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❛ ᴇᴡᴛʀᴛᴡ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ
ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴇɴᴅs: ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ
ʙᴀɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀs sᴘᴀɢʜᴇᴛᴛɪ ꒱　


❝ DOES THIS MEAN THAT YOU
REALLY GAVE BIRTH TO
A SIX-LEGGED HORSE? ❞

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2010
WASHINGTON, D.C., MARYLAND
2 MONTHS LATER

━━(⚫)━━
ᵇʳᵃᶰᶜʰᵉᵈ ᵗᶤᵐᵉˡᶤᶰᵉ

The Time Door warbled slightly as Loki stepped out of it onto one of the quieter D.C. streets. A row of townhomes stood before him, one being his particular focus. He stared at the brick-faced building with so much relief and longing that a passers-by might have thought he was Odysseus, returning home after many years away. They might have thought that the building was what he'd come to see, not the woman who lived inside— but it was the other way around.

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his messy, dark hair. He straightened his jacket, making sure his collar lay flat against the coat so he wouldn't look stupid. Then, he stepped purposefully through the front gate and up the stairs. It took a minute for someone to open the door after he'd rung the bell.

During the wait, it felt like time had stretched out until seconds ticked by at a snail's pace. His heart thudded in his chest as he forced himself to remember to breathe. Loki surreptitiously wiped his hands on the wool fabric of his coat, both anxious to see the Asian woman and nervous about having to face her without her memories intact, especially after they'd been through so much together.

Finally, the door opened to reveal a pretty blonde woman. His heart skipped a beat, though not due to attraction (currently, he preferred brunettes with dark eyes and a sharp tongue.) Instead, it was due to the fact that he recognized this woman despite having never met her in person— she was the same one from the reel of Jimin's life, which they'd watched long ago when they first joined the T.V.A.. However, the woman before him clearly had no idea of her fate as she smiled invitingly, if not a bit curiously.

He cleared his throat. "Hi."

"Hello," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, is Jimin home?"

"Yeah, hang on a sec." She turned into the house to shout: "Jimmy, a hot guy is here for you!" Then, unashamedly, she faced him again with a grin. "She'll be right down. Do you want to come in?"

Loki stepped inside but didn't move very far past the threshold as he took in the living room. It was far too neat for his liking, almost like the display vaults in his father's palace in Asgard. If he had still been a child, he probably would've liked to run around and make a mess on purpose just so it wouldn't be so orderly. But, it fit Jimin's personality perfectly and the thought made him smile a little.

"So, how do you know Jimin? I thought I knew everyone she did," Katrina asked conversationally, drawing him from his thoughts.

"Oh— we're, uh, work friends."

The blonde eyed him doubtfully. "Right. . . except, I know all of Jimmy's colleagues and I've never seen you before."

Thankfully he was saved from answering any further questions by the clattering of feet on the stairs as the woman in question came down. "Katrina, I think I need a little more context than 'a hot—''

Her words trailed off as her gaze landed on the Asgardian, her face going slightly slack in surprise. Loki took another deep breath, remembering the words he had practiced. Raising his hands appeasingly, he began: "this is gonna sound strange. I know you don't know who I am—"

"Loki," the brunette breathed out, shocking him in return.

While he'd intended to ask how in the Norns she'd known that, the question was driven from his mind as she ran towards him. His first thought that she was angry at his appearance and was coming to attack him, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The Asian woman flung her arms around him and buried her face against his chest.

Loki stared down at her in complete disbelief, hardly able to believe what was happening. Of all the ways this could've gone, this certainly hadn't been one of them. He stood, frozen, in her living room, helplessly confused. Not only that, but it had been so long since someone had hugged him, since someone had been this happy to see him again, that he'd kind of forgotten what being embraced felt like and even what to do in return. (Surely it had been his mother who'd last given him a hug, but that would've been many years before he'd tried to take over Midgard, even before Thor's temporary exile.)

