Mobius isn't sure he'll ever get over how amazing Asgard is. It doesn't even feel real. He feels as though he's living in some sort of simulation. How is it possible that he is in the world he's studied for so long? How is he ever supposed to get used to it?

At least he has Loki and Sylvie – Loki to help familiarize himself with the place, and Sylvie to be equally as clueless as he is (even if she doesn't quite act like it) so he doesn't feel as weird about it.

He's trying to cut down on the number of questions he asks. Loki doesn't show it, but Mobius suspects his constant curiosity is beginning to annoy him. But everything is so new and exciting. He's really going to live here for the rest of his life? He can hardly believe it!

It's been quiet amongst them since the sun began to set, and Mobius has spent the last few minutes wondering if asking a question would make things better or worse. On one hand, it's weirdly quiet, and, at least to him, that's uncomfortable. On the other hand, he's trailing behind Loki and Sylvie, and he's not fully convinced they even remember he's here.

Maybe he should spend tomorrow befriending other Asgardians. He could start with Thor. They got along pretty well this morning. He'd like to think that would continue even if their interaction lasted more than the ten minutes they spent together today. And from there, he could probably find other friends. He could widen his web of information, and then he won't have to pester Loki with every single one of his undoubtedly stupid questions.

And, perhaps just as important, it will give Loki and Sylvie more time to spend alone together. He's not an idiot. He saw the branch they caused on Lamentis. He saw Loki's reaction to the lie that Sylvie had been pruned. He saw them snuggling together under their little napkin blanket in the Void. And, of course, he sees the little glances Loki makes in her direction, the way he looks at her like she's the most beautiful sight in the world, and it's just so obvious that he's in love with her. It can only be a matter of time until he admits it, and Mobius suspects that won't happen while he's around.

He'll spend tomorrow with Thor, then, if he can. He's sure Loki and Sylvie will appreciate it. It's only a matter of time until they seek out their next opportunity for privacy. He might as well give it to them before they ask, and take the chance to pester somebody else with questions instead.

He manages to bite his tongue for an impressively long time. There have to be at least a dozen questions he almost asks but stops himself before he does. But as they enter the palace, he has to at least ask this:

"Where are we going, again?"

"Looking for my mother," Loki answers. "We're going to watch her fireworks – I presume you know about her fireworks?"

Mobius grimaces.

Shit.

He should have asked sooner.

"You know," Mobius says awkwardly, "I think that would be a great tomorrow plan. What if we schedule that for tomorrow and do something else tonight?"

Loki gives him a weird look. "'Something else' being...?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mobius says, feigning a casual tone. "We could just walk around tonight; save the fireworks for after we really get to know the place."

"We've been walking around half the day," Sylvie reminds him.

"But we haven't been walking around at night," Mobius says. Does that sound as ridiculous an excuse to them as it does to him? He hopes not. He hopes it's not as obviously forced as it feels.

"We have," Sylvie says. "You didn't want to come with us."

Mobius grimaces. That is... a good point.

"I'll show you around tomorrow night," Loki assures him. "But I've already promised Sylvie we would watch the fireworks tonight."

Mobius bites his lip. He needs to change their minds somehow. They can't spend the night with Frigga. He doesn't care if Loki promised Sylvie; he promised the other Loki he'd keep them away. He just doesn't know how to convince them of that when he doesn't have a reason for it that they'd care about.

Loki glances back at him again, and Mobius must be incredibly transparent, because the god frowns at the sight of him. He stops walking, turning to face him with a touching look of concern on his face. "Are you alright, Mobius?"

Mobius plasters on a smile. "Of course I'm alright," he says. "I'm great. I'm in Asgard. What could be better than that?"

Loki is not convinced. And, worse than that, Sylvie is not convinced, and if he puts aside his like for her, they really hardly know each other, so if she can tell he's lying, it must be pretty obvious.

Mobius sighs. "I just... don't think we should watch your mom's fireworks tonight," he says. He's not even going to give a reason this time. Maybe his defeatist tone will convince Loki to listen to him.

Loki frowns, his sympathy only growing. "You really don't want...?"

