#I would have regretted this way more if my summons weren't this great so that's a bonus

[thecameronchronicles]

Mine Now 2

PART 1

TW: Cheating. Smut. Language. 

SUMMARY: Rafe reminds you that you belong to him and only him. 

WORD COUNT: 1100

REQUESTED

Mine Now 2

You couldn't look her in the eye just to the same extent you couldn't stop looking into his. But both would overlap and contradict one another as you were a mess of guilt and desire . As her hand would rest on your leg beneath the table of the country club, your focus would fall to him as he would already be undressing you with his eyes. And when you would allow yourself to smirk, he took this as validation, only to be angered when you would deny him the acceptance of the invitation he offered every night. And this was because you regretted it. No matter how badly you wanted an encore, your guilt had swallowed you whole. So much so that you began to make every excuse to avoid them both. 

Which is what brought you beneath the cascade of a warm shower. This was always your way of relieving your stresses. The sordid events only acting as your recent need for this ease as you were able to focus on the feeling of the water in opposition to your emotional tribulations. But rather quickly, your mind drew lustful. The feeling of fingers in place of the water having warranted a thoughtless moan before your visions drove your hand between your legs. The pulsation was too deep and the need was too great- 

"You think I wouldn't find you?" His voice forced your eyes open as a hand around your neck stationed you against him as a second forced your fingers to continue. "You think I won't come take what's mine?" 

"I-" 

"To take care of what's mine? Apparently you need a reminder." He had you turned against the shower, the handle pulling to open as Sarah’s vocie summoned you from the rivaling side. 

"Baby? Can I come in?" 

"Get rid of her." He was on his knees before you could object, your leg taken over his shoulder as he made good on his initial words of how a first time with him would be. Your eyes rolled in the back of your head as his tongue mimicked the motion over your clit until Sarah’s voice reminded you that you weren't technically alone. 

"Im fine! I'm-" You gasped, clenched teeth making you temporarily mute before you managed to collect yourself enough to speak to her once more, validating your well-being. 

"You're gonna come for me." Rafe interrupted you. 

"Stop, please." 

"It wasn't a request." He stood over you again, fingers battering into you, pulling your release to the forefront as your eyes screwed shut. 

"Baby?" 

"I'm coming!" You snapped as she commented in some sarcastic response you couldn't focus on as you had Rafe's thick fingers bringing you to ride his hand. 

"You only come on my cock-" He wouldn't need to convince you or threaten you as you wrapped a leg over his hip and he lifted the other one around him. You were taken around him as he groaned into your shoulder, teeth threatening a bite to which he wouldn't commit, before your back arched against him. 

"She doesn't deserve this...And she won't get it again-" His hand wrapped around your throat. 

"Say it." Your eyes widened as he tightened his grip, your inner walls pulsating for the rush every bit of this aesthetic offered you as you were stilled. 

"Say it or you don't get to come." 

"Yours. I'm yours." He nodded. 

"And you're gonna make me come because you're mine. You're gonna let me take you over that sink after I make you come in here because you're mine. And you're gonna be the dutiful little girlfriend to her but only let me touch you because...why?" 

"I'm yours." He removed his hand from your neck before nodding. 

"And when the time is right, we'll make it official. But for now, you're gonna let me have you whenever. However. Because you need it just as badly as I want it." He took a renewed pace into his thrusts, steady but stable enough to speak behind them. 

"You will come to my room every night. I know you can't sleep next to her anyway...so pathetic..." He scoffed before quickening inside of you. "And I'll tire this pussy out so badly that even if she were to be possessed, you'd sleep through it." He smiled at the thought. 

"And every time, you'll smile for her. You'll let her touch you lovingly. But you won't let her touch what's mine." He bowed into you, relinquishing himself as you were quick to follow. But as you expected to be set flat, you were taken to the vanity. Careful steps to keep from slipping would still before the mirror. 

"See 2hy I can't keep my hands to myself? Look how fucking beautiful you look after you come..." He forced you to witness your lust blown completion and tangled hair, swollen lips, and wide gaze, before moving his hand between your legs. 