Jimin didn't pull away immediately and the lasting hug gave him time to come to his senses. He slowly put his arms around her, half-afraid that she would slap him— or worse— if he did. But, she didn't; in fact, (although he blamed this on his imagination) she seemed to hold onto him a little tighter as he returned the gesture. He bent his head to fully hold her, his nose just brushing the dark strands of her short hair. Although he hoped that she couldn't hear his heart beating double-time with her head pressed against his chest, he couldn't really bring himself to worry about it.

He was a bit regretful when she finally pulled away, but it was almost worth it as she beamed at him. Loki was pretty sure that was the first time he'd ever seen her truly smile— not just an amused quirk of her lips or a smirk, but a full, bright smile that showed off her teeth and lit up her dark eyes, turning them from midnight to chocolate. "It's good to see you." (Which was as close as she would come to saying 'I missed you.')

"I-I don't understand," he murmured, still staring at her in awed disbelief. "How do you remember me?"

She frowned slightly, some of the brightness dimming from her expression. "Why wouldn't I?"

"No one else has," the god explained. "Mobius, Casey, everyone's forgotten."

"Sylvie?" Jimin asked.

He shook his head. "I haven't found her yet."

"Well, maybe it's because the T.V.A. erased their memories. Mine were never erased and the explosion just put me in a random Timeline. She'll probably remember if that's the case."

Loki gave her an almost sheepish smile. "This isn't how I thought the scene was gonna play out."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained. "Oh? Did you practice saying lines in a mirror?"

"No!" But his denial was too quick to be the truth, and he huffed to cover it up, muttering, "there wasn't enough time." When she started to laugh at him, he glared at her without any heat. "Oh, shut up."

A throat-clearing cough reminded them that they weren't alone. "So, Jimmy, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Right," the Asian woman said, a little embarrassed. "Sorry. Katrina, this is Loki. Loki, Katrina."

"Loki, huh?" she repeated with interest. "Was your mom really into Norse gods or something? That's not a name you hear too often."

Jimin couldn't help but chuckle at the Asgardian's slightly offended expression. "Kitty, he is the Norse god."

Katrina scoffed. "Yeah, right. I told you before they're just myths."

Jimin nodded to him. "Show her."

Seeming to take great relish in his audience, Loki opened the palm of his hand. Tiny fireworks exploded in midair, just like they had on the train on Lamentis. The blonde watched the show with amazement, her eyes wide as she took in his magic.

"No way," she breathed, causing him to smile smugly. But her next question made the expression drop into one of horror: "hey— does this mean that you really did give birth to a six-legged horse?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Katrina!" Jimin exclaimed, mortified. She avoided looking at the god next to her. "You can't just ask that!"

The other woman only looked amused. "Why not? It's one of his most famous stories. If I have the chance to get a first-hand account, I'm gonna take it."

"I most certainly have not," Loki insisted haughtily. Maybe it was just Jimin's imagination, but it looked like there was a red flush to his face. "Where do you mortals come up with such ridiculous tales?"

The Asian woman placed a gentle hand on her girlfriend's arm. "Kitty, would you mind giving us some time alone? There's some. . . stuff we need to talk about without you bringing up blackmail material."

✧✧✧

It was kind of surreal to have a god sitting in her kitchen, but after so many unusual things had happened to her, Jimin took the situation in stride. She put a pot of water on the stove to boil for some tea, which she thought Loki would like more than coffee. Once that was finished, she joined him in sitting at the kitchen table. "So, what's up?"

He gave her a bemused look, as if he, too, found the circumstances odd, though there was a strange softness to his expression that made her unable to meet his eyes directly. "You're not. . . upset that I'm here?"

"Why would I be?" she asked again, frowning slightly.

The Asgardian gestured around the house. "I thought that, even if you did remember, you wouldn't want anything to do with the T.V.A.. You've made a life here for yourself and I thought you'd want to. . . stay. Like Sylvie."

Jimin shrugged. "It's a nice life, I'll give it that, but it's not mine. I mean, it's not my original one— or, well—" She let out a frustrated huff, unable to accurately explain herself. "It's the life I thought I wanted, but it's not the one I need."