Mobius shakes his head. "I really don't," he says.

Loki nods solemnly. "Alright," he concedes. "Then I will show you around Asgard."

Mobius smiles softly. That's what he wanted.

Loki puts a hand on Sylvie's shoulder. "I presume you won't mind spending the night alone with her?"

Mobius's smile falls.

That's not what he wanted at all.

"If you'll help me find her," Sylvie says.

"Of course I will," Loki says. "I believe I know where she'd be."

They begin walking again, and Mobius hurries after them, trying to plot out his plan B in his mind – with very little success. He really doesn't know how he's supposed to do this. Coming up with an excuse for him not to want to go? Easy. Getting Loki not to go? Not easy, but somehow, he's succeeded. Coming up with an excuse for none of them to go? He's wracking his brain, but it's coming up empty.

So he gives up on being subtle. "How much time do I have to come up with a reason we should not see your mom tonight?"

Loki glances at him over his shoulder, his brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Great, and they don't even stop walking this time. They're making his life much harder than it should be.

"I mean we should do something else tonight," Mobius says. "Something that doesn't involve your mom."

Loki sighs. "My mother likes you, Mobius," he says. "Don't let her status intimidate you. She is a wonderful woman."

"I know that," Mobius says, a bit defensively. He's been reading about the Asgardian royal family for how long? Of course he knows that she's a good person. He knows all about her – and Odin and Thor and Hela, too, for that matter. He doesn't find them intimidating any more than he found Loki intimidating the first time they met (and, admittedly, he did find Loki a little intimidating, but his fascination far outweighed it).

"Then why don't you want to see her?" Loki asks.

Mobius is completely out of excuses, so he tells the truth. "Because the other Loki wants to spend the night with her – alone – and I told him I'd give him a hand with it."

He can feel the mood shift immediately; their friendly, lighthearted atmosphere disappearing in an instant. He hadn't expected that.

Loki scoffs. "I beg your pardon?"

"What gives you the right to dictate where we can and cannot spend our time?" Sylvie demands. "You are not in the TVA anymore, Mobius. You're not in charge of us – of anyone."

Mobius puts his hands up in a surrender of sorts. "I know that," he says quickly. "But you're not on your timeline anymore; you're on his timeline. I think it's only fair that–"

"We're not on our timelines anymore because your people pruned them," Sylvie snaps. "I don't see why you should get a say in this."

"And I don't see why the other Loki can't have a say," Mobius counters. "You barged in on his life, not the other way around."

"And you barged in on our lives," Sylvie snaps.

"Nobody is telling the other Loki that he cannot talk to our mother," Loki says irritably. "I am not going to tell him what to do, like he can't tell us what to do."

Mobius scoffs. "It's one night, guys!" he says incredulously. "You're already stealing his life. You can't give him just one night to–"

"Oh my god." Sylvie gapes at him. "He has you on that, too!"

"He has me on what?" Mobius asks defensively.

"The whole 'we stole his life' thing!"

"We are the only reason he's not in prison right now," Loki says. "He should be thanking us. And maybe he doesn't believe it, but you know it's true, so I don't see how he turned you against us."

"I am not–" Mobius cuts himself off with a groan and grabs them each by the shoulder, forcing them to stop walking and turn around to face him. He can see the irritation, the anger on their face, and if their tones were not a wakeup call, this certainly is. He forces himself to take a deep, calming breath before he speaks, and he makes a point to keep his voice level, because pissing off two Lokis even more than he already has does not seem like a good idea right now. "I am not turning against you," he says. "You're my best friends, and I love you both. But the other Loki doesn't like you, and if you're going to live with him for the rest of your lives, I think this could be a nice peace offering – an olive branch, if you will."

"No," Sylvie says firmly. "We don't owe him anything. If he wanted us to do him a favor, maybe he should have stopped moping and glaring and asked us himself."

"Maybe if you do him a favor, he'll stop moping and glaring," Mobius counters. He's really trying to keep his voice calm and level. He's not sure it's helping the situation very much.

Loki just rolls his eyes. "This is ridiculous," he mutters under his breath.

And then he starts walking away.

