried.

However, before any of them could progress further against the other, something broke through the covering overhead and crashed onto the ground below them.

All three of them froze as they stared at the sudden intrusion.

“Is that one of your powers?” Loki asked the female variant.

“Where did you-?” she began, but [Y/N] couldn’t care less about that.

She continued to bombard her with her powers. More and more of her energy drained from her, but she didn’t care. Sweat droplets began to form on her forehead, showing just how much this excessive use of her abilities were putting on her, but she ignored everything and just kept throwing wave after wave of her powers.

[Y/N] had yet to use her abilities to its limit. She never had the chance to. In all her years in the TVA, no one had allowed her the opportunity nor the permission. She didn’t know what would happen if she completely used up all her energy. She didn’t know how severe the consequences would be. But she knew that if she didn’t get all this rage, all this anger, out of her system now, it would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“...! St…! Stop, [Y/N]!”

A voice broke through her blind anger. She heard a word… A name, perhaps, that she found very familiar. It was so familiar, that it almost seemed natural. As if she had heard it many times before. Then, someone stepped in between her and the variant.

Loki. Loki had gotten in between the two of them.

He had witnessed her in her moment of fury. It was something he was vastly familiar with, during all his years with Thor in their youth as well as the not-so-distant past when he confronted his father about his birth. Anger was an emotion he could never quite let go. But for some reason… He found it unfamiliar. He found this level of rage, this level of fury, to be unfamiliar on [Y/N]. From all of his own as well as his “future” self’s memories, he had never once seen her so enraged. And honestly, it began to scare him.

Her exhaustion was clearly written on her face, her pallor getting paler and paler. He could feel the raw energy leaking from her with every swing that she sent out towards his female variant. All of this worried him, but what really began to scare him was her eyes. Her eyes, that once looked so calm and serene… The irises that seemed to examine, looking for ways to protect and defend, now shook with so much anger that all they searched for was for ways to hurt and attack… They were so different from the [Y/N] he had seen.

These familiar, yet unfamiliar eyes… They were scary because… Because they were the same as his. They were the same as how he once was when he had been so filled with rage towards his father, mother, brother… His family… So blinded that he had torn apart their relationship and even went after their lives.

Unable to hold back any longer, he desperately called out to [Y/N] and stood in her path. He knew how irrational one could be in that state of mind, but he took the slim chance that maybe… Just maybe… She would recognize him and take a moment to breathe. Take a moment to calm herself. Take a moment to find peace.

“[Y/N],” he began as he inched closer to her and cupped her face in his hands, gently tilting them up so that she could only look into his eyes. “[Y/N], breathe. Stop. Think. We can’t do this right now.”

Her eyes still shook, but they began to get less and less erratic as they stared back at him. [Y/N] couldn’t seem to comprehend his words. She was trying so hard to focus, but her mind was a mess and her body was heating up. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt parched. She could feel her sweat rolling down her face and dripping to the ground, but still it was hard for her.

Was this the cost of using her powers? And what was he saying? [Y/N]? Who was [Y/N]?

But [Y/N] didn’t have more time to think.

In that brief moment, another projectile punctured through the tent and exploded as it made impact onto the ground. Everyone flinched at the sudden intrusion, and [Y/N] was no exception. That’s when she finally got a good look on what had interrupted them before.

The small crater the object had created… It startled her so much that her mind began to fly into overdrive. She knew exactly what that was. And if her thoughts were right, then she could only think of one place. One horrible, dreaded place. One that many of the Minutemen were warned to never go.

“No,” [Y/N] breathed out as she pulled herself away from Loki, too distracted to think of his words any longer, and looked around to find the exit. “Please tell me this isn’t…”

Her rage and confusion that was already dissipating, and the listlessness of her mind immediately disappeared as the situation began to take a turn for the worse. Though hatred still ate away at her, she ignored it as the TVA agent within her finally began to take the reins. If this was indeed where she thought they were, they needed to run.

[Y/N] was the first to exit the large tent as she looked up at the sky.

“Shit,” she cursed, taking in the purple hue of their surroundings, as the two variants followed after her.

This was the first time [Y/N] had ever wanted to escape the outside world and back to the TVA. She found the organization to be a prison, but it was vastly better than landing here of all places. This… This was far worse than a prison. In fact, it wasn’t too far from what people would view as Hell.

“You idiot!” the female Loki shouted, “This is Lamentis 1.”

“I don’t know what that means!” Loki yelled back.

“The worst apocalypse you could have sent us to,” [Y/N] sighed as her face scrunched up into a frown.

“The moon that planet is about to crash into and destroy,” the female Loki elaborated as another flying piece of the looming planet overhead crashed dangerously close to them. “Of all of the apocalypses saved on that TemPad, this is the worst!”

The three took off charging in one direction, unable to think of exactly where they should be going, as they dodged the small, yet powerful meteors left and right.

“No one makes it off here!” Both [Y/N] and the variant stated as they ran, their earlier fight discarded.

Fighting was one thing, but survival trumped all others. To fight now was to die, so the three had a wordless agreement. Run now, fight later.

“Incoming!” [Y/N] hollered at the same time the variant shouted, “Watch out!”

The female Loki pulled him out of the way as [Y/N] sent her own power and collided instantly with the flying rock that was headed their way. The impact caused an explosion mid-air, the rock turning to dust and debris flying outward, as the force sent [Y/N] stumbling backwards. Loki, who was not too far away, grabbed hold of her arm and helped to keep her steady as the three resumed to run.

“I’m sorry, madam,” Loki said as he looked back at the other variant. “Didn’t have time to scan the brochure.”

The three slid under a large vehicle, the wheels nearly as tall as their bodies, and ducked for cover as another meteor hit too close for comfort.

“By the way, I thought you wanted me dead.”

“I don’t know where you hid that TemPad, but if you blow up, it blows up, and then I end up blown up.”

“Shut up and run!” [Y/N] commanded as she stood up and pointed towards a metallic unit that was different from the tents.

It couldn’t secure them from the inevitable doom that would befall Lamentis, but it would provide them with enough protection, at least until they could catch their breath.

“So we’re a team now?” Loki asked as he ran alongside [Y/N].

She didn’t know when it had happened, but they were now running hand-in-hand. It was too chaotic to focus on, but she could feel his firm grip on her tighten as they continued to sprint towards safety. There were moments when she thought to let go, to loosen her grip and slip from his grasp, but a part of her didn’t want to. And for some reason, as if he knew what she was thinking, every time the thought of letting go occurred to her it was as if his grip tightened. As if to tell her that he wouldn’t let go, no matter what.

“Oh, God, no!” the female Loki exclaimed at the prospect of them being a team.

“Dodge!” [Y/N] yelled at the same time Loki shouted, “Get down!” right as a meteor shot towards them.

Although [Y/N] was ready to fight to the death with this variant, she wasn’t sure if she could really bring herself to kill someone when the time really came to it. And in the heat of the moment, when the meteor could have taken care of the female variant without [Y/N] having to get her hands dirty, she had warned her instead.

Biting her lip, refusing to take the time to hesitate in this situation, [Y/N] readied her powers once more. Just as she was about to send them out and help, Loki acted faster and grabbed hold of the female variant and pulled her back with his free hand.

“Didn’t need your help!” She scowled in response.

“You’re so weird!” Loki replied.

[Y/N] just clicked her tongue, frowning at the variant’s response.

The situation began to really annoy her. She didn’t like how she had to cooperate with this variant. She didn’t like how she couldn’t apprehend this woman right here and now. She didn’t even know why she was trying to understand this monster. And Loki… The variant that was supposed to be on her side… She couldn’t trust him completely, but for some reason she kept finding herself with her guard down around him. But why? Why was she acting differently? This was not how she was trained. And… And why did it seem like he kept sticking close to her? How he kept staying by her side? And why? Why did it feel so natural?

[Y/N], breathe. Stop. Think. We can’t do this right now.

When she thought back to his strange words, she could barely take it anymore. Those words… It made her annoyance peak. She flung her hand away from Loki and swung her powers outwards. They were close enough to see the door, and her abilities aggressively swung the metal frame wide open. Without even looking back, she entered into the contraption and left the two behind.

She was in such a hurry to escape this confusing situation that she didn’t notice Loki’s pace slow down. She didn’t see his hurt expression before it went away in the blink of an eye. And she didn’t see his eyes, the hint of green that lingered in the blue irises, that tracked her as she escaped inside.

[Y/N] would never know, but Loki at this time had a thought. A painful, heart wrenching thought that nearly shook him to the bone.

Loki had a feeling that she… That this [Y/N] did not know who he was. Not in the way that he had hoped. He knew this might happen if he ever were to reunite with her. That maybe, just maybe… She would not have a single recognition of him as he did her. Like when he first met her all that time ago in New York, maybe she was in his shoes this time. Maybe she would think that this Loki was strange and maybe be curious about him, but not a speck of genuine interest would appear in her heart. That she would dismiss him like any other person that she was to cross paths with.

The thought of that… The thought of her rejecting him, just like she had done when she shook off his hand… It cut him deeper than any dagger ever could.

He stepped into the metal unit with a heavy heart, along with the female variant, and inside [Y/N] was waiting. The three of them were all breathless, but still [Y/N] stood there with her arms crossed with a deep frown. She glanced at the female variant, her eyebrow twitching from her bottled anger, but she let out a deep breath and focused her attention back on Loki. Her next words… Well, they weren’t what he expected.

“Now… Who the hell is [Y/N]?”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Side Note: Hope you enjoyed! Part 7 is right on schedule! Keeping my finger's crossed for this to become a pattern, at least until Secrets series is done :) Thank you for patiently waiting and hope you'll stick around for Part 8!

[qandnoablog]

Meeting (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 6, [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,538

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Didn't expect Part 6 to be out this soon, knowing my posting habits, right? Well, hopefully this makes up for my unexpectedly long hiatus! Please enjoy <3 As a side note, my editor told me that there were a lot of "Lokius" vibes. I swear that was not intentional, but those who like that pair I hope you like this little surprise! The set pair is still [Y/N] and Loki, so please don't get your hopes up!

Part 6 - Meeting

Loki hesitated.