"Just so we're clear, she doesn't get to touch where I get to come..." He spun you to face him, making you gasp. 

"Here..." He explained while applying a soft amount of pressure to your sex. 

"And here..." He rounded your nipples, making your breath hitch, before rising still until resting at your mouth. 

"And especially here..." When you went to speak, he took hold of your jaw and forced a passionate kiss to your lips. 

"Next time, I'll have you take me in this shower on your knees while she is five feet away. But for right now..." He turned you back to the vanity. 

"I'm gonna come for me now...for making me wait-" He slapped your ass, making you turn towards the door in horror. 

"Rafe-" 

"Good luck explaining to her while your ass is all red..." He hit again. "Such a pretty shade of it, too." 

"Please be quiet..." His second hand pulled your hair until your head was against his chest. 

"You are gonna take it how I give it and say thank you. Because you're mine. And my girl doesn't whine unless it's for my cock-" His breath came to your ear, "And you don't even have to beg for it, just take it-" He thrust into you again, beginning another series of edged orgasms reaching the longer climax, all while you fought to remain silent. Your head left in a spin against his motions as you returned to that mix of desire and guilt. 

"Have a nice shower?" Sarah teased as she sat on the edge of the bed in waiting as you looked back, aware Rafe was still behind, waiting for you to return to him as you left with her…

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @camilynn @sweetestdesire @belcalis9503

[sorcharavenlock]

18. A night by the fire.

We get back to the camp and I roast some potatoes.

"I'm sorry the hermit didn't give you the answer you are looking for, Kitty says to Loki.

"Yeah, me too," says Nea.

"We'll find a different way," Kitty promises.

"We will. You are too smart and we are too stubborn for us not to!" Nea agrees. "We'll get you back to life in no time!"

We sit and talk by the fire. Kitty retires early.

Nea looks at Loki and me and gives me a wink.

"I'll just leave you two alone," she grins.

"You have nice friends," Loki says.

"I do," I smile. "I'm so lucky to have them. I was lonely before they came into my life. I'm grateful each day that they are there for me. I would never have met them if it wasn't for you."

Loki raises an eyebrow as if to question what I mean.

I realise I never explained the Loki Defence Force to him. I'm too embarrassed to go into all of that with him now.

"Let's just say we all cared a lot about you even before we met you."

Loki lets it slide. He has other worries on his mind.

we sit together in silence for a while, the fire crackling at our feet.

"Hey Loki? Can I ask you something?"

Loki looks at me.

I suddenly realise how close he is sitting. A kaleidoscope of butterflies takes flight in my stomach as I try not to blush.

"The hermit said something about an Ancestral Witch. Maybe that is something we can look into?"

Loki shakes his head, not quite meeting my eyes.

I knew from interviews I'd seen with Thor that Loki was adopted. but I didn't know anything else.

"You were adopted, weren't you? Maybe we can look for your biological parents if they are still alive? Maybe they can help?"

i take his hands in mine.

"I doubt it. They abandoned me as an infant because I was small and sickly. Besides, my biological father died a few years ago."

"I am so sorry," I regret I brought it up.

"If your parents can't help, a more distant relative perhaps? We can hold another ceremony, see if we can summon a grandparent or a great-grandparent?"

Loki doesn't quite meet my eyes.

"I doubt they would be willing to help either," he admits. "I might have attempted to destroy my birth planet not so long ago."

"Yeah, that would complicate things," I agree.

It seems Loki hasn't lived an easy life.

"We'll find a way," I promise. "I'm not giving up and neither should you. I am not giving up on you. I am not letting you go."

Loki leans in, and for one crazy moment, I think he is going to kiss me.

"Good night, Marianna," he says instead. "And thank you. For everything."

I watch as he disappears into his tent. Butterflies are still doing summersaults in my stomach.

I think I'm falling in love with him...

[perpetuelledaydreaming]

How did you get so good?

summary: you've never had a one-night stand and honestly, it shows.

prompt: when they just finished hooking up and he says "I just had my tongue inside you, you can start calling me by my first name," she *forgot* his name.

words: 2.8 k

playlist: I mean for this fic, is this one.

warnings: smut. like pure dirty smut, smut like i've never written before. i mean it. I've been obsessing over Rooster and I just like I wanted to write something and I have a couple of things but this was just self-indulgent, also I need practice for what's coming with 18.

bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw masterlist

You usually weren’t the type to do a one-night stand. 