Just like that.

And Sylvie follows right along with him.

Mobius has to admit, it kind of stings. They were having a conversation here. It wasn't necessarily a good conversation. Admittedly, it didn't feel very productive. But they were still having a conversation, and they just walked away.

Mobius follows after them, but this time, his tone isn't quite as pleasant when he speaks. "That's it, then."

Loki rolls his eyes. "That's what?"

"You're just going to ignore me."

"We're not ignoring you," Loki says. "We disagree with you. Those are two very different things."

"Really? 'Cause I'm feeling pretty ignored."

"And I'm feeling pretty annoyed," Sylvie says. "Until yesterday, I hadn't seen my mother in centuries – because of you and your people, in case you forgot."

Mobius clenches his jaw, but he lets that slide. He gets it. Her mother is very important to her. The time they get to spend together is very important to her. He understands that. But this is really starting to piss him off a little – the both of them.

"Call me selfish," she says sarcastically, "but I think I deserve to see her more than the guy who's only been without her for a year and only because he left."

Mobius shakes his head to himself. "Alright, fine," he says. "You're both selfish."

Loki shoots him a glare. "You are a guest in my home, Mobius," he snaps. "You don't–"

"No, we are guests in his home," Mobius snaps back. "He lived here long before any of us came around."

"Well, this is the closest thing I have to a home, now that you and your precious TVA have destroyed mine."

That's Mobius's final straw.

"You think I don't know that?" he demands. He can feel the anger rising up in him, but this time, he doesn't feel like he can fight it back. He grabs their arms once more, forcing them to stop and look at him. "You think that I'm not completely, totally aware of the fact that for as long as I can remember, I have been a part of a fascist organization that destroys entire universes daily? You think I don't know that I have more blood on my hands than the two of you combined?

"I know the TVA destroyed your homes. At least you remember where yours was. I don't know if you've forgotten, but they destroyed my timeline, too, and now the only home I remember is the TVA. I left behind everything I've ever known to be here with you, so thank you so much for reminding me that I don't belong here and that I will never belong."

Loki sighs. "Mobius..."

Mobius can feel the rage inside of him. He's shaking – physically shaking where he stands. His heart is pounding. His vision is almost starting to blur. He never gets like this. Never. Something is wrong – with him, with the situation in general, he doesn't know, but this is wrong.

He needs to calm down. He doesn't even know what it is that got him this worked up, but he needs to calm down. But as long as he's here arguing with Loki, it's only going to get worse and worse. He needs to take a break.

"Forget it," he mumbles, turning and walking away. He tried. He failed. He's done.

Unfortunately, though Mobius is walking as quickly and pointedly as he can, Loki is both much taller and much more godly than he is, so he catches up with ease. Mobius does his best to ignore him, which becomes much more difficult when Loki stops in front of him.

Loki puts his hands on Mobius's shoulders, looking down at him with all the sincerity in the world. "Mobius, I'm sorry."

It's a nice apology – genuine, not just said for the sake of saying it – but it doesn't make him feel any better. He just shakes his head and hits Loki's hands away. "I'm going for a walk."

"Mobius–"

"I'll see you later."

This time, when he walks away, Loki doesn't follow. Hopefully Mobius remembers how they got here, because he is completely on his own now and he's not overly eager to be stuck wandering the palace all night.

His hands are balled into fists by his side, as though he can contain his anger within them. Clearly, it doesn't work, because he feels like he's stomping his way through the palace halls (and he's not; he's just walking very determinedly, but it feels like stomping, so clearly, his anger is not well-contained).

Finally, he finds the palace doors, and then he's outside. As the fresh air fills his lungs, he feels a little bit better. Whether it's actually because he's outside or just because he's gotten away from Loki and Sylvie, he can't say, but it doesn't matter. He'll just take a few minutes to cool down, regain his composure, and he'll be fine.

He feels like everybody's looking at him. He's felt like that since he arrived, but now, he feels it tenfold. He just keeps his gaze straight ahead, carefully and pointedly avoiding the gaze of the Asgardians all around him.

