"So what you're saying is," Natasha says incredulously, staring at Tony and Steve like they've lost their minds, "a second Loki basically fell out of the sky with a few friends, the first Loki just completely gave up, and now we're chauffeuring them straight to the Tesseract?"

"That's exactly what we're saying," Tony says, and it's clear in his tone that he chose to respond exactly like that just because he wants to be a little shit.

Natasha clicks her tongue once. "We're landing this plane."

"No," Tony says immediately. "No, we are not doing that."

"We're landing this plane," she repeats. She looks to the pilot. "Put it down."

The pilot nods once.

"We are not landing this ship," Steve says firmly. "They're going after the Tesseract with or without us. I don't know about you, but I won't like to be there to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands along the way."

"If we're giving up the Tesseract, it's already in the wrong hands," Natasha says.

"We're not giving it up; we're giving it back," Steve says. "I've seen the Tesseract at work, and, believe me, we're better off with it as far away from this planet as possible."

Natasha purses her lips, but ultimately, it seems she (rather reluctantly) trusts Steve's judgment on this one. "Fury's not going to be happy."

"I don't care," Steve says. "SHIELD can find a new energy source — one that wouldn't wipe out half the planet if you touch it the wrong way."

TVA Loki debates telling them that SHIELD is actually going to use the Tesseract to make weapons of mass destruction, but he has a feeling they wouldn't believe him and it wouldn't be worth the effort to convince them.

With everyone more or less on the same page, they start to settle down, just holding on for the ride. Avengers Loki is still sitting where he'd been put as a prisoner, his hands clasped in his lap and staring straight ahead. He doesn't look at anyone when they speak. He may not even be listening.

Everyone else remains standing, with the exception of Natasha and the pilot in the front. It's quiet — uncomfortably so — but until they have the Tesseract, there's not much to talk about. TVA Loki would almost like to talk to his friends — or his brother; it's been too long since they had a civil conversation — but in the silence of the ship, he'd feel awkward holding a private conversation.

It's Tony who eventually breaks the silence, saying to Mobius, "I'm still confused about what your role here is."

"I don't really have a role," Mobius says. "I'm just along for the ride."

"No, I get that," Tony says. "Believe me, I get it. But what's your stake in this? You're not a Loki, right?"

"I told you; I'm just a friend," Mobius says, though he doesn't seem at all annoyed about having to repeat that.

"Are you another Asgardian?" Tony asks.

Mobius shakes his head. "Just an ordinary human — probably the most ordinary human on this ship."

"Then how did you end up here?" Tony asks. "You're, what, jumping between timelines and collecting different Lokis? I just..." He shrugs. "I don't get it. I don't get why you'd do that to yourself."

"Well," Mobius says, "my last best friend sent me to the Void at the end of time because she hoped the giant cloud monster would eat me, so I needed a new best friend. Loki was more than happy to fill that role, so here we are." He glances at TVA Loki, who gives him a cheeky smile.

Steve lets out a low whistle. "Buddy, I really don't think you're the most normal one here."

Mobius chuckles. "Look around you, Steve. This plane isn't exactly teeming with normalcy."

Given that there's no real way to argue with that, the ship grows quiet again. TVA Loki looks around. Everyone else seems just as uncomfortable as he is (except Mobius, who doesn't seem to mind the silence at all, and Avengers Loki, who's absolutely emotionless). At least everyone else is uncomfortable, though. It's oddly comforting to see that he's not alone in this.

He and Thor lock eyes, and Loki smiles. It takes a moment, but eventually, Thor gives a small one in return. It's nice to see him smile again. And, after everything Loki's put him through, it's nice to see that it was him that made him smile.

After a few minutes, Mobius sits down next to Avengers Loki. Loki glances over at him, but it oly lasts for the briefest of moments before he looks away again. TVA Loki raises an eyebrow. Is Mobius actually trying to befriend this new Loki that won't even give him the time of day? He already has a Loki. Hell, he already has two Lokis. Why does he need a third?

Mobius notices him looking, and all he says is, "What? No one else was going to sit."

TVA Loki puts his hands out slightly as if saying I didn't say anything.