In fact, you were the opposite of doing such a thing. Nonetheless, when you were summoned back to Top Gun after years for a high-level mission after you’d just broken up with your fiance, you realized that you needed to live a little more, especially since if you were chosen and for some strange reason you didn’t make it, you didn’t want to regret it. 

Therefore, you weren't too close off when you were presented with the tall and tanned handful of handsome pilots that boisterously moved toward you. Instead, you chose to give them a little smile, play pool with the tiny white summer dress that you decided to wear and glance at them through your lashes, sipping on your drink slowly as you wondered who the best candidate could be. They all introduced themselves to you, always chuckling a bit as they heard your call sign, which was the usual reaction when they heard “y/n ‘Brat’ y/l/n”

But then, the first four chords rang out of the piano, and your knees when weak. 

“You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain. Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will but what a thrill, goodness gracious great balls of fire!” he sang, his voice deep and deliciously raspy, you felt your heart jumping as you turned to where the voice came from. 

He was taller than anyone in there, you could see it just by the way he was moving with the piano. Sun-kissed skin, sandy-brown hair that turned gold with the certain light of the room, broad shoulders, and a pornstache that would look awful on anyone except him. That’s how you’d first seen him and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him after that, and when they introduced you two, he couldn’t look away either, instead, he looked at you unashamedly. 

“...‘Rooster’ Bradshaw,” he announced as his palm slid into yours but you could only focus on his honey-burnt eyes and his smile.

“y/n ‘Brat’ y/l/n,” you muttered as your cheeks burned, his lips quirked up when he heard your call sign. 

After that, the night turned into a blur and you weren’t sure exactly how you ended up on the side of the blue bronco as gentle moans that were muffled with his palm left your lips while your eyelashes flutter as he rocked his hips forward against your core, his large hands gripping your hipbones so harsh that you knew bruises would appear tomorrow. 

“y/n,” he breathed out and you whimpered. “Get in the car,” He warned, his voice husky as he pressed his forehead to yours while his eyes remained shut, almost as if he opened them, he would fuck you open right there and then, in front of everyone. 

You also weren’t aware of how quickly he’d manage to reach his place since you were too busy being a moaning- whimpering mess as his hand climbed through your thigh and into your core. But you didn’t miss how he met your gaze, the look on his face said it all. “You are soaked, darling,” he whispered and you felt like crying as his thumb started to stroke a delicate pattern against your clit.

It all turned into a mess once he opened the door for you, as you stumbled through his porch, already pulling down the annoying Hawaiian shirt he’d worn that night and you were sure you’d left it outside once he’d managed to open the door to the small cottage he called home while you were already kicking your shoes off and fumbling with his belt. You continued to kiss as you enter the house and he let you down, your hands moving up and down, finding fabric and occasionally skin, moving, finding, touching, discarding clothes, more touching. 

It was a miracle you’d manage to reach his bed, honestly. 

But against all odds, there you were. In bed with the most handsome man you’d ever met, a man you’d met barely hours before, whimpering for him, moaning for him as you felt how hard he was in his boxers when he moved his hips against you. 

“Rooster, don’t tease” you breathed out as he struggled to undo the zipper of your dress, too distracted by the way you were bucking your hips forward to his while placing your hands on the small of his back, hurrying him up to fuck you already without saying it but you knew, he knew.

You were impatient for him. 

“You really are a brat, you know?” he murmured as his hands traveled from the zipper of your dress to the cotton panties that you were wearing. He hooked the fingers and pulled your panties down slowly before colliding his lips against yours, it was a bruising kiss, so fucking needy that it made you dizzy. 

Without warning, he’d pressed a hard thumb into your slit and you jolted, quickly your nails dug into his back and you were sure that there would be a pattern of crescent moons on his back tomorrow. As one of his hands stroked you, rubbing and flicking, his free arm fell into the side of your head while his nose pressed right under your chin, giving him access to your neck as you let out a silent moan. His knuckles pressed themselves into your clit and you felt your knees shaking, your walls clenching at nothing. You feel like crying. 