"Oh?"

She shook her head. "I spent so long dreaming of the life I could've had— one where I somehow prevented Katrina's death and stopped blaming myself for it— that I never comprehended the fact that I eventually accepted the one I had, even before I met you. I had moved on before I realized it and it only took me living in this what-if to understand that."

The water bubbled on the stove, so she got up and poured it into two mugs. She wasn't sure what kind of tea Loki would like, so she settled on a more average flavor— Earl Gray— before she brought it over and set it down before him. She wrapped her hands around the mug, wincing only a little at the heat, but it was worth it for the warmth that melted into her skin.

"Don't get me wrong— I will always love Katrina—" Here, something squeezed tightly in the god's chest, making him look down at the drink before him. "—but it's not romantic love anymore. She will always be important to me, but. . ." When she trailed off, he glanced up at her and was surprised to find her looking back at him, and the tightness released, expanding into something that felt dangerously like hope. ". . . I may, ah, have feelings. . ." Unable to bring herself to finish, she shrugged. "Well, you know."

Unfortunately, Loki most certainly did not know, so he pressed her, "may?"

She scowled at him. "Fine, I do. Happy now?"

But he still wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about, though her discomfort made his tone become more teasing. "Feelings about what?"

"Don't make me spell it out for you," Jimin grumbled. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I can only be smart if you give me context, Jimmy."

The glare the brunette sent him would've put him six feet under if looks could kill. "Seriously? I held your hand. I hugged you! I don't do those things with just anybody, you know. What other context do you need?"

The god's brows furrowed slightly as he pieced together what she was saying. He thought about everything that had happened since Sylvie had shoved them through the Time Door at the End of Time. He supposed that Jimin had been softer towards him since then, her sharp words less biting and more just banter. "Are you trying to say—"

Before he could finish, an orange Time Door opened before them. O.B.— or A.D. Doug in his Timeline— popped his head through it. "Have you convinced her to come yet? I thought we were running short on time."

Loki glanced at her. "Do you want to say goodbye?"

The Asian woman's expression softened. "I already have."

✧✧✧

When she stepped through the Time Door, she was struck by how eerily similar the room was to the R&A department in the T.V.A.. It seemed like O.B. was a slob in every universe, which made her grimace slightly. Mobius was there, wearing a very dad-like outfit. Casey was the grungiest of all of them, his face streaked with dirt and the prison uniform had definitely seen better days. B-15 was in nurse's scrubs. All of them stared at her with blank, curious faces and she glanced sympathetically at the Asgardian beside her; he had to go through the re-introduction phase again.

"So, is this everyone?" B-15 asked.

The pair with their memories intact shared a look. "No. There's one more."

The Time Door was generated once more. When Loki and Jimin stepped through it, they came face-to-face with Sylvie, who had her back to them as she tried to get into her truck. She turned at the sound of their appearance and the god put his hands up, just like he had with Jimin. Carefully, he began, "this is gonna sound strange. I know you don't know who we are. . ."

"Loki and Jimin," Sylvie cut him off. "Of course I know who you two are."

"I told you," the brunette said, a little smugly. "It's only because we never had our memories erased."

"What do you mean?" the goddess asked.

"Nobody else did remembered. Their lives were reset. . ." he explained.

She gave them an unimpressed look. "Yeah. I know. I was there."

Loki's form glitched as the Time Slipping started again, but thankfully he didn't disappear. Jimin clapped her hands together decisively. "Well, since we get to skip the review, let's get—"

Sylvie sighed. "Okay, get in the car. I'm buying you guys a drink."

✧✧✧

The bar was dimly lit and not very crowded, so the trio grabbed seats at the counter. Arcade games were available to play in the middle of the room and provided enough noise to cover their conversation, though the concern of eavesdroppers was a relic from Jimin's S.H.I.E.L.D. days.

Loki had been filling both of them in on everything he'd found out so far. "However, Mobius's life at the T.V.A. was taken from him. So was B-15's, O.B. Casey was a prisoner. They don't remember who they are. Their lives matter. They matter."