The female variant of himself had already entered the Time Door, but he couldn’t bring himself to quickly follow behind her. The more time he spent waiting, the more she would slip from his grasp. The clock was ticking, each second more valuable than the last, and all it would take would be just one step through the door. But, even though he knew time was of the essence, he just couldn’t move even an inch forward.

He knew himself better than anyone. Loki knew exactly why he was hesitating, and a bitter smile spread across his face.

I’ve changed… Loki thought to himself as he just stared at the portal, as if taunting his inability to walk through.

Loki had changed. Since the TVA had taken him away, since the moment he saw all the events he was destined to enact… Since he witnessed his own future self changing with every action and mistake… He no longer thought the same as he did before. And one of the key indicators of this change was… Was his hesitation.

“Loki!”

A distant voice alerted him that time was up.

Yes, this was the reason for his hesitation. The person that was running towards him, calling out his name, was the reason he was having trouble making up his mind.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of!”

“I-I think I might… Have an idea of what he’s capable of.”

That was their first interaction.

“Are you taking me somewhere to kill me?”

“No, that’s where you just were. I’m taking you someplace to talk.”

“I don’t like to talk.”

That was his first lie to him.

“Did you enjoy hurting them?”

“I don’t have to play this game. I’m a god.”

That was the first crack in his defenses. The first question that nearly broke him.

“Where was the TVA when I was meddling with these affairs of men?”

“We were right there with you, just surfing that Sacred Timeline.”

“So that had the Time-Keeper’s seal of approval, did it?”

“Well, I wouldn’t think of it in terms of approval and disapproval. That’s sort of a… Let’s get back to escapes.”

That was the first hint that had slipped.

“I was just standing up to make a point.”

“I’m sorry, go ahead.”

“It won’t be as meaningful now.”

“Okay, well, stay seated.”

“I’ll do what I want to do!”

And that… That marked the beginning of their odd relationship. It was like the relationship between coworkers. A partnership, if you will. And yet… It also seemed to border the lines of friendship. It was strange… And yet… It was natural.

“Loki, wait!”

He turned towards the voice that was the source of his hesitation. His bitter smile was gone and all that was left was a cold expression. A rational expression. A face he often pulled when he was disregarding the small voice in his head, the small tug of his heart, that knew he would one day come to regret his choices.

“Why is it the people you can’t trust are always saying, ‘Trust me’?”

At the time, Loki really had no thoughts of breaking his word. He had meant it when he told Mobius, “You can trust me.” Just like he had said back then, he knew that trust must be earned. Of course, he also had his own goals and ambitions behind those words, but at that moment he had no intention of breaking his relationship with the TVA. With Mobius.

“Wait! Loki, wait!”

Mobius was now far too close. It was now or never. And as his eyes shook at the thought of making another mistake… As he worried about creating another piece of regret that would stab into his heart… A face flickered across his mind.

His eyes no longer shook and his body now moved beyond the fear of regret.

Loki took in one breath before hardening his heart and turning away from the only one he was close enough to call his friend. The look on Mobius' expression burned into his mind, but he clenched his jaw and took one step forward. And that was all it took.

One step quickly became two, and soon, Loki was past the point of no return.

“No! Wait, Loki!”

Those were the last words he heard as he passed through the door.

~

“All Minutemen to armory. Protect the timeline.”

As soon as Loki entered the portal, the door closed behind him and he was instantly greeted with alarms and an electronic voice echoing down the halls repeating the same lines over and over again.

He could guess just what the Loki variant had done, but he still needed answers. Just what exactly was she after? And why?

Loki examined his surroundings and realized it was the location he had just come from when heading towards the apocalypse where he identified as the more frustrating version of Loki had hidden in. This allowed him to obtain something he had long missed in his possession… His blades.

As he reached into the locker Hunter B-15 had discarded his knives in, the familiar metal fit well in his hands. He caressed his weapons fondly and couldn’t help but frown when he recalled how Mobius had tried to hand him back these very same knives. It signified just how much Mobius had grown to trust Loki. Though it was not to the level of trusting one with their life, it was enough to show that Mobius was no longer as wary as he once was.

Loki’s memories from that moment, the look of comradery that showed upon Mobius’ face, was soon replaced with another expression. A look that put a sour taste in Loki’s mouth.

The look on Mobius’ face right when he followed after the female variant made his brows furrow deeper. It was a look he often encountered and laughed at many times in his youth. Perhaps not that long ago, if he knew how much time had passed since his time at the TVA. However, ever since he had seen his future… The real connections he was finally able to make after so, so many mistakes… He couldn’t stand that face any longer. The look of hurt and betrayal. A look that indicated that someone’s trust had shattered.

“All Minutemen to armory. Protect the timeline.”

The automated female voice echoed once again throughout the compound, snapping him from his thoughts.

Loki clicked his tongue in frustration. He had long since silenced these uncomfortable feelings, but now they were resurfacing and making a mess of his mind. Taking in a deep breath, readying his daggers, he slowly made his way down the hall to finish what he started. There was no time for hesitation. Although Mobius seemed like someone he could one day completely trust, now was not the time.

He slowly walked down the dim corridors, merely glancing at the scattered bodies before carrying on. Then, he heard the faint sound of battle. Yelling and grunts, blades swinging and people screaming as their voices disappeared into nothing. Loki had seen it once before. He had heard that same scream and it had once gripped him with fear.

Erasing someone from the timeline. Taking away their very existence...

As the blades in his hands glinted with the flickering lights, Loki’s face twisted into a devious grin. It was the same expression he had once displayed so often in the past, a smile that New York would find hard to forget. Just as his heart was gripped with fear, he had once had that effect on several others.

“Few questions,” he called out as he readied his knives and came face-to-face with his target.

The female Loki was slightly breathless, but her expression was exasperated. She seemed quite fed up with Loki now.

“Have you got nothing else to do?”

“Rude,” Loki replied, as if he was really hurt by the question. “Are you sure you’re a Loki?”

“You’re in my way.”

“You are my way.”

Loki may have been prepared to lie and cheat at every chance he could, just to get this variant to tell him something useful, but this was a cold, solid truth. He needed this Loki.

It was no lie that the TVA was a formidable enemy. If he was to ever be free of them, he had to first get some information from this female Loki variant. The one who seemed to know more about the TVA than most other agents, and someone who hated the organization enough to shed more light on their elusive history. If she was still unwilling to divulge any information… There was always Plan B.

Deliver this rogue variant to the Time-Keepers.

Perhaps that would finally get in their good graces, just enough to meet them without a middle man. Maybe even get close enough to actually find out their twisted goals for this forsaken place. And even though his mindset had begun to change… Even though he could not completely go back to the way he once was, he was still Loki. The God of Mischief. The God of Lies. And this place… This bloody place… It reeked of lies.

If he could uncover the truth… If he could just get a hold of the TVA’s weakness… Then it would be easy to take over this meddlesome organization. If they really were beyond space and time, and if they really were greater than the power of the infinity stones… Then with that power in his hands, he could just envision the new future he would pave for himself.

His mother, alive and well. His father, finally looking him in the eyes with pride and joy. His brother… Standing by his brother’s side. Asgard shining brightly under the sun in all its glory. And… Maybe, just maybe… [Y/N]. He would be able to meet [Y/N]. His [Y/N].

Blades clashed and the sound of metal scraping against metal filled the empty halls. Both Lokis grunted with effort as they were locked in battle. When one pushed, the other pulled. If one punched, the other kicked. If one threw, the other lunged. It was a vicious cycle of equal forces colliding, neither able to get a complete hold on the other.

“Hey!”

Loki and the variant immediately turned their heads to the new arrivals and saw Judge Renslayer with two other agents behind her. Their weapons were at the ready, humming with life, and Loki frowned at this new development.

His frown became even deeper as the variant had used this opportunity to take him as a hostage. Seeing how Ravonna Renslayer was the person this variant was bargaining his life with, she clearly did not know the relationship with Ravonna and himself.

However, he couldn’t focus on the knife to his throat. It was because the female Loki had forced him to face the TVA agents. And one of them, the one who stared right at him, had made his heart nearly stop beating in his chest.

His eyes widened as they locked onto a familiar face that was slightly obscured by the helmet. It was clearly the wrong size, but she had worn it as if in a hurry and donned on the usual Hunter uniform. The same face that took away his hesitation had now overlapped with the agent right before his eyes. In that fraction of a second, he took in everything he could about her.

[Y/N]. Her name nearly slipped from his lips, but he couldn’t even make a sound.

How could he ever forget her face? The face that was ingrained into his memories the first time she ever flickered in front of him in New York. The face that showed so vibrantly in all his future records with her in them, as if he saw her in a brighter light than anyone else. The face that had showed all sorts of emotions to him, some better and some worse, but all eventually looking towards him with caring eyes. As if they, too, reflected the same emotions as his.

Oh, how stupid his “future” self had been for being so ignorant to that look.

But that was a key difference between that [Y/N] and the [Y/N] before him now.

Though she resembled the [Y/N] he had briefly encountered in New York, her eyes reflecting a look far beyond her years, she didn’t look at him the same as she did. In fact, [Y/N] from back then looked as if she had experienced so much, but was still filled with vitality and hope. The [Y/N] before him now… She looked as if she had lived for far longer, but at the same time wasn’t living at all.

[Y/N]... She looked incredibly tired. Her face had become thinner, her eyes were slightly sunken, and her energy was completely stifled. However, it didn’t seem like she was a prisoner either. Her face showed determination, though withdrawn, and her eyes seemed to both show conviction and conflict. Something was not right, but Loki couldn’t make sense of the situation.

How in the world was [Y/N] here? Which [Y/N] was she? And why was she dressed like a Minuteman?!

“Go for it,” Ravonna answered to the variant’s threats towards Loki as she readied her own weapon.

As Loki had predicted, Ravonna did not care for his life. However, it seemed like [Y/N] was different. He had not taken his eyes off her since the moment he saw her and could easily tell her flinch at the judge’s words. Her look of confusion and doubt made his own eyes cloud over in thought.

The blade was still threatening to slit his throat, but Loki knew his female counterpart had no thoughts on taking his life. Besides, they both knew that the situation would soon really get out of hand. And if it did… [Y/N] would be dragged into it. He clenched his teeth, but more than worry he couldn’t help but feel excited. Finally… After all this time… He finally got to see her again. Regardless of the situation, she was right before his eyes.