“Does that feel good, darling?” he muttered as he licked your neck and you couldn’t answer because he soon pushed two fingers into you and you screamed at the stretch while he watched you carefully. “I bet that feels good,” he whispered against the shell of your ear and you could swear you hear his smug smirk. 

His fingers speed up, forcing your entire lower half to vibrate and your knees began to shake. If you were doing this against his car and if he wasn’t holding you, completely supporting you with his body weight, you knew you’d have fallen over by the way he was touching you.

“Fuck,” you moan as you roll your hips against his hand, chasing your high, feeling yourself growing closer but then, Rooster withdrew his fingers altogether, you furrowed your eyebrows and you sighed in frustration as you pushed yourself onto your elbows, wondering where he went. 

“What the fu-FUCK,” 

That was the only thing you managed to say because Rooster’s face was already buried between your thighs. He pressed his tongue against your core, making you shudder. One of your hands quickly slid up into his golden curls as your head fell back against the bed. His nose pressed into your clit and his tongue teased your entrance and you couldn’t help but curled your fingers in his hair, tugging harshly at his roots, eliciting a groan from him.

And you screamed. 

You fucking screamed because there’s no way that he could be that good. His tongue expertly moved against you and you didn’t know if you were just hypersensitive from the earlier assault with his fingers but it felt like heaven as you felt his tongue working you open. You raised your head for a second and even in the dizziness, you watched as his shoulders muscles flexed as he used his strength to push your hips down, preventing you from squirming which only caused you to moan louder, and soon he noticed because those beautiful honey eyes met with yours and you realize how pretty he looks there. 

The sight alone made your vision go blurry as you aggressively fucked his face. And he complies, he growled against you and the vibration made you snap, as you fall into the bed. He then guided two fingers inside of you, giving you something to clench around and you began to see white spots on your vision. He continued to hold you down, as he gently sucked on your clit and worked on you with his fingers, your walls clenching around them and you just knew it was right there. 

But then he stopped.

“Who said you could stop,” you grumbled, throat sore and raw because of your screams, and Rooster chuckled while he shook his head before he kissed you softly, you could taste yourself on his tongue and you moaned at the taste. 

“Honey, I want the first time you come to be on my cock,” he muttered against your lips. Your eyes fell on him and you saw how he got rid of every one of the items of clothing he had, he was simply pumping his cock, preparing it for you. 

You whimpered at the sight as you struggle to say anything. “Just fuck me,” you breathed, you pleaded. His lips quirked again and soon his cock pushed at your entrance. You gasped against his mouth, digging your fingernails into his back as he stretched you. He was big, he was the biggest you’d ever had and you winced a bit as he fully sank into you. 

“You are doing so good, darling,” his voice was gruffer as he kissed your face while you adjusted to his size. You moan loudly, mouth wide open as you gasp for air. Your body adjusts to the feeling of being full; stuffed beyond capacity, beyond everything you thought that it was possible. “You look so pretty like this,”

You were sure that he’d just ruined men for you. He was so good and you just couldn’t understand how tender he could be, he was a true gentleman. 

You whimpered under him as he began to move slowly and in one second, when his pelvis rolled forward, your clit managed to rub against the base of his shaft, and your nails dug into him. He growled and you were gone. You began to kiss his neck eagerly as he drove his hips forward, drawing sweet moans from your lips as you arched your chest up against his while your walls clench at the movement, soon he found a steady pace and your skin felt like it was on fire, burning up as if you just entered hell. 

But this? This was your heaven. 

“Faster,” you cried. “Faster, Rooster,” 

He complies with an incoherent noise of vague agreement as he lifted you from the bed and placed you on a desk nearby, things fall over and you were pretty sure something broke but you don’t care because of the way his hips snapped against yours and how he fucked impossibly deeper into you against the mahogany desk.

A growl escaped his throat as he ducked forward to kiss you, fucking you faster and harder, using all his strength to drive himself into you. He was unrelenting in his pace, rapid calculated thrust as he continued piercing you on his cock and you couldn’t help the tears of pleasure than came from your eyes by the way he moved. 