He has no idea where he's going. He really doesn't know his way around Asgard well enough to be out here on his own. But he'll be fine. If he just walks in a straight line, he'll find his way back. And, if he doesn't, he'd like to think that Loki and Sylvie will come looking for him eventually. At least he can take comfort in the fact that Heimdall will always know where he is, even when he doesn't.

He's so stuck in his own head, he doesn't even realize who he's passing until he hears his name, spoken with a touching amount of concern in the voice. He slows his pace, furrowing his brows as he looks over.

It's Frigga, walking hand-in-hand with Avengers Loki. That's a nice sight. At least he'll get some time alone with her before TVA Loki and Sylvie burst in and ruin it for him.

"Are you alright?" Frigga asks him. Much like her voice, her expression is laced with concern. Loki's thoughts are harder to read, but the singular raised eyebrow does not feel quite as touching.

Mobius fakes a smile. "Oh, yeah, no, I'm great." Was that believable? It feels believable to him. Although if anybody is going to know he's lying, it's going to be the God of Lies and the woman who raised him.

If Frigga can tell he's upset, she doesn't point it out. Instead, she asks, "Can we help you? Are you looking for something?"

Mobius shakes his head. "I'm just going for a stroll," he says, with a casual tone that he really hopes does sound casual. To Loki – who seems rather uninterested in this – he says, "The other Loki and Sylvie are probably going to come around, but I really did try."

Loki's expression is unreadable, but the confusion on Frigga's certainly is not, which Mobius takes as his cue to leave and pretend this never happened. He bids them farewell, then quickly walks away and hopes to whatever gods there are to hope to that they're not going the same way he is.