“Wait!”

Then, [Y/N] did the unthinkable.

She had seen Ravonna step forward with her weapon and stood between them. Her body blocked Ravonna’s attack and her desperate plea was far too late. Ravonna was already in action and [Y/N] had placed herself in her way.

Panic gripped Loki's heart and he snatched the variant’s stolen TemPad. With his other hand, he held on to [Y/N]’s arm, not missing the look of shock on Ravonna’s face as she registered who had gotten in her way, and opened the Time Door below himself and the variant. Gravity instantly pulled them down, and Loki pulled [Y/N] into his arms.

There wasn’t enough time to know where the three would land, so he protectively held on to [Y/N]. The TemPad was only his second worry. All he could think about in that moment was to never let go of the woman in his arms. To never miss the chance of holding on to her ever again.

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Note: Part 6, finished! I know this post was out sooner than expected, but please don't expect the next part to be out that fast. Part 6 was already in the making while Part 5 was posted, so it was a bit of an apology gift to post early for my tardiness. Part 7 should be out next week, but I'm not the best at punctuality so I'll thank you for your patience in advance! Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment :)

[qandnoablog]

Oh I really love the Secrets: Loki x TVA!reader fanfics. Can’t wait for part 6 :)

Thank you 🥰

And just wait a bit longer~ Part 6 will be out sooner than you think ^^

[qandnoablog]

Encounter (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 5, [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,533

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Here it is! Part 5! This took longer than expected, and I'm really sorry for not posting for so long! Thank you all so much for your understanding <3 Please enjoy!!!

Part 5 - Encounter

“...up…”

[Y/N] stirred, a distant voice was calling out to her, but all she wanted to do was ignore it.

“Wa...up…” It repeated. Still, [Y/N] did not answer.

She could vaguely make out the words, telling her to wake up, but she furrowed her brows and only moved slightly in her spot before getting comfortable again. Fatigue had made her body feel heavy and this short moment of peace was something she wanted to savor forever.

“Rise and shine!”

[Y/N] finally registered the southern, peppy accent and she jolted awake. There was only one being who had that sort of voice and emotion around the TVA.

“...Miss Minutes,” [Y/N] drowsily greeted, holding back a scowl.

The bright orange hologram stung at her dry eyes as she squinted at the figure that hovered mere inches from her face. She blinked multiple times, forcing herself to fully regain consciousness, as she offhandedly examined her surroundings. That’s when she really got up.

Somehow, [Y/N] had ended up back at her desk. She couldn’t even remember how she ended up here. Her memories were hazy, still disoriented from just waking up, but slowly they began to become clearer.

Flashbacks of fire, darkness, and smoke. Screams echoing in the night sky. The flickering, electronic lights of that library hallway. The windowless space of the TVA that threatened to swallow her whole as Mobius continued to walk away from her…

[Y/N] groaned as she hid her face in her hands, rubbing at her skin as if to erase the terrible memories that finally resurfaced in her mind. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep. To run away from her current predicament and just fall back into a dreamless, empty sleep that would take away at least a bit of the pain that tore at her heart.

Shit… She thought to herself as her cheeks felt raw from her careless scrubbing.

“[Y/A], it’s about time you got up!” Miss Minutes exclaimed with her all-too-happy face. “I’ve been callin’ out to you for ages!”

“How long was I asleep?” [Y/N] asked as she looked up from her hands.

“Hmm,” Miss Minutes playfully acted as if she was trying to remember the exact time, but quickly turned back and replied, “Not too long~!”

Well, given that there was not really a concept of time at the TVA, “not too long,” really meant that the amount that [Y/N] slept didn’t affect their work. She was not called for further missions during her short nap and no reports or paperwork had to be filed anywhere. The time spent did not affect the TVA, so it really was “not too long.”

“Now, [Y/A], if you’re tired you should go to sleep properly on a bed. The office isn’t a place for you to sleep, you know!”

[Y/N] decided to ignore Miss Minutes and instead think back to how she even ended up falling asleep.

She recalled her last memory with Mobius, and how he had brushed her away. Deep down, [Y/N] knew that Mobius had several responsibilities and it would be selfish of her to not understand his situation. His mission, like all members of the TVA, came first. Everything else, regardless of personal relationships, came second. Objectively, [Y/N] knew that. However, she found it hard to accept. She had always believed that Mobius was a little different, like her. That he, too, put people before the rules. That he put friendships and relationships before work.

That’s what made [Y/N]’s life as a Hunter difficult. She couldn’t do what everyone seemed to find natural. She couldn’t seem to put the TVA before her own emotions. And… And she hated herself for it. It made her seem selfish. Like she was putting herself before the betterment of the universe. As if she prioritized herself over the purpose of the TVA. Over the Sacred Timeline…

In that moment, while wallowing further into her own self-deprecating thoughts, she found herself back in the office.

~

[Y/N]’s reddish eyes finally focused on the moving agents that moved around like worker ants. They weren’t rushed, but all of them had only one thing on their minds. Work.

Nothing had changed. Nothing in the TVA ever did. The workers still bustled here and there. Everyone was perfectly on task, either at their small cubicle space or walking around with deliveries to file more paperwork. The lights were still dim and the sun did not shine. It was everyday life here at the TVA. A depressing, suffocating space for [Y/N].

But something in this timeless space was different. Here, in the place that never changed, something felt off. She would never seek such a room out, regardless of how mindlessly she wandered. This was not a safe space for her, but she still walked here of her own volition. Like she needed to be here.

Uncertain with her own emotions, [Y/N] made her way to her small desk. It was still cluttered with her usual discarded files, but she noticed some changes. Some things, documents and other scattered papers, were not in their usual space. They were slightly organized and put aside. As if to make way for other things. But… But no one should have sat at this seat. No one ever did unless it was what they were assigned.

[Y/N] examined the space a bit more closely.

It was indeed her case files left on this desk. They were just all set neatly aside. That meant that her desk was not assigned to a different agent. Instead, this meant someone was borrowing her desk. A temporary arrangement…

“Miss-”

[Y/N] held her tongue before she fully called out the name.

She didn’t trust Miss Minutes. In fact, she didn’t trust a majority of the members at the TVA. Well, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust in their cause. She wholeheartedly believed in it. She couldn’t rationally explain her belief, but it was similar to a religion that all members shared. [Y/N] was born for the safety of the Sacred Timeline and the thought that it might be a lie, or false in any way, never even occurred to her.

What [Y/N] didn’t trust was their sense of morality.

She knew how others viewed her, and understood that she was the oddity. No one else had thoughts like hers. No one else thought to take the time to properly bury their fallen or mourn the dead. In fact, not many developed close ties with one another. It was all just work. But she could never fight her own moral compass. Actually, it was like she found solace in that. As if she had to preserve that small sense of individuality, no matter how wrong her mind told her it was.

[Y/N] sat down at her chair, discarding the thought of calling out to Miss Minutes. With one quick call, her questions could easily be answered, but [Y/N] was never the type to take the easy way out. Sometimes, she hated this trait of hers that seemed to make her life more miserable, but… There were moments when she thought that if she ignored this habit, her heart would be a mess and she would live her life drowning in regrets.

She leaned onto the desk, feeling the cool surface on her face, as she slumped further down. Disregarding the strange glances of the other workers around her, she closed her eyes for just a second and took in a breath.

The events that happened just moments ago… The distant screams of her comrades… The suffocating smell of oil and smoke that threatened to choke her from the mere memory of it… They all began to melt away. As if the chaos that consumed her mind and the burning rage she felt towards herself and the enemy… As if all of that was no longer gripping at her heart and was washed away. Like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day, she began to feel more and more at peace.

~

Finally recalling how she fell asleep, she slowly got up from her desk.

“Thank you for waking me up,” [Y/N] said to the hologram, who seemed strangely eager to usher her away from the office, and took one last peak at the desk before walking away.

[Y/N] had only made it a short way out when alarm bells began blaring all over the compound.

The speakers reported the incident and commanded all Minutemen to go on duty. It was an emergency situation and everyone was frantically putting on their uniforms before opening up Time Doors to their designated stations.

“All Minutemen to armory. Protect the timeline,” An automated voice declared into the loud speakers.

Something had happened to the Sacred Timeline.

[Y/N] paled at the notion of those words and quickly raced for the lockers to don on her gear. However, she was too far away from her assigned lockers, so she decided to do what was safest in this situation. Break into someone else’s.

She opened a random locker, which didn’t require any complex skills considering the fact that most lockers did not actually have locks since the TVA was considered impenetrable from outside forces, and quickly put on the extra vest and helmet that all agents were required to have multiple pairs of. It was for emergency situations like these that required several sets of uniforms.

“All Minutemen to armory. Protect the timeline,” The sound repeated.

[Y/N] scowled at the repeating words, but before she could take another step, someone had called out to her.

“You, follow me!”

She turned around to find Ravonna Renslayer, judge and overseer of the TVA, calling out to her as other agents followed her down a path. The only path to the Time-Keepers.

Ravonna, however, seemed more distracted than from her usual self. She was still commanding and taking charge of the situation, but she didn’t seem to even look at [Y/N] before heading off again.

[Y/N] followed, as ordered, but she became confused.

Why were they heading towards the Time-Keepers when the Sacred Timeline was in danger? Did the Time-Keepers have something they needed to tell Ravonna, or perhaps they needed to be informed of the situation? But, they were the Time-Keepers. Shouldn’t they have known this would happen?

No matter how many questions swarmed her mind, [Y/N] kept her mouth shut. The situation seemed too serious to ask anything and… And [Y/N] couldn’t help but be mindful when it came to this judge. Ravonna was one of the few that Mobius called his friend. [Y/N] couldn’t deny that she was jealous of their age-old relationship, but she also felt uneasy. Not uneasy rooted from jealousy, but uneasiness in the pit of her gut. An instinctive feeling that made her wary whenever Ravonna was involved.

Before her thoughts could spiral out of control with never ending paranoia and doubt, sounds of blades and battle echoed down the hall. Their pace hastened as they got closer and closer to the elevators that lead to the Time-Keepers.

“-Shut up!” A woman’s voice yelled as they finally turned the corner and saw two people facing off right at the metallic, golden doors.