"Yeah, and they're finally back in their real lives. That's a good thing," Sylvie waved the bartender over. "Eric, can we get a drink?"

The Asgardian ignored the interruption and continued, "but how many, if they had a choice, would have chosen to stay? Mobius always said the T.V.A. was the only life he'd ever known, and he liked it. It gave him purpose."

"It was never his choice to begin with, Loki," she pointed out. "He Who Remains did that."

"But Mobius should have a choice now, no? Shouldn't they all? To return to the T.V.A. if they want."

Sylvie shook her head. "No, you would be ripping people from their lives, showing them something that they cannot unsee. What kind of choice is that?"

"I would take it," Jimin put in quietly. "I'm not saying my life on the Timeline was bad, but it wasn't right for me. I only know how to work for corporate organizations— S.H.I.E.L.D., the T.V.A.— and not doing so left me without a purpose."

"Maybe you should live with yourself to figure out who you are without a shield— and I mean that figuratively," the blonde suggested gently. "I used taking down the T.V.A. as my shield for a long time so I wouldn't have to live with myself, but now I want a life. I want to live. Don't you? What's wrong with wanting something? If you can't have S.H.I.E.L.D., what do you want? What about you, Loki?"

The Asian woman glanced at the Asgardian beside her, answering Sylvie's question without verbally replying. She wanted Loki— not just physically, in the way wanting implied, but also just to be with him, to be next to him, so they could be. . . together, in whatever way he would have her. Sure, he would always be infuriating on the best days, but she liked the challenge— it would give her a new drive and keep things interesting, even if she got the peaceful retirement she thought she wanted. Half-dreading what he would say for himself, she couldn't help but hold her breath.

"I want to stop He Who Remains," was his response. Jimin looked away then, glancing down at the tabletop.

Sylvie seemed to pick up on her reaction because she wouldn't accept the god's reply. "No. Wrong. Try again. What is it that you really want? Come on."

"I want to save this. I want to save everything. All of it."

Still, the goddess pushed him: "is it really that hard? Come on, keep trying."

"I want to save the T.V.A.."

"Why?"

"I want the T.V.A. back."

"And?"

The bartender came over to them and leaned on the countertop. "What do you want?"

Sylvie's constant prodding and the timing of the server finally forced Loki to admit: "Jimin. I-I want keep her—" He glanced at the brunette, whose head had jerked up so she could stare at him with wide eyes. "—you safe."

Seeming to be satisfied with this, the blonde nodded to the employee. "Three bourbons, please."

"Excellent choice, Sylvie," the man replied, leaving them to get the requested drinks.

"I want to be someone you can rely on," Loki continued, his gaze still holding Jimin's. "And. . . I want to be with you so we won't be alone."

The brunette reached forward and took his hand in hers, not even embarrassed to lace their fingers together. "I want that too," she admitted. "It's-it's hard for me to rely on someone after I've lost people I care about, but I'm willing to try. We can be alone together."

The god's eyes glittered with unshed tears and she could've sworn that his lips were trembling slightly as he replied with a watery chuckle, "isn't that an oxymoron?"

"Who would've thought that a mortal is the least selfish between us?" Sylvie asked with a wry smile. "I know this is hard. But your friends— except for Jimin, I suppose— are back where they belong."

He shook his head. "But without them. . . Where do I— we— belong?"

"We're all writing our own stories now," the goddess told him. "Go write yours."

✧✧✧

When they returned to O.B.'s hideout, they sat on the bench where the makeshift TemPad had been resting. Their announcement that everyone should go back to their old lives was not taken well, especially by Mobius— or Don. He stood and strode up to them, demanding, "You showed up and told each of us that we're the key to saving all of existence. And now, what? We're not?"

"I'm sorry," Loki apologized. "I got it wrong. All right? It was more about what I wanted. You should go back to your sons."

"We," Jimin corrected him, squeezing his hand. "It was more about what we wanted."

He gave her a grateful look, some of the regret lifting from his face. Don wasn't appeased and he retorted, "I know, but that's just it. You said they were in danger. So, now they're okay?"