And then it's silent.

Again.

This time, the silence lasts until they finally reach Manhattan. They haven't yet reached Stark Tower, but they're close enough that they decide it's time to start planning their next steps.

"I will get the Tesseract alone," Thor says, discussing this only with Steve, Tony, and Natasha. "You will stay here and watch the Lokis."

"Not a chance," Tony says immediately. "You want to tell Mr. Stars and Stripes to wait in the car, that's fine, but if you're going to my house to get a dangerous weapon out of there, I'm going with you."

"No, you are not," Thor says. "This is too powerful a relic for you to be of any use. You would do far more good here watching the Lokis."

"I'm not trying to do good; I'm trying to go home," Tony says irritably.

"And you will," Thor says. "But not until the Tesseract is in my possession."

TVA Loki clears his throat. "If I may —"

"You may not," Tony says immediately.

Loki ignores that. "Selvig is under the influence of the Mind Stone. He won't just give you the Tesseract because you asked nicely — or because you threatened him, which looks a little more accurate to your plan."

"And let me guess," Thor deadpans. "You need to come with me to get the Tesseract, but you promise you'll give it to me."

Loki scoffs. "Why would I need to trick you into giving me the Tesseract that a me already has?" He shakes his head. "I don't mind staying here if it will make you feel better. You'll probably need to bring the other me, though. Selvig won't give up the Tesseract if one of us doesn't tell him to." And, in all honesty, he's not even sure he could get the Tesseract from him. It might have to be the same Loki who used the scepter on him.

Thor hesitates.

"He's right, you know," Avengers Loki says. "Either I order him to stand down, or you face the full power of the Tesseract — albeit by a fairly inept old man — in a pointless battle for an easy prize to win."

"Have care how you speak," Thor says. "Selvig is more than a pawn in your game. He's a friend."

Avengers Loki just rolls his eyes.

"Hey," Mobius says quietly to the Loki by his side. "This is the only second chance you're going to get. You might want to be a little more careful with it."

Loki just looks at him for a moment, then, without a word to him, looks back to his brother. "I am offering my help in earnest. Would you like it or not?"

Thor pauses, thinking it over. Finally, he asks, "Can I trust your help?"

"Only you can answer that," Loki says.

Thor hesitates, then concedes. "Okay. Then we will get the Tesseract —"

"The three of us," Tony adds.

Thor gives him an annoyed look, but he concedes there as well. "The three of us will get the Tesseract. You two..." He looks to Steve and Natasha. "Watch my brother and his friends."

"Oh, fun," Natasha deadpans. "We get to babysit a couple of demigods."

"Oh, I can babysit them," Mobius volunteers. "You can just sit back and make sure I'm doing a good job."

The pilot chimes in with, "We're nearing Stark Tower."

"Finally," Tony mutters.

"There's nowhere to land," the pilot continues, "so you'll have to jump."

"Which you've all already done today," Natasha adds, "so it shouldn't be that hard."

"One more thing," Avengers Loki says. "I presume you would like me to free Dr. Selvig's mind. I cannot do that without my scepter."

"And where is your scepter now?" Thor asks.

"I do not know," Loki says. "Somewhere on this ship, I presume. The humans didn't trust me with it." He says the word like it's an insult; like their very being is demeaning.

"I cannot blame them," Thor says. He looks at Steve. "Where is Loki's scepter?"

Steve glances at Natasha, who gives a single affirmative nod. Steve sighs and stands up, and he pulls out the scepter that he, Tony, and Natasha hid away when they dragged Loki in here. He hands it to Thor, who grabs it before Loki can even try to take it. Loki looks mildly annoyed by that, but not enough to complain.

TVA Loki is almost glad Mobius sat down next to Avengers Loki, because if he hadn't, TVA Loki wouldn't have even noticed the awed look on his face. Mobius stares at the scepter with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape.

TVA Loki raises an eyebrow. "Mobius?"

"Hmm?" Mobius snaps out of his trance and looks up at him. "Oh, sorry, I just — I've never actually seen a working Infinity Stone before. It's..." He looks back to the scepter. "Wow. It's beautiful."