Blades pointed and fists held up to continue their fight, a man and woman glared at one another in a pose that mirrored the other. It was quite a confusing situation, considering both of them seemed to be the invaders but also were facing off against one another. And… It seemed like the two had yet to notice Ravonna and the others.

“Hey!” Ravonna shouted, finally getting their attention.

[Y/N] looked at her strangely as she got her own weapon ready along with the other agents.

Would it not have been better to attack when they were preoccupied? Was there a reason to get their attention and alert them of their arrival? Was it to allow them to surrender willingly instead of fighting? Was Ravonna always that merciful?

However, [Y/N] had to quickly snap out of it as the female intruder immediately grabbed onto the male and placed a dagger to his throat.

“Come any closer and I’ll kill him.”

[Y/N]’s eyes narrowed as she closely examined the attacker and hostage. But her eyes locked onto the eyes of the man who was slightly forced to kneel on the ground, and her mind blanked. She recognized him as the variant, Loki, who Mobius was assigned to and was negotiating with to find the rogue variant. Though the two had never met, she had seen his files and could never seem to get his image out of her head.

His blue eyes, that were also glued to her own, flashed a green glint in the dim, yellow lights. She couldn’t read his expression, but it was beyond shock that registered on his face. There were all sorts of emotions flashing in a fraction of a second, but finally it seemed to settle on something she couldn’t quite identify. It was odd, the way he looked at her. He had a blade to his throat, but it seemed like all he could see was her.

“Go for it.”

Ravonna’s voice jolted [Y/N] from her trance and her skin crawled at those merciless words.

From her understanding, Loki was helping the TVA. Even if he was a variant, he was assisting them in finding the rogue variant. And from what brief interaction she had seen between this Loki and the invading woman, he didn’t seem to be their enemy.

But she doesn’t care if he dies? [Y/N] questioned her ears, and her sense of duty waned.

“Wait-!”

[Y/N] didn’t have any more time to think as Ravonna took one step forwards with her charged weapon in hand. Her body moved on its own, unable to think rationally about the situation, and dropped her own weapon as a sign of surrender. Then, her body blocked Ravonna’s way as her back now faced the “enemies.”

“Wait, Judge Renslayer!” [Y/N] called out as she took off her helmet and discarded it to the ground. “He’s on our side!”

Ravonna’s eyes widened in shock as she realized just which agent was going against her orders, but her arm was already in motion. [Y/N] could see the charged weapon coming straight for her and her eyes shut tight. Her body stiffened in preparation for impact, knowing just what would happen to her if the weapon made contact, but something completely unexpected happened.

Instead of feeling something stabbing at her, erasing her existence from time itself, [Y/N] felt something pull her from behind. It was a gentle, yet firm pull that forced her to fall backwards for what felt like an eternity. Her body could feel gravity pulling her down, but she couldn’t make sense of any of it. She could only feel strong arms pulling her closer, holding her so close in a cool embrace, as if to show that they would never let go.

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Note: I know this took longer than expected and though I did post about my hiatus, I'm sorry it took this long for part 5. However, part 6 is definitely going to be up soon! Please look forward to it :) And again, thank you for continuing to read and for all your patience!

[qandnoablog]

A little late to say this, but I’m going to take a short break! Due to being understaffed, my work has me changing from morning to afternoon shifts, so my sleep pattern has really taken a hit. I’ll try to post the next part of Secret (Marvel Imagine) maybe by next week or the week after that, but I can’t make any promises 😔

Thank you for keeping up with the fanfic and for your patience <3 Also, please look forward to the next part when I have more time to post!

[qandnoablog]

Variant (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 4, [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,298

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Part 4 is out! Sorry for being a bit late for this post! My shifts at work was constantly changing from morning to afternoon so I didn't have as much time as I hoped for this part. Still, I hope this was worth the wait! Please enjoy <3

Part 4 - Variant

“I can’t go back, can I?”

Loki sat upon the small perch, not quite on the ground, as he rested his arms on his knees and looked up at the man who steadied his weapon.

He had just finished a slight tussle with that annoyance of a hunter, the one who had first captured and dragged him into the TVA, and was now getting his thoughts together. Shortly after sending the hunter away, Mobius entered the room.

“Back to my timeline.”

He had finally absorbed everything from his “future,” and had time to cool off. Now, all he had before him was the cold hard truth and the fact that what he wanted, what his future had obtained through years of toil, could no longer be achieved. His now unattainable future had achieved what he had long since pined after. A family. Friends. People he could rely on and not feel so alone. And… And something else. Something he never even imagined ever getting. Ever falling for.

But the future had changed. And after witnessing everything, so had he.

Mobius took a moment to process Loki’s question, and then stayed silent. Could he go back? No. That was now impossible. The reset charge had already been placed and activated the moment of his capture. Go back? There was nothing to go back to.

Mobius’ silence was all the answer the two needed.

“I don’t enjoy hurting people,” Loki said after taking a deep breath. This was the response to Mobius’ first question when he first brought Loki into the room. “I… I don’t enjoy it. I do it because I have to. Because I’ve had to…”

Loki knew himself very well. Though he had a silver tongue and often ran away from the truth, he knew how he presented himself was all just an illusion. A facade to inspire fear to hide his own weakness. A trick, painting himself as a villain to protect him, like a suit of armor.

If even an infinity stone was useless in this place, why should he continue this charade? Why should he keep up appearances? And for what? For his own ego? That wouldn’t help him here. It wouldn’t get him closer to that future he himself had shattered. It wouldn’t get him a place by his brother’s side, an equal standing that he dreamed of for so long. It wouldn’t change his mother and father’s deaths. And… And it wouldn’t bring him closer to the one person whose face he could never seem to erase from his mind.

“The TVA is formidable,” Loki conceded with a slight scoff.

“That’s been my experience,” Mobius agreed. “Listen, I can’t offer you salvation. But maybe I can offer you something better.”

Loki placed down the Tesseract, now just a mere decoration, and stood up from his seat. Mobius had his attention. What could be better than that future? What could be better than returning to his proper place and… And returning to her?

“A fugitive Variant’s been killing our Minutemen.”

“And you need the God of Mischief to help you stop him?”

“That’s right.”

“Why me?”

If the TVA was so powerful, if it could render him and even an infinity stone as useless, then why would Mobius be so desperate to enlist his help? What threat could there possibly be to trust in the infamous God of Lies?

“The Variant we’re hunting is… You.”

~

Ding!

A timer went off as Loki flipped through a magazine, carelessly reading the advertisement plastered on the papers and glancing at the pictures within.

“Here again? Loki, you know you’ve been assigned a seat elsewhere,” Miss Minutes sighed with an upbeat voice. “Why do you always insist on sittin’ here?”

Loki leaned back in his seat, his legs perched casually on the desk, as he merely gave Miss Minutes a glance before turning his eyes back down. There was nothing interesting in the magazine, but it was the only thing that was not work-related he could get his hands on.

“Okay, fine!” Miss Minutes gave up and instead cleared her throat to change to topic in a cheery voice. “Let’s review what we’ve learned. What happens when a nexus event branches past red line?”

“Very bad things,” Loki offhandedly answered, not taking his eyes off the paper.

“Come on, Loki. What is it?”

Finally, he looked away from the magazine and made eye contact with the holographic figure. This cartoon character of a clock by the name of Miss Minutes. A sentient image that seemed both magical and not.

“It’s when the TVA can no longer reset a nexus event,” he answered with a sigh, “Okay? Boring.”

“Right. And that would lead to the destruction of the timeline, and the collapse of reality as we know it,” Miss Minutes added, emphasizing the consequences as she mixed in a bit of excitement and sarcasm.

“Can you hear me?” Loki asked, genuine curiosity shining behind his eyes. “Are you a recording? Or are you alive?”

Miss Minutes answered vaguely, affirming to both labels, as Loki began to roll up the magazine. Then, he glanced behind him, shifting his eyes side-to-side, before he sat upright. Confirming that no one was watching, he swatted at the holographic cartoon clock as if batting at a fly.

“Watch it!” Miss Minutes exclaimed. “Where’s your manners?”

Fascinated by the strange being, Loki continued to swing the make-shift weapon around as Miss Minutes jumped out of the way. Her slightly transparent image made it seem like any object would just phase right through her, but she dodged as if she could actually get hit.

“That is not nice,” Miss Minutes huffed as her image hid away into the small computer screen. “Jerk.”

“You can’t hide-”

“Training goin’ well?” Mobius interrupted, walking closer towards the desk. “Is that my jet ski magazine? Put it down. Come on, gear up.”

Mobius didn’t even give Loki a chance to speak as he handed him a bundled jacket wrapped in plastic, exhibiting a mix of exasperation and oddly… Nervousness.

“And I told you not to sit there.”

It was as if Mobius was in a rush to get out. Loki could tell that a part of it had to do with work, but another part of Mobius was displaying the same nervous energy that he often displayed whenever he caught Loki at this seat. And it wasn’t just Mobius…

Whenever Loki sat at that desk, he was eyed strangely by the other agents and reprimanded by both Miss Minutes and Mobius. He knew from the clutter that this was someone else’s desk, but their reactions were strange. Too strange for this seat to be just anyone’s. But it was a cubicle, not an office. Whose ever seat this was, their status should not warrant this sort of reaction.

That’s why Loki had claimed the seat for himself. If he was caught by the owner, perhaps he’d finally figure out why everyone’s responses were so odd. However, that wasn’t the only reason. He didn’t just sit there to satiate his curiosity.

Whenever he was there, he felt more at ease. He couldn’t detect any magic or energy lingering at the desk to make him feel this way, but for some reason… It made him feel at peace. As if all his worries were slipping away and everything would eventually turn out okay. As if he was not alone.

Before he could think longer on the strange pull he felt towards that space, Mobius snapped him from his thoughts.

“There’s been an attack. Let’s go.”

~

“We’re on,” Mobius stated as he exited Ravonna Renslayer’s office.

Loki had been waiting to see if they could get the go-ahead from the top leader of the TVA after the Time Keepers. If Judge Ravonna was adamant on not letting them take on their Variant layer theory, they would be benched until they could convince her for an approval.

He excitedly got up, finally getting one step closer to this mysterious variant, but something did not sit well with him.