"You should all just. . . go back to your lives. That's where you belong."

Casey (or Frank, as that was apparently his real name) frowned. "But do I need to go back to exactly where I was?"

"What about the T.V.A.?"

"The T.V.A.. You're fine without it. You're all just fine without it."

Before anyone could say anything else, another Time Door appeared before them, this time announcing Sylvie's entrance. "No, they aren't. Everything's falling apart. The branches are dying."

Jimin and Loki got to their feet, the god questioning her, "what does that mean?"

"I don't know," the blonde confessed. "I don't know what's happening, but there must be something we can do."

That seemed to spark an idea for the Asgardian as he whirled on O.B.. "We can go back. We can stop the Loom from melting down. O.B., we're all here. The pens. . . We have all the pens. The mug, the coordinates."

The rest of the group looked at him as if he were crazy, but he didn't bother explaining himself as Ouroboros jumped into action. "Ah. Okay. First, we need to read the collective temporal aura of everyone in this room on the TemPad. . ." When he turned to collect the device, it wasn't where he'd left it. "Where did it go?"

Loki glanced at the main suspect. "Hey."

Casey's eyes went wide and he held up his hands. "I didn't take it!"

The Asgardian stalked over to him. "Listen, you can rob every bank you like when this is done. We need that TemPad now."

"Great. But I still didn't take it." That was the last thing Casey ever said as his body disintegrated into ropy strands, just like Victor Timely's had when he stepped out into the radiation. Jimin's heart dropped into her stomach as her own body went cold with fear.

"What do we do?"

O.B. didn't answer. Instead, he lifted his hand to watch it dissolve just as Casey's had, only managing to say one last thing before he was gone, too: "it was a fiction problem."

"No, no. I have to go back to see my boys. I. . ." Don followed next, his voice fading as he did.

B-15's voice shook as she asked, "is this it? We. . ."

Then, it was just Loki, Jimin and Sylvie. The Asian woman started towards him as the goddess let out a defeated sigh. "There's nowhere left to go."

The brunette reached out to him, just as he did with her. Their hands met and he drew her closer, holding on to her tightly as if that would stop her from crumbling. Except, if she looked down, she would've seen her feet were already disappearing into the ropy strands. But she kept her eyes on his, breathing out: "Loki, I—"

"No. No!" He grasped at her desperately, trying to keep her from leaving him completely. The only thing that drifted through his hands were the remnants of the particles that had made her up. "Jimin!"

The room began to follow the same fate, unraveling around him as he frantically grasped at something— anything— but echoes weren't substantial enough to hold on to.

It was a fiction problem.

Everything's falling apart.

No. I have to go back to see my boys.

What's wrong with wanting something?

If I could go anywhere. . .

I looked happy.

I'm willing to try.

The T.V.A.. . .

Do you think that what makes a Loki a Loki is the fact that we're destined to lose?

It was all just too much. Too much loss, too much to process, too much defeat. The scream that ripped from him was something that was feral, wild. It resonated within him as his body trembled from his grief. The air vibrated around him, pulling Loki back through time, back through space, until he landed in the same room from only moments before.

Then, it was just Loki, Jimin and Sylvie. The Asian woman started towards him as the goddess let out a defeated sigh. "There's nowhere left to go."

He couldn't bear to see Jimin disappear again, so he called on the force that had brought him back before she could. Something in his stomach gave a tug and once again, the scene around him shifted.

"Everything's falling apart. The branches are dying."

"What does that mean?"

He had returned to just before reality itself vanished. He was sitting on the same bench, holding Jimin's hand— real and solid, as if it could never vanish— again.

"I don't know," the blonde confessed. "I don't know what's happening, but there must be something we can do."

"I did it."

"What?"

"I did it," he repeated.

"Did what?"

O.B. caught on. "You learned to control your time slipping."

"Yes. It's not about where, when, or why." He got to his feet, reluctantly releasing the brunette's hand, though he held her gaze as he finished, "It's about who. I can rewrite the story."