TVA Loki snorts. "'Beautiful'? No, it's powerful."

"It can be both," Mobius says simply. "You can appreciate the power if it makes you happy. I'm going to appreciate the beauty."

TVA Loki shakes his head to himself. This fucking guy. He really is one of a kind, isn't he?

Avengers Loki is also looking at Mobius like he has six heads, but when Mobius glances in his direction, he looks away. Mobius doesn't seem to mind. He just looks back to the scepter, admiring the Mind Stone from afar.

The pilot glances back at them as the back door opens. "This is as close as I can get. Good luck."

Thor reaches down to grab Avengers Loki, but the god just pushes his hands away and stands up on his own. He tugs on his clothes, straightening them out a bit before holding out a hand. "My scepter?"

Thor holds the scepter a little further away. "It is not yours. You may use it now to free Eric Selvig's mind, but then we are to bring it home and ask Father where he thinks it should remain."

Loki rolls his eyes and thrusts his hand out again. "The scepter?"

Thor hesitates, but he reluctantly hands it over. Loki grips it tightly in his hand, a smirk growing on his face. He raises his gaze to meet his brother's. "I believe we have a Tesseract to steal?"

Thor grabs Loki's arm and pulls him out of the ship without a word. All they can hear as the two fall towards the balcony is the sound of Loki chuckling.

"Alright," Tony says. "Guess that's my cue." He gives a mock salute. "I'd say I'll see you later, but hopefully I will not."

"Hey, Tony," Mobius says, and Tony, who had just begun walking towards the exit, pauses. "I know you don't like these guys yet, but at least try to keep in touch with them. You're supposed to save the world a few times together. You can't do that if you're not talking."

Tony stares at him blankly for a few moments, then shakes his head to himself. "Whatever that means." And with that, he's gone, flying out the back without a second thought.

TVA Loki waits until he's sure the other three are long gone before he looks down at Mobius and asks, "Do the Avengers stay together after this?"

"They're supposed to," Mobius says. "But in this new timeline, I don't know. They never fought together. Tony never made that sacrificial final play. This might be it for them." With an awkward smile, he adds, "We might have accidentally broken the earth's best line of defense."

Loki sucks in a breath through his teeth. "Oops."

Mobius just shrugs. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"No, you're not," Loki says.

"No, I'm not," Mobius agrees.

Well, that sucks. Loki will have to ask Heimdall to keep an eye on the planet. If things start to get too bad, he'll jump in and set them straight — or get the Avengers together to do it for him. Whatever works.

... he can't believe he's thinking about saving the earth. Wow, how quickly things change.

They all lapse into silence, and Loki finds himself looking out the back of the ship. He can't hear a word being said down on Stark Tower, but he'd like to think it's going well. Avengers Loki is slowly approaching Selvig, his scepter outstretched. Is he going to free Selvig's mind before taking the Tesseract back? That's a stupid idea. At least TVA Loki can finally take comfort in knowing that he may not be the superior Loki (that, as much as he hates to admit his own imperfections, would definitely be Sylvie), but he's not the inferior Loki, either.

Except it seems that's not what's happening, because once he's face-to-face with Selvig, Avengers Loki flips his scepter upright and holds out a hand. Whatever he says gets lost in the howling of the wind and the roaring of the ship's engine, but it must work because Selvig gives him the Tesseract.

Loki would like to watch the rest of it go down, but when Steve starts talking, he turns around to watch this instead.

"So, are you from the future?" Steve asks Mobius.

"I don't really know when I'm from," Mobius admits. "I've been existing outside of time for a while."

"Outside of time," Steve repeats. "How is that possible?"

"It's a long story," Mobius says, but he proceeds to explain it anyway. "I was working for this organization that dictates the flow of time, and you can't really do that from inside the timeline."

"But you know the future," Steve says, though he doesn't seem quite sure about it.

"I know some of it," Mobius says. "Or what it was supposed to be. I have no idea what the future will look like now."

"Well, what did it look like?" Steve asks.

"Not pretty," Mobius says. "But I think it turned out okay for you."

Steve gives a small smile at that. "For all of us? Clint?"