Ever since Mobius had stayed behind at the library to clean up the files they had scattered on the table looking for the right apocalypse, Mobius began to act as if he was guilty of some crime. It was subtle, something any other person might dismiss, but Loki was very perceptive and he had been around the man long enough to know at least this much. He was hiding something, and it seemed… It seemed to be eating away at him.

Now, out from Ravonna’s office, Mobius was acting even stranger.

He was excited, given the approval to go after their hunch, but he also seemed a bit distressed. As if he heard something that he shouldn’t have. Or… Or perhaps he was given more questions than answers. As if something Ravonna said to him in that office planted a seed of doubt within him.

Loki had grown a bit close with Mobius, but there was still a level of distrust between them. He could not completely open up to the man, just like how Mobius could not place all his faith in the god. So, he made one mistake he would regret for a very long time. He did not ask Mobius about what was concerning him. He did not ask what was plaguing the back of this man’s mind. And he did not get to know exactly who the source of those concerns stemmed from.

The two gathered up their team and made their way to the year 2050, towards the apocalypse centered around Haven Hills, Alabama. Roxxcart.

Rain poured down on the team and Mobius clung on to his raincoat to protect himself from the storm. Loki, on the other hand, casually looked around and did not bother to shelter himself from the rain. Instead, he had his hands in his pockets and just strolled into the market, not caring about his drenched appearance.

With a sigh, he rolled his shoulders and cocked his head, as if slightly stretching off the discomfort. With a ripple of green light and energy, from the bottom up, his body was completely dried in the blink of an eye.

“The hell was that?” Hunter B-15 questioned as she gazed at Loki in disbelief. She, on the other hand, was still completely drenched.

“That was me,” Loki mockingly explained, acting as if what he did was as simple as breathing, “using magic to dry my clothes. So I don’t announce myself with every squeaky footstep like the rest of you.”

The lights flickered overhead, the storm turning for the worse outside, and Hunter B-15 quickly got down to business. Placing herself on a team with Loki, unable to put her faith in a team of only Mobius and a variant as crafty as Loki, she sent the others to fan out. Mobius reluctantly agreed with Loki’s persuasion, and the TVA fanned out to find the rogue variant.

It was uncanny how quickly things turned for the worst.

Hunter B-15 had collapsed from whatever mind trick this other Loki had cast. It was new magic to him, something his mother never taught, but it wasn’t something surprising. He had magic of his own as well. But the difficult part of all this was… This variant had yet to reveal itself. All the variant did was speak using a borrowed body. A sort of possession or puppeteering that he had to find commendable. Perhaps if there was time, he would also learn this trick.

But time was running out. It seemed like this Loki had an agenda and did not want to converse with him. All it did was answer vaguely and throw punches at him, not forgetting to throw him across the room whenever the chance presented itself. And, as he painfully learned through this experience, deception wouldn’t work on another Loki.

Well, not that he knew this would happen. It was his first time meeting another version of him after all. In fact, he was a bit befuddled. If he had met his other self chasing after him in a game of cat-and-mouse, he wouldn’t be so quick to violence. He wouldn’t treat himself this way, would he?

After one too many throws, Loki picked himself off the ground and became increasingly annoyed. What could this Loki possibly want? Why had it singled him out and knocked out Hunter B-12? Why was it still toying with him when it clearly had other plans? He could barely take it and yelled out his questions in frustration. Sadly, the variant just laughed in his face and the body it possessed fell to the ground.

“What do you want from me? What is this about?!”

He heard his own words scream out in a broken recording, replaying over and over again. They were the same words he had shouted at the variant, the lesser him, in annoyance. He was seriously getting fed up with this other version of him. Couldn’t they just be civilized?

Then, he heard a slight noise behind him. His own voice echoed in the sound systems, growing fainter and fainter, but outside of that he heard the sound of footsteps. Delicate and yet strong. As if trained for stealth more than combat. Much like his own. Much like his mother’s.

The hooded figure stepped out of the darkness and into view of the flickering lights. They walked closer and closer, until the variant was right in front of Loki. With one motion, the hood came down and soon, a blonde woman was revealed from under the cloak. She wore a golden horned helmet, similar to his own he once adorned, but the horns were shorter. And… And it was missing one horn.

“This isn’t about you.”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Note: Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any comments and ask questions if there's something you didn't understand! Most of my content are either based on the show or my previous work, so please check those out (link above) before you ask! Maybe the answers are in there ;)

[qandnoablog]

Regrets (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 3, [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 3,248

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Part 3, let's go! Major writer's block with this one, but hopefully I pulled through to make it enjoyable :)

Part 3 - Regrets

“Mobius! Can we talk?”

He was a sight for sore eyes. The moment her eyes landed on him, [Y/N] nearly broke out in tears. It was like a lifeline had appeared before her, as if reassuring her that her worries were finally over. That everything would finally be okay.

“[Y/A]!” Mobius replied, a bit shocked at her sudden appearance. “What… What are you doing here?”

His reaction was a bit strange, but given how long it had been since the two had seen one another, [Y/N] dismissed it.

She wasn’t one to keep track of time. It would only drive one insane if they tried while working under the Time Variance Authority. That was the first and most valuable lesson each agent was taught. However, the time apart from her one and only friend made the passage of time more evident than any other decade of her TVA existence.

“That doesn’t matter,” [Y/N] replied as she caught up with Mobius, who seemed to have come from the library. “Mobius, I really need to talk-”

“Sorry,” Mobius interrupted as his pace quickened, suspiciously glancing around the empty hallway, as if in search of someone. “We found a lead, so I have to go.”

“But-”

“We’ll catch up soon, okay?”

“Wait-!”

Before [Y/N] could get another word in, Mobius hurried off to yet another mission, most likely to meet up with the Loki variant. She watched his back get further and further away, and soon… She was all alone in the empty hall. Not many TVA agents needed to visit the library, so the hallway to and from the location was often bare. This was strikingly obvious today for [Y/N].

“Focus,” a voice sternly warned, startling her so badly that she nearly shouted in alarm.

Her blood drained from her face, as she instantly turned towards the ghostly sound. She frantically searched, trying to locate the source of the voice, but she knew that there would be no one there.

It was a familiar voice. A voice she often found annoying, but would now give anything to have pester her once more… Someone she had never thought she would ever dare to miss. Someone she had never once considered a friend.

“Time signature is early third millennium,” another voice, this time female, whispered across her mind. “Definitely anachronistic.”

[Y/N]’s heart began to race as her breathing became erratic. Her surroundings began to blur and her vision went dark. These… These were the voices of people she could never forget. Voices that haunted her the more she tried to run away from the memory. Memories that were all too clear the moment her mind began to wander.

“Oil.”

Her tightly shut eyes snapped open at the word and she was suddenly back to her past.

The scene around her was no longer that of an empty hallway, brightly lit by the lights overhead. Instead, it was replaced with a grassy field, dark with only the moon shining overhead. She could still smell the scent of dew on the plants, misted by the fog that surrounded them.

“I think some jackass found himself a time machine, came back here to get rich.”

[Y/N] flinched back at the voice that was now right beside her. She slowly turned, knowing exactly who was speaking, her breath caught in her throat. Her mind screamed at her to not turn. To look anywhere but here. To once again close her eyes and ignore what came next. But she couldn’t. Her body just wouldn’t listen. This was a piece of her past that she had to act out. A play that had to once again be reenacted.

Hunter U-92. Crouching down and slightly sniffing the air that had a strangely strong smell of oil all around them. The smell, now... It was suffocating.

She recalled the exact words she had spoken while watching this man make his observations.

“Is that your favorite word? Jackass?” [Y/N]’s mouth moved on its own, her facial expression contorting into a sneer as everything began to play out just as she remembered.

Her mood, at the time, was sour. It wasn’t because of the humidity of the environment, nor the team she was placed with. It wasn’t even because of the presence of Hunter U-92. It was because of the continuous missions.

Ever since Mobius went off trying to convince the newest Loki variant to join them on their hunt for the rogue variant, she was placed on non-stop outside missions. At first, she was excited. This meant that she would not have to be stuck at the TVA and could go out frequently. Unfortunately, that joy was quickly extinguished.

Though she was able to get a glimpse of the outside world more often, she was also placed in different teams whose only mindset was to quickly finish their tasks and move on. There was no time to enjoy the scenery, breathe in the fresh air, or just watch the sky, be it night or day. There was only the mission. The task to find the anomaly, prune it, and reset the timeline. A never-ending cycle of hunt, capture, and delete. Nothing in between.

Mobius was often there to slow down the pace for her, to allow her more time to take it all in. Though other agents protested, he enjoyed taking his time. Besides, he knew his limitations and never went beyond that, so there was never a threat of the timeline branching when he was around. That’s what [Y/N] liked about going on missions with him. He was never rushed.

“Just focus,” he grumbled back to her snide comment, “Why you were assigned on a standard mission like this is beyond me.”

“Should we fan out and look for him, sir?” The female Minuteman said as she tried to bring the two back to the task at hand.

“Nah, it’s not worth the paperwork,” Hunter U-92 replied, “Just prune it. Let’s bail. Set a charge.”

[Y/N] was about to make another comment, upset that they were already getting ready to leave yet again, when she heard something. She wasn’t the only one.

“Wait. Someone’s out there.”

[Y/N] knew what would happen next. She knew exactly what was coming, but the past refused to bend to her will. It ignored her torment and continued to play out how it had already done before. She knew her struggle was futile. That this scene that would once again play out was all just in her mind. That there was nothing that could be changed because it had already come to pass.

Everyone, ignorant to [Y/N]’s silent resistance, turned to the place the Minuteman indicated, and got out their weapons. They were already warned about the rogue variant and a figure in the distance did not bode well for them. Perhaps they were being too cautious, but this variant had already taken many of their comrades’ lives. It was best to tread carefully.

“Check it out.”

Hearing his order, everyone charged up their weapons and headed towards the figure. Everyone except [Y/N].

“Something’s fishy,” she muttered to herself as her eyes focused on the cloaked figure.

At the time, she had a creeping suspicion, but it had yet to completely form in her mind.

If this was someone from the timeline, perhaps a variant in the making, they would have called out to them asking who they were, or fled to escape. However, this person did no such thing. They just stood there, watching them, without exposing their identity. In fact, in such an open field, regardless of the fog, they should have detected their presence if the stranger had only just arrived.