You screamed, you moaned, you whimpered. 

You even cried out his name again and didn’t realize it until he kissed your jaw and muttered “I got you darling, cum for me,” he groaned as he pepper your throat with feverishly kisses and you simply pushed your legs apart from him. 

Then, the tip of his cock brushed impossibly deeper into you, making you cry and you just knew you were there. You quickly began to kiss him, tongue moving against yours as his hand worked skillfully against your clit, he groaned loudly against your lips as your pussy contracted around his cock, squeezing him for all that he was worth. 

Your entire body tensed up. The coil on your stomach snapped and you screamed and Rooster continued to fuck you through your orgasms, before he came undone, pulling you impossibly close against him and continued to drive himself as deep as he could go. Your walls continue to squeeze him, fluttering around his throbbing cock as he stuffed himself into you. You were sure that you heard your name but you were too dizzy to even think about it. 

You both stayed there for a moment, panting before he left soft kisses on your neck and chest, holding you until you stopped trembling and he also stopped shaking. It takes you a couple of minutes to actually say anything or even move, the room doesn’t stop spinning immediately but soon Rooster carried you to his bed, still inside of you, and you feel comforted by it, he pushed the hair out of your face, his thumb tender against the side of your cheek. 

You closed your eyes and he kisses you until you fall asleep. 

You were woken by the sunlight on your face and a buzzing from your phone, it was 6:00 am and you needed to be on the base at 6:30 am. 

You stretched your arms and found nothing, the sheets were wrinkled and you could hear Rooster in the other room. You sighed, you realized that you’d broken one of the rules about one-night stands, you slept over. Cursing yourself, you tried to stand up as best as you could but honestly, you weren’t even able to walk completely straight. You brush your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror of the room, hoping that you didn’t look too fucked but it as a lost battle. You did what you could before you focus on retrieving your panties from somewhere in the room, between the discarded clothes that he had left on the room also the items that had fallen from the desk hours before indeed you had broken a glass of water but neither of you seemed too interest in cleaning up. 

It took you a few minutes to find your panties but thankfully, you hadn’t removed the dress, so you weren’t completely naked. Nonetheless, you know your purse and your shoes were somewhere in between the entrance of his house and the room, therefore you counted to fifty before you walked out of the room, as nonchalant as you could. 

He was in the kitchen, in all of his tanned and ripped glory, only wearing a pair of grey shorts that hang low on his hips. You couldn’t help but smile at the smell of the coffee and even smirk a bit once you see the red marks on his back, neck, and arms. It takes a few minutes for him to notice you but once he does, god, his eyes were practically beaming. 

“Morning, y/n,” he said, bringing the cup of coffee to his lips, his eyes looking at you unashamedly.

“Morning, Rooster,” you say as you try your best to walk as straight as possible as you reached for your shoes that were indeed left on the floor, but you notice how his lips are turning up when he realizes that you really can’t walk as usual. “I really have to go for my uniform,” you said sweetly, as you also picked up your purse from the floor. 

“I can take you,” he offered with a bright smile and you rolled your eyes, he was indeed a gentleman. “You know, I just had my tongue inside you, you can start calling me by my first name,” he said softly before he winked at you.

And your heart stopped because to the best of your abilities, your mind couldn’t seem to remember his name. You curse mentally as you try to recall the moment that he introduced himself but you can only remember his call sign and his last name. Soon, your cheeks heat up and you were sure that your whole face turned into a splotchy red, not a cute light blush. Under normal circumstances -at least that’s what you’d assumed- since it was a one-night stand you shouldn’t have needed to remember his name, instead you should’ve left in the early hours of the morning without so much as a goodbye. 

But now you were here and you could feel his gaze burning you while you tried to avoid his eyes by leaning into the counter.

“Oh my god,” he muttered as he let his coffee mug down.“You don’t remember my name?” he asked, and a hand goes to his uncovered chest with a dramatic gasp. 

You couldn’t help yourself, opting for covering your face with your hands. “I’m sorry,” you