And with that, he's off to clear his head.

~~~

It takes him a long time to figure out what it is that set him off.

It was a combination of things, really. The first, of course, was the feeling that Loki and Sylvie were ganging up on him in a fight he didn't even mean to start. He was just trying to help Avengers Loki out. He didn't think they'd take it as some sort of personal attack on them, their autonomy, and their relationships with Frigga.

Then, there was the hounding about his time with the TVA. And, to a point, he understands it. He has worked for them for as long as he can remember, and he's been a part of some awful things. But then, is what they're doing now any better? They didn't stop the TVA; they just left it. Aren't they all guilty?

But he thinks the real thing that made him snap was Loki's remark that Mobius is a guest in his home. Because he's right: this will never be Mobius's home. He's been welcomed here with open arms, but he doesn't belong here. He's not Asgardian in any sense of the word. He's a human in the realm of the gods. Try as he might, he's never going to belong. He's never going to call it home.

But when the only other home he knows is the TVA, this will have to suffice. At least he knows he'll feel better when he and his friends make up in the morning.

He knows he's been walking for a while, but he gets a bit of a reality check when he finds himself approaching the Rainbow Bridge. He's made it all the way to the end of Asgard. He's walked from the Palace to Himinbjorg. Nobody in their right mind would be stupid enough to do that – further proof that he's not in his right mind, he supposes, but there's no surprise there.

He takes a seat on the end of the Rainbow Bridge, letting his legs dangle off it. This is probably an awful idea. He's seen enough of Loki's life to know that what lies beneath the bridge is not pretty, but he takes comfort in knowing that the fall alone would kill him, should he somehow find himself tumbling down.

He props his head up on his hand, staring out blankly into the dark abyss of space. It's a beautiful sight, though he's sure he'd enjoy it more if he were in a better headspace.

He's definitely calmed down by now. He still has that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he's fucked everything up, but he also feels like he can think rationally, so he's certainly doing better than he was earlier.

Is he allowed to sit on the end of the Rainbow Bridge? He hadn't thought about that. Nothing in all of his research has implied he wouldn't be, but then, when would something like this come up, anyway?

Mobius turns his gaze toward Himinbjorg, but the Rainbow Bridge is so long, he can hardly make out its shape. But that's alright; he's certainly being seen.

"If I'm bothering you, Heimdall, just let me know," he says. "I'll go back to the palace."

He really should go back to the palace. It was a long walk here; it's bound to be a long walk back. Night fell a long while ago, though he's not sure just what time it is. It's going to be late by the time he gets back, and he'd like to get some sleep tonight.

He lets out a long breath, propping his head back up on his hand. He'll go back to the palace later. After all the walking he's done, he's earned a rest break.

Will he have to apologize to Loki and Sylvie when he sees them next? His instinct is to say that he should, that every fight should end with an apology, but he's not even sure what he should be apologizing for. For being empathetic? For not wanting Avengers Loki to feel like a stranger in his own home? He understands why they were upset. He understands how it could have looked like he was trying to be controlling. But he's not sorry about it. He's not sorry for looking out for the other Loki.

He'll apologize for his attitude, he decides. He wasn't overly friendly by the end of that conversation. That's definitely something worth apologizing for. And then they can apologize for their attitudes, and then they can make up and move on and be friends again.

But that seems like a problem for the morning. Right now, he's just going to sit here and enjoy the peace and quiet while he can.

He doesn't know how long he sits here. A long time – longer than he should, he's sure. He's getting tired, and he has a long trek back to the palace that he really should have started ages ago. But he likes this. He likes the quiet, the serenity. He's completely alone, so far away from anyone and everyone else, and he likes that. He doesn't want it to end just yet.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have much of a choice.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a flash of tan, and he looks over just as Loki sits down next to him, not a word spoken as he does. He crosses his legs rather than letting them dangle off the Rainbow Bridge, a nice reminder that Mobius is definitely making a bad decision by sitting like this, and offers him a small smile.

"How'd you find me?" Mobius asks.

Loki shrugs. "A good guess."

Mobius nods slowly. A strange answer, but he'll take it. He glances around, but it seems they're alone. "Where's Sylvie?"

"In bed, I presume."

"And you're not?"

Loki shakes his head. "I would not have been able to sleep if I hadn't come to see you first."

Mobius offers him a small smile. That's sweet of him. "I'm sorry about earlier," he says. "I wasn't trying to start something. I just..." He sighs. "I want everyone to get along."

"It's a noble goal," Loki says, "but perhaps wishful thinking."

"But I don't think it has to be wishful thinking," Mobius says. "I mean, I know the other Loki doesn't like us now – and maybe he'll never like us; I wouldn't blame him – but I have to think we can at least learn to coexist."

Loki nods slowly, thoughtfully, taking that in. After a pause, he asks, "Why do you care so much about this other me?"

"I don't know," Mobius admits. "I love my Lokis. And..." He shrugs sheepishly. "Ravonna's always said I have a soft spot for broken things."

"And you think of this other me as a broken thing?"

"Well, yeah, you know? I think most Lokis are a little broken," Mobius tells him. "I mean, you should know that. You've seen your life. It's just trauma after trauma after trauma."

Loki huffs at that.