Something was not adding up.

But by the time she finally realized what that suspicious feeling was, it was already too late.

The figure took out a lantern from under their cloak. The light was dim, barely enough to penetrate the fog and night, but it flickered from the movement. It was clearly a small fire burning within, and… And they were surrounded with the strong stench of oil. Too strong to be just a small spill-!

“Wait-!” [Y/N] shouted out but she had stayed silent for too long.

The variant dropped the lantern and the glass shattered. Fire and oil met and set the field ablaze. It traveled towards them on a predetermined oil path. This was very clearly a trap, and everyone had fallen prey to this sudden predator.

[Y/N]’s latent power exploded from within. It had always been stirring endlessly, desperately wanting an outlet to be released, but she was ordered to never use it unless absolutely necessary. After excruciating practice and pure will power, she had trapped her own powers within herself and was constantly causing her a numbing pain. Now, it was time for it to be used. For it to be set free.

Minutemen screamed in pain as their bodies caught fire, and [Y/N] desperately tried to extinguish the flames. Her powers were sent out, sucking away the oxygen necessary for the fire to burn, while also making sure not to take away their own ability to breathe. It was difficult and required precision, so this setting immediately placed her at a disadvantage.

[Y/N] watched her past actions and wanted nothing more than to cover her ears and hide. She knew what came next. The mistakes that were about to be made. The regret that would always follow her from this moment on. This… This was the start. The beginning of their tragedy.

“The charge!” Hunter U-92 yelled as he stumbled to the ground. “Get the charge!”

Rogue variant Loki. If this was the same variant that had been going after TVA agents, then what it was after was the reset charge. Hunter U-92 knew this and was a well-trained, professional member of the TVA, regardless of how [Y/N] felt about him. Over all else, he knew what mattered most in the situation.

Get the charge. Don’t waste time with the others and get the charge away from the variant.

[Y/N] couldn’t control her past actions as it played out exactly as it happened that day.

She bit down on her bottom lip, knowing what was at risk, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon them. She couldn’t bring herself to let her team members burn at the expense of the reset charge. No matter how she felt about each individual agent, they were still alive. And right now, they were screaming in pain.

“I-I…” [Y/N] stuttered, her concentration wavering, as she looked between her fellow agents and the charge.

The team was already broken. Many had succumbed to the flames while others were within an inch of their lives. The combination of oil and fire was just too intense for their all-too mortal bodies. If the fire didn’t kill them, the pain did.

To any other TVA agent, the decision would have been easy. Follow orders and protect the charge. There was no use going back. The others were already dying.

But [Y/N] couldn’t do that. No, she refused to do that. And Hunter U-92 understood [Y/N] to a certain extent and realized her hesitation. Instead of trying to convince her, he took matters into his own hands and crawled towards the charge, using the fire as cover to sneak his way towards the device before the variant took notice.

Still, that Loki was faster. With a clear line of sight, the variant obviously knew where the charge was and who was inching closer towards it. In a matter of seconds, Hunter U-92 was dragged away. He screamed but that, too, was quickly silenced.

“No!” [Y/N] cried out.

She could clearly remember what thoughts had gone through her mind at the time. In fact, it continued to bombard her. It was as if she was haunted by a ghost, pestering her to the point of exhaustion.

What had she done? What had her moment of uncertainty resulted in? Everyone… Every Minuteman and Hunter U-92… They were all gone.

In a desperate attempt to save everyone, [Y/N] had saved no one. Only the bodies of her fellow agents remained, scattered around her with expressions that screamed out in pain. No one had gone quietly. No one had gone peacefully. Not a single one was spared.

Losing all sense of reason, [Y/N] grabbed onto her weapon and shot out her power towards the variant. Regret had clouded her judgment and rage fueled her powers. She sent out wave after wave after wave. Anything and everything, she summoned her powers to counter the variant.

[Y/N] watched herself act like a mindless fool. She could see every mistake she made. Every irrational action she had taken. And still, she could do nothing. This was all just a memory, and she was forced to be the puppet while the past was the master. It forced her to relive this terrible moment, this regrettable scene, while her mind realized each little detail that she could have easily corrected… If only she had taken just one second to think things out.

However, her inexperience was apparent. And blind emotions just weren't enough.

Every move she made, the Loki variant dodged and hit back. She thrust out her weapon, jabbing and swinging, but the variant was too nimble in close-quarter combat. They easily avoided her weapon, taking care not to touch the end of the baton, and parried with their own fists and legs. Though the powers were unexpected, feeling an invisible force here and there and waves of energy slicing through the air, it wasn’t hard to predict when [Y/N]’s state of mind was erratic.

[Y/N]’s frustration clawed at her mind, erasing more and more of her rationality, and she was stuck in a losing battle. Tears began to well up in her eyes, a mix of the smoke and self-blame that threatened to swallow her whole, but she persisted.

Finally, the variant unarmed her and knocked her to the ground.

The collision was so intense that it was difficult to breathe. In addition, she could barely catch her breath, every inhale taking with it the smoke and scattered debris. Then, a foot stomped hard on her chest, knocking more air out of her already deflated lungs.

She glared up at the variant, their face still obscured by their long hood.

If [Y/N] had not been blinded by her emotions, perhaps she would have seen a better way. Perhaps she could have avoided this fight entirely and escaped with the reset charge. Or perhaps she could have taken back the bodies of her comrades as well as the reset charge and escaped from this hell. Or… Or perhaps she could have even saved everyone if she had just followed Hunter U-92’s orders and taken the reset charge, the sole item the variant was after, and brought back reinforcements.

Regret ate away at her and blood trickled down her lips as she bit hard to stop herself from crying. This wasn’t the time. This wasn’t the time to be so helpless.

Think! Damn it, think! [Y/N] cursed at herself. Do something! Anything!

Then, a thought finally emerged from the chaos. An idea finally started to take shape and bloom amidst the fire. Yes… The fire. That was what brought them all down, but also what would help [Y/N].

Her powers gathered and bent to her will, swirling the air around them. Her mind finally settling, she was able to concentrate and manipulate the natural flow of the wind. It spiraled the more power she put in, and eventually the oil and fire came with it. The variant noticed this change and quickly tried to end [Y/N]’s life, but [Y/N] was just a second faster.

The newly formed fire tornado collided right into the enemy. Avoiding her while only hitting the variant, the destructive power seemed to take away all the blinding lights and bring only darkness in its wake.

There was a faint crack, the sound of something breaking, but the roaring flames soon engulfed that noise as well.

[Y/N] gasped for air the moment the variant’s crushing foot was off her chest. Once the fire was removed, the air was cooler, and fresher. She coughed from the sharp intake, her throat going hoarse from the heavy coughing fit, and as she flipped over onto her stomach, her hand touched a small object. With no time to think, she instinctively grabbed onto the broken material and pushed past the pain in her lungs. There was no time to waste.

Getting up from the ground, she rushed to the location of the reset charge but… But…

She closed her eyes as the past finally began to fade away. [Y/N] knew it was gone. She knew that the variant had escaped and they had taken the charge with them.

Back in the empty hallway, the electrical lights gleaming all too brightly overhead, [Y/N] sank to the cold ground. Tears fell from her eyes, and her past overlapped her current actions.

One drop. Two drops. Three…

An overflowing amount of tears poured as she slumped down. She glanced down at the object tightly held in her hand, nearly piercing her skin from the force she exerted, and gazed at the broken thing. It gleamed under the lights, shining in a faint metallic, golden color. It was a piece of a horn. A piece of the rogue variant Loki’s horn.

A smile formed across her face, her sunken eyes sinking deeper as her past continued to eat away at her mind. A sound finally escaped her lips, a similar sound to when she first realized that the charge was gone and all her allies were dead.

All she had was a piece of a horn. Everyone else was gone, engulfed in fire, and all she had left of that battle was a piece of her enemy’s horn. A piece of metal in exchange for several lives. And nothing else.

Laughter. Laughter filled with defeat and despair.

That was the sound that had filled the silence of the night air, and was now echoing down the empty corridor. She could feel the phantom heat of the fire in her memories, overtaking the cool air conditioned interior of the TVA. Non-existent heat surrounded her, sweat beading down her forehead, but she shivered as if submerged in ice-cold water.

Her lifeless gaze headed back towards the spot her friend once stood.

Mobius. She had come here in search of him, desperate to find someone to lean on. Someone who maybe would understand her pain. Someone who would at least listen… Someone she could confide in.

But he was busy. He didn’t have the time. Perhaps he wasn't yet informed about what had gone down for her that night. And how could he? She knew he was trying to hide it, but she knew he was avoiding her. Keeping secrets from her.

As she thought back to her past and looked upon her present circumstances, one word formed inside her mind. Her hysterical fit of laughter had died down and her head slumped back down, looking at nothing but the floor. And finally… That one word that felt so natural to her finally slipped from her mouth.

“Shit.”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Note: How was part 3? Hope it didn't confuse you! Once again, this is a spin-off heavily based on my previous work, Discovered, so please be sure to read that before reading Secrets. Hopefully it'll make more sense after that ;)

Thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave comments :)

[qandnoablog]

My editor and I thought it’d be fun to draw some of our versions of [Y/N] from Discovered! Can you guess whose art is whose? 😉

[qandnoablog]

Purpose (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets (Work-In-Progress)

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 2, [1] 

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/L/N - Your Last Name

Word Count: - 1,824

Summary: [Y/N] centered her whole life around the TVA. She was born from it, trained by it, and was destined to fight for it. That should have been enough, but for some reason, [Y/N] found it difficult to accept. She just could not conform to the norms, like every other TVA agent around her. It caused her great pain to mold herself into the proper soldier, to ignore the discrepancy she felt surrounded by those who had no issues following nothing but the orders from above. Then, all that began to change. One variant, one being, shattered her very reality. He exposed the deeply rooted secrets of the Authority and his very presence swallowed her up like a storm. Who was this man who proclaimed himself to be a god? How was he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Sorry for the wait! Part 2 is finally out :) I won’t have much time since my work place is a bit understaffed, but I’ll try my best to post parts once every week! Thank you for your patience and understanding, and please enjoy~!

Part 2 - Purpose

Appearing out of thin air, a man materialized and stumbled onto the floor. The object in his hand clattered to the ground and he grunted from the motion. Exhaling several times, exhausted by the cat-and-mouse chase and drained by his never ending questions, he threw away a device and it made a loud noise in the silent room as it hit against the surface of the table.

Loki Laufeyson, the escaped variant.

He stood up from the ground, his breathing heavy, as he looked upon the gathered image of the Avengers, as if the very picture of his past mocked him. Growing tired of this place, he decided to take a glimpse at the film on the hologram. Perhaps it would have an answer to his endless questions.

The scenes passed by, as if pressing fast forward, and his life literally flashed before his eyes. Well, perhaps not his current life, but it was his future. His intended future, or so the TVA agent Mobius had proclaimed.

Then, the image froze upon one person. It was his mother, lying upon the ground, her heart no longer beating. Blood trickled down her lips and her eyes remained closed. Even though it was just an image, a future he had yet to experience, his heart trembled and all he wanted to do was look away.

Loki wanted nothing more than for this to be a lie. For this to be just a sick, twisted plot to have him conform to what they desired. That this scene, this future, was not his. That his mother would not die… That it would not be him who sent the enemy to her… That… That he was not a wretched son that killed his mother that future deemed him to be.

With one press, the image changed and the future once more flashed on the screen. It stopped, this time not on his mother, but on the one he so desperately wanted to call his father.

“I love you, my sons,” Odin said with a gentle tone.

Those were the words Loki yearned to hear from his father’s mouth. His breathing became heavy, a deep sigh slipping from his lungs, as his eyes filled up with tears.

Then, a stranger appeared on the screen. Someone he only knew from one encounter, but was clearly visible on the hologram. She looked a bit younger, a bit less worn down, but still seemed to have a deep longing. It’s just… That longing was not towards him this time.

“Midgardian,” his future self began, but the girl quickly cut him off.

“Alien,” she teased, her eyes challenging him.

Loki stared at this exchange, examining the same face of the girl who he had encountered before snatching the Tesseract away and getting captured by the annoying TVA.

He recalled the flickering image of the stranger, turning visible and invisible from a mysterious power he had never seen, who looked at him with all sorts of emotions that even he could not read. But there were some that stuck out more than others: longing, remorse, happiness, and pain. Her eyes were imprinted on his mind, unable to forget her for a myriad of reasons, but it was not just her eyes that drew him in.

Though faint, he could sense his own magic lingering… Almost clinging onto her. At the time, he wasn’t sure how he was connected to her, but he was shocked by the magic he felt. He was certain that it was his, but it was… He had never known that his magic could feel so gentle. That it could wrap around someone that wasn’t himself in such a protective manner. Albeit weak, the magic long since faded, it was as if it clung onto her to just stay by her side.

“[Y/N],” the same, yet different girl said as she looked him in the eyes through the screen. “My name is [Y/N] [Y/L/N].”

It was as if she was telling him rather than the future Loki. It was as if she was declaring her identity to the current him, so that he could forever remember her name.

“Just…” [Y/N] in the hologram hesitated, a new scene appearing before him. She fidgeted endlessly, while debating whether or not to say the next words. Taking a deep breath, both versions of Lokis for some reason at the edge of their seats, [Y/N] finally continued. “Just… Don’t die.”

He froze, stunned by her words. Though he skipped around the scenes of his future, Loki was still aware of the general flow of events. The two spent quite a bit of time together, but they were minuscule compared to his lifespan. He could guess how future him felt towards her, finally realizing why the traces of his magic were so gentle around her, but new questions quickly replaced the old ones.

What was he to [Y/N]? She clearly didn’t view him as the enemy, given how she acted towards him, but to what extent were her feelings towards him? And why were her hands covered by gloves? They were the same ones she had on when he had met her in person. Were her hands scarred from her previous use of powers when intervening with Thor and Hulk’s battle?

“Loki, I thought the world of you,” Thor stated, as the scenes changed yet again, forcing him to shake away the budding curiosity towards [Y/N] and back towards his future path.

“I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever.”

And Thor’s words soon came true. In that distant future, the two brothers once again fought alongside each other. The relationship he thought was in tatters by his own making, the bond he had broken with his own two hands… They were being mended in that distant future. Perhaps by the future Loki of that time.

“Maybe you’re not so bad after all, Brother.”

“Maybe not.”

“Thank you. If you were here, I might even give you a hug.”

Loki lightly chuckled at Thor’s words, immersing himself in the scenes, and a sorrowful smile was spreading across his face.

“I’m here.”

The future he had yet to experience, it did not give him the answers to his current questions, but instead to the questions he had been asking his whole life. It had taken his future self far too long to get those answers, but perhaps those years were necessary. Perhaps those events were required to get him to accept those words. To no longer deny his existence.

“No!” [Y/N] cried, snapping him awake from his wandering thoughts. Focusing back on the scene, he saw her incorporeal body trembling at her helpless situation. “Stop! I know you can hear me, you bastard! Don’t you dare-!”

But the Loki on the hologram ignored her words and carried on with his plan. Loki, unable to hold down his surprise, stood up from his seat and walked closer to the screen as his future played out like a sick movie, mocking him of his pre-determined fate.

“You…” his future self struggled under Thanos’ painful grasp and could barely get out words, but he foolishly pressed on. “Will never be… A god…”

And [Y/N] was the last face his future self saw before a soft crack rang in his ears. Loki let out a gasp, his eyes widening in shock, as he took half a step back from the scene that was his future. His death… Unable to witness it anymore, he turned away and shut his eyes, his teeth clenching to take in this new reality before him.

Had the TVA not come after him… Had he stuck to the original script and been taken away to Asgard, not getting his hand on the Tesseract and making his big escape… Everything that played out before his eyes would have come true.

Loki stared at the ending film, the scene concluding upon his death, and he scoffed in disbelief. Then, he laughed. It was not a joyous laugh. It was not even a laugh of anger. It was a laugh filled with confusion, bitterness, sorrow, and… And longing. Yes. He longed for that future. Perhaps not his death, nor the death of his mother, but he longed for the connections that his future had built.

He longed to personally hear those words from his father. To be alongside his brother and once again fight side-by-side, mending the relationship he himself tore apart. And… And to formally meet [Y/N]. Perhaps not the [Y/N] of the future, but the [Y/N] of his present. The one he was destined to meet and tragically pine after. The one his future self called out to in his last moments, in a moment of selfishness. The one future Loki wanted to see one last time, before his inevitable death.

Loki’s past flickered in his mind, similar to the scenes of his future. He thought back to his mistakes, and how they would lead him down that fate if he hadn’t escaped with the infinity stone. Then, he thought back to [Y/N]’s face, the way she looked at him with a deep sense of mourning and longing. He recalled how curious he felt towards her, and without realizing it, he had reached out for her hand. Sadly, she hesitated for too long and before she could take it, they were disrupted and he fled with the infinity stone.

Had she taken his hand, would she be here alongside him? Would they have been taken by the TVA and interrogated together? And why did she hesitate? If given enough time, would she have really taken his hand, even though he was not the same Loki she met in the future?

After thinking about the what-ifs, he began to question the present. If all this was true, if this future was in fact pre-determined by the so-called “Timekeepers,” then what was his glorious purpose he raved on about only mere moments ago? In fact, how much time had passed since then? How long had it been since his encounter with the newly formed Avengers? And did it matter now? Did any of this matter? Just… Just what was his purpose? His reason for being?

Soon, his current circumstances rang all too clear. There was no one to answer his question. No higher being that could provide him with the actual truth. He did not believe in the TVA and had to seek out the answers himself. And so, he laughed.

He laughed and laughed and laughed some more. It was as if he was no longer sane, but also laughing to regain his sanity. This was not his future, and this was not his fantasy. This… This was his reality. Just an infinite amount of questions and a chaotic mess.

And as if on cue, someone spoke up behind him.

“What’s so funny?”

[Previous] | [Next]

Author’s Note: Hope you all enjoyed part 2! This was so fun to make since it incorporated so many scenes from the Marvel movies, which I relied on in the making of Discovered. If you were at all confused during this read, please go back to Discovered parts [4], [5], [10], [11], and side story [1], [2], [3] to get a brief refresher for these scenes!

Once again, thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave comments :)

[qandnoablog]

Hellooo I just wanted to say that I'm really excited for Secrets! The first part was amazinggg

Thank you so much!!! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it and hopefully part 2 will be even better <3

[qandnoablog]

Secrets (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets (Work-In-Progress)

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 1

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 2,292

Summary: [Y/N] centered her whole life around the TVA. She was born from it, trained by it, and was destined to fight for it. That should have been enough, but for some reason, [Y/N] found it difficult to accept. She just could not conform to the norms, like every other TVA agent around her. It caused her great pain to mold herself into the proper soldier, to ignore the discrepancy she felt surrounded by those who had no issues following nothing but the orders from above. Then, all that began to change. One variant, one being, shattered her very reality. He exposed the deeply rooted secrets of the Authority and his very presence swallowed her up like a storm. Who was this man who proclaimed himself to be a god? How was he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: I finally got down to watching the Loki series! Binged the whole season in one day, and loved it! It flooded me with new ideas based on the Discovered series I made, and though I’m not sure what path I’ll be taking for this series, please bear with me! I love Loki and Sylvie’s dynamic together in the series, but I desperately wanted to incorporate [Y/N] since before the series even came out. Please don’t hate me too much if I down play their romance to make way for [Y/N]! Maybe there’ll even be a twist... Who knows? ;)

Part 1 - Secrets

The bright tiles of the mosaic glinted dimly as it obscured the intense rays of the sun trickling in from outside.

[Y/N] stared at the windows as she carefully examined the art, trying to look away from the scene that was littered before her. Instead, she focused on the colors of the window, the smell of the burning candles, and the sensation of the cool, natural air that blew in from the distant entrance. She savored the brief feeling of the outside world, before a voice awoke her from her trance.

“It’s him,” Hunter U-92 said in a slightly annoyed tone.

She glanced up at the hunter assigned to the case and slightly frowned. [Y/N] didn’t know why, but she never liked her fellow co-workers. She should have felt a unity with them, given that they were all created by the same being and assigned the same mission. Though she understood that they existed solely for the mission, it was difficult for her to accept that. That was what set her apart from the others.

“Yeah,” another man answered as he crouched down to examine the bodies, “stab wounds look consistent with the others.”

Mobius was one of the few exceptions.

“Positioning of the bodies indicates they didn’t know what the hell hit ‘em,” Mobius continued as he stood up and looked closely at the fallen Minutemen. “And reset charge is gone.”

“That’s the sixth attack in the last week,” Hunter U-92 stated.

“That we know of,” Mobius and [Y/N] replied in unison, though for [Y/N] it was more of a quiet grumbling.

“You know, [Y/A], you didn’t need to come,” Mobius chuckled as [Y/N] sat down carelessly without any regard for the bodies around her.

“And miss out on leaving the office? Not a chance,” [Y/N] countered as she glanced once at the fallen agents and quickly turned away.

[Y/N] wasn’t heartless.

She was saddened by the deaths of others and disliked meaningless slaughter. Though trained as a diligent TVA agent, she was still weak when it came to killing. But she refused to show how much it affected her. The last time she exhibited such emotions… Well, it didn’t end well for her.

“We can’t just leave them!” [Y/N] yelled as she snatched away the reset charge that had been placed on the ground. “If we reset, they’ll be erased with the rest of the timeline! We have to take them back. We have to send them off properly!”

“Stand down, Hunter Z-73. We’re running out of time-”

“No.” [Y/N] held her ground, her heart racing, as her body trembled from this blatant act of insubordination.

She didn’t know why she wasn’t following orders. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t accept something this simple, like all the other Minutemen could. She knew the consequences of failing the mission when a branching timeline was created, so why? Why couldn’t she bear to look at the faces of her fallen TVA? Why couldn’t she just be like everyone else and just do her job?

“Stand. Down.” Her superior warned her one last time, emphasizing each word, as everyone’s eyes looked at her with impatience and distrust.

“Please, just let me take them home.” [Y/N] insisted as she got on her knees as a final plea. “Let them rest at the TVA, where they belong.”

The words sounded strange to her, but she didn’t know why. Still, this one act… Her begging her team… It would seem humiliating, but something within her seemed to have settled. The uneasiness she felt since the moment of her creation, it was finally feeling more at peace. As if the acts she was committing today weren’t crimes against the TVA… As if this all was the right choice. It was the right answer.

[Y/N] had hope in that feeling, and believed that the others would feel the same way. But, reality was colder than hope.

“Apprehend her.”

No one even felt sympathy for her, let alone those of their fallen. Everything was only ever about the mission. Through overwhelming numbers, she was captured and taken to be punished for her sins. Her sins against the ultimate power, the Time Variance Authority.

[Y/N] shut her eyes at the memory, her jaw clenching from the sense of betrayal she felt towards the TVA and from herself. She felt betrayed by her colleagues who should have cared about one of their own. She felt betrayed by her team, who did not understand her nor did they even try. And she felt betrayed by her own emotions, that only ever settled when she was acting outside the strict law of the TVA.

That was her first and last mission with that team.

Since then, she had been grounded for nearly a decade, unable to go outside the TVA and stuck with grunt work. She had to start from the bottom once more, organizing and filing cases, without taking one step out into the timeline. Without so much as feeling the natural sunlight of the world beyond the TVA walls. Like clipping a bird’s wings, she was imprisoned in the system that they were designed to work for.

After possibly centuries of similar punishments, depriving her further of the outside world, her individuality was slowly being chipped away. Now, as she sat inside one of France’s most beautiful cathedrals, [Y/N]’s eyes were dimmer than the light that was obscured by the mosaic windows. Her rebellious spirit had long since broken.

“Hey!”

The shout startled [Y/N] out of her trance, and that was when she realized that it was not just the Minutemen who were here at the church.

Hunter U-92 took out his weapon, ready to spring into action by the stranger’s presence, but Mobius quickly caught his arm, ordering the man to stand down.

“Tsk,” [Y/N] scowled as she stretched from her seat, “All violence and no thought.”

Her mood had plummeted since recalling her first mission.

“It’s just a kid.” Mobius ignored [Y/N]’s remarks, giving [Y/N] a warning look, before turning back towards the child. “(I’m sorry, my friend is an imbecile).”

Mobius tried to sooth the child, speaking in the tongue of their country, but Hunter U-92 quickly shot back.

“Hey, yo! (I speak every language on the timeline too),” he called out, but then muttered under his breath while putting away his weapon, “(Jackass).”

“(Control that mouth of yours),” [Y/N] growled as she rose from her seat with a sharp glare, “(or else I’ll do it for you).”

Then she bounded off towards Mobius, disregarding the pale look that spread across the hunter’s face.

Everyone knew that [Y/N] would never do anything against them due to the authority of the TVA, but she was still feared by many. Out of everyone, she was one of the few that had powers far beyond their own. They assumed only the Timekeepers knew why she had those abilities. And since she was made differently from them, though the judge said otherwise, some were wary about her position in the Timekeepers’ eyes.

[Y/N] stood behind Mobius as he spoke with the young child, even allowing him to hold his TemPad - a very strong tool among the Minutemen - but the child did not have much regarding the incident. The only clue they managed to obtain was candy left behind by the so-called, “devil.”

As she watched his interaction, [Y/N] couldn’t help but reminisce about her past once more.

Mobius… He was one of the few within the TVA who had empathy, like her. He had come to her after her failed mission, and brought her under him when her own team had abandoned her. He understood her to a certain extent, caring for her as if she was a lost lamb amongst lions. Over time, she began to depend on him, even feeling protective over him when his words were disregarded by other agents.

He was the only one that ever stuck their neck out for her. Although he could not go against the TVA, he made exceptions for her any way that he could. Mobius was aware that whenever she was not allowed to go out, she felt suffocated, and was willing to stifle her opinions if it meant just having a taste of that unachievable freedom. Knowing this, he allowed her to tag along on missions that weren’t assigned to her. Nevertheless, he also understood that this only made her longing for an escape that much stronger. Perhaps, that too was hell, but it was the only thing he could grant her.

“Devil bearing gifts.” Mobius mused, shaking her from her thoughts.

“What else is new?” [Y/N] sighed, rubbing her somewhat groggy eyes.

Why was she acting like this? Why was she thinking so much about the past these days? She kept getting the feeling that she was trying to recall something, something she had long forgotten, but all the memories she dredged up were things she never could forget. So what was it? What was she searching for?

Then, the long awaited mission - her trip to the outside world - was wrapping up.

“Set a reset charge,” Hunter U-92 ordered, the words scraping against [Y/N]’s ears.

That often followed with a hasty retreat and the disposal of fellow TVA agents’ bodies. It had been so long, but after digging up those old memories of her first mission, she couldn’t help but feel nauseous with those words. With that tool. With the reset charge.

However, this time, things didn’t end there. A Timedoor was opened and another agent came out holding files in one hand. He glanced at [Y/N] for a brief second, a flash of worry flickering across his face, before he turned back and walked closer to Mobius.

“Sir, there’s something you’ll wanna see.”

Mobius took the files, glancing between the agent and [Y/N] who became curious about the questionable attention towards her, and glanced over his shoulder as he opened the files. A picture of a variant came into view, a stamp stating, “APPREHENDED,” in red letters above some of his printed information. It seemed like any other case, something [Y/N] had seen for what felt like her whole life, but something caught her eye.

The more she looked, the more she couldn’t look away from the picture. It was as if those eyes were drawing her in. But soon, her eyes shifted downward and were once again sucked in by two words.

Loki Laufeyson.

~

“You lost what-?!” [Y/N] gasped as she trailed behind Mobius as the team hurried down the corridor.

She could barely believe her ears. Mobius, the only TVA agent she would go out of her way to call her friend and also one of the ones who cared most about the TVA’s mission, had lost a variant under his command. [Y/N] wanted to ask more questions, to ask how the variant escaped, and how much trouble Mobius would be in after this incident, but someone was faster.

“Wish I could say I was surprised,” Hunter B-15 sneered as she kept pace with Mobius.

“Yeah, I wish you hadn’t interrupted us,” Mobius responded, a bit irked, while [Y/N] shot daggers at the hunter.

“Me? It’s my fault?” Hunter B-15 just glanced at [Y/N] but she was one of the few agents who were unaffected by her presence. “And why is [Y/A] here? We were ordered not to-”

“Look, he can’t have gotten very far,” Mobius interrupted, shifting his eyes away from [Y/N]’s questioning look.

“There’s a reason [Y/A]’s not supposed to… Fine, she can come, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Hunter B-15 let out a resigned sigh, after getting the message from Mobius’ sharp look, and stopped at the end of the hallway. Then, she turned around to face the other agents and gave out an order. “Split up. Prune on sight.”

“No, no pruning, no resetting,” Mobius countered as he turned back, away from the elevators. “He can still help us!”

[Y/N] hurried behind him, followed by two other armed agents, and held in her plethora of questions. This was a first for her… Mobius was for some reason hiding something, but she didn’t know what or why. Though she had complete faith in the man, she couldn’t shake off the uneasiness she felt.

“Mobius, what’s going on?” [Y/N] asked as they got further from Hunter B-15. Perhaps he couldn’t tell her in front of the hunter. “How did that variant get past you? I heard that that particular variant can be tricky. Is there something I can do to help?”

But despite her beliefs, Mobius didn’t answer her. Instead, he gave orders to the following agents, including herself, and hurried off to find the escaped variant. Not once did he look her straight in the eyes. As if to hide a guilty conscience, he escaped from her like he was running away from a fire.

[Y/N] stood there by herself in the hallway, staring at her friend’s back that got further and further away.

Mobius never kept secrets from her. If something was classified, he would tell her that it was and she would not ask further questions. That was how they always were, so what was different this time? What was he hiding from her? What was so important about this secret that he couldn’t even give her excuses?

You’re ok, right? She wanted to ask before he hurried off, but the look in his eyes made her swallow down her words.

Her uneasiness began to fester and grow.

[Next]

Author’s Note: This was fun to make and so was part 2! It’s still a work-in-progress but I have to admit, I’m pretty proud with how part 2 is shaping up. Please continue to stick around and look forward to the next part!

Thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave comments :)