"Eh." Mobius shakes his hand in a so-so motion. "I don't really know what happens to him. I know there are some ups and downs, but I guess it could be worse."

"And Thor?" Steve asks.

Mobius chuckles. "You just met the guy and you're already checking in on him. I was right: you really are the best Avenger."

"Mobius!" Loki hisses. This is honestly just embarrassing.

"What? He is," Mobius says, because of course he's going to double down. Quieter (though not quietly enough that no one else can hear), he adds, "If you think you're fired up now, just wait 'til I tell you that Tony Stark is my favorite."

Loki scoffs. "Why do you even have a favorite Avenger?"

"Because he's hilarious," Mobius says, like it should be obvious. "And he's just as arrogant and just as cocky as you are. I love it. I loved watching him kick your ass."

"He did not 'kick my ass,'" Loki says indignantly.

"I watched the footage," Mobius reminds him. "He really did kick your ass."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be on my side."

"My entire job revolved around trying to stop a you," Mobius says. "What part of that says 'on your side' to you?"

Unfortunately, he has a point, and one that Loki can't refute. He crosses his arms and glances at Sylvie, as if she could possibly come to his ego's rescue.

"Don't look at me," she says. "I don't even know who these people are."

Yep, it looks like his ego is just going to have to deal with that blow.

With that little side conversation out of the way, Mobius looks back at Steve (who did not seem to like that Tony is Mobius's favorite Avenger, though he has too much self-respect to say anything about it), and says, "Oh, but to answer your question, Thor ends up alright, too. He hits some rough times but he always bounces back. He's lucky to have you." He pauses, then amends it to, "He was lucky he had you. In that timeline."

Steve nods slowly. "What about Natasha? What happens to her?"

"Steve..." Natasha shakes her head, a silent cue for him to cut it out.

"Oh, she's fine," Mobius says quickly. Too quickly. "Everything goes pretty well with her. It's great."

Natasha narrows her eyes. "You're a horrible liar."

"I'm not —"

"Yes, you are," Natasha and Steve say in unison.

"I die, don't I?" she asks.

"Everybody dies, Natasha," Mobius says, jokingly patronizing in his tone.

"But I die soon," she guesses. "I don't grow old. I don't get a happily ever after."

Mobius shrugs awkwardly. "I mean, who knows? It's a whole new timeline. Everything's going to change."

Natasha nods slowly, processing that. It's about as close to a "yes" as he could possibly give; this a lot to take in. "How do I die?"

"It doesn't matter," Mobius says. "None of this matters because none of it is going to happen anymore. For all I know, you're both gonna get married and raise two kids on a farm in Kentucky."

Natasha snorts. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"Probably not, but that's the beauty of having a new timeline," Mobius says. "Anything can happen. It's an endless world of possibilities."

Steve raises an eyebrow. "You're a strange person, Mobius."

"It's a strange world," Mobius says with a shrug.

"I'm starting to get that," Steve mutters.

A loud thud announces Thor's return. He holds the Mjolnir in one hand and both Avengers Loki and the Tesseract in the other, though he lets Loki go as soon as his feet touch the ground. Interestingly enough, Loki still holds his scepter, but then again, Thor only has so many hands.

"Oh, wow," Mobius remarks, "the Tesseract looks even cooler than the scepter."

"Mobius, you've seen the Tesseract," TVA Loki reminds him.

"Well, yeah, but this one works," Mobius says. "Look at it! It's glowing! It's like a little nightlight!"

"The Tesseract is not a nightlight," Thor says. "It is one of the most powerful relics known to this universe."

"But you have to admit," Mobius says, "it would be a pretty nightlight."

Thor is too exasperated to acknowledge that. He looks to Steve and Natasha. "This is where we part ways. I apologize for our earlier skirmish. I should not have been so quick to assume that you were an enemy."

"Don't worry about it," Steve says. "I'm just glad you're taking him — and it — off our hands." He looks pointledly at the Tesseract.

"Of course," Thor says with a polite nod. He looks to the Lokis and Mobius. "Now to Asgard." He snatches the scepter from Avengers Loki's hand before he holds up the Tesseract. In the blink of an eye, it teleports them all away.

And it brings them home.