"And you're remarkably well-adjusted, all things considered," Mobius tells him. "The TVA changed you, and I think it changed you for the best. You're a good person. You care about other people. You're not the same person you were when you tried to take over New York."

Loki shakes his head to himself, a slight smile on his face.

"But the other Loki never had that," Mobius says. "He is still the same person he was when he tried to take over the world, because we just pulled him out of Germany yesterday. He doesn't get to decompress in the TVA or the dungeon. Everyone's just expecting him to go back to who he used to be, but after everything he's seen, after Thanos..."

As though proving his point, Loki grimaces at the name. If the mere mention of Thanos can elicit a reaction from his Loki after this long, the thought of the titan must be haunting Avengers Loki.

"I just think he needs a helping hand," Mobius says. "I think he needs help getting settled back in. And I think if we just give him his space and give him a chance, I think he'll be okay in the end."

Loki looks down at his hands, clasped together in his lap. He's thinking about this. He's considering it. That's a good sign. Maybe this is all they needed was the chance to talk calmly and rationally about it. If only they'd done this earlier in the day.

Mobius sighs and shakes his head, pushing that thought away. Enough about that. "How was the fireworks show? Was it everything Sylvie'd hoped it would be?"

"We decided against it, actually," Loki tells him.

Mobius raises his brows. "You did?"

"We did," he says.

Mobius gives him a small, somewhat guilty smile. "Thank you," he says. "I'm sorry I called you selfish. You're clearly proving me wrong."

"Proving people wrong is one of my many hobbies," Loki replies with a small smile of his own.

Mobius huffs a laugh. "So we're good? No hard feelings?"

"Of course," Loki replies. "Though I'm rather curious what it was that upset you, if you don't mind my asking."

Mobius sighs, turning his gaze back to the endless starry abyss of space. "I'm just... very aware that I don't belong here," he says. "I'd probably fit in better on Earth than I do here, and I've never even been on Earth for more than half an hour at a time – you know, since the TVA erased my memory, at least. And the reminder that I don't belong here and that this will never be my home was really not necessary."

Loki nods slowly, processing that. After a few moments, he just says, "I'm sorry."

It's not a great apology by any means, but coming from Loki, he supposes he should just take what he can get.

"You've been out here a long time," Loki remarks. "The palace is a long ways away. You should probably start your journey back soon."

Mobius lets out a long breath. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he admits. He reluctantly pushes himself to his feet, and Loki does the same. "You don't have to walk back with me. I know you can just teleport and..."

"And if I want to walk back with you?" Loki asks.

Mobius smiles. "Then by all means, lead the way."

Loki looks at him for a few moments, a smirk on his lips. "Are you saying this because you don't know where the palace is?"

Mobius sucks in a breath through his teeth. "Am I that obvious?"

Loki chuckles. "Follow me. I'll show you."

As they head back to the palace, Mobius finds himself in much higher spirits than he'd been when he left it. He hadn't expected Loki to come looking for him. He hadn't even wanted him to, really. But he's glad he did. This would have bothered him all night if he hadn't.

They walk in silence for a few minutes, but it's a comfortable silence. They've said all that they needed to say. They've made up. Now, they can just enjoy each other's company.

After a while, Loki asks, "This evening aside, how do you feel about Asgard? You've been here a day and a half. Surely you've some opinion by now."

Mobius just shrugs. "It's amazing," he says. "I don't know what else to say. I can't believe I'm really here."

Loki doesn't respond to that, so, after a few seconds, Mobius glances over at him. Loki's looking at him skeptically, thoughtfully, almost as though he's studying him – or trying to see through him, more likely.

"But truly," Loki says, "genuinely, looking past your friendships and the likelihood that you will live here the rest of your life, do you find that you're happy here?"

Mobius takes a deep breath, in and out. That's a good question. "I don't know," he admits. "I don't know if I've been here long enough to decide."

"No?"

He shakes his head. "I'm sure I'll get used to it," he says. "It's just so new. But once I figure out my way around and get used to the culture and maybe make some new friends, I'm sure it'll be great."

Loki furrows his brows. "You plan to make new friends?"

"Well, yeah," Mobius says. "It's either that or bother you and Sylvie all day, every day for the rest of my life."

"I wouldn't mind," Loki tells him. "I imagine Sylvie would say the same."

"You say that now," Mobius says teasingly, "but you'll get sick of me after a few years."

"Will I grow tired of you, or is this your polite way of saying you will grow tired of me?"

Mobius chuckles. "I've been studying Lokis for years," he reminds him. "The day I get sick of you guys is the day I lose all sense of purpose in my life."

Loki smiles. "I'm glad to hear it," he says. "I assume that is why you're so fixated on this other me, then; because Lokis are your purpose."

"Eh." Mobius waves his hand back and forth in a so-so motion. "If he wasn't a Loki, I probably wouldn't care as much, but..." He shrugs sheepishly. "Broken things, you know?"

"I suppose I do," Loki agrees. "He doesn't seem to appreciate your efforts, though."

"Well, neither did you," Mobius says. "You came around. Sylvie came around. I'd like to think he'll come around, too."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then he doesn't," Mobius says. "Either way, I get to keep my favorite Loki." He smiles up at him. "And I have you, too!"

Loki chuckles, shaking his head to himself. "You're quite a character, Mobius."

"Thank you," Mobius says. He pauses. "I think."

Loki just smiles. And just like that, everything's back to normal, just the way he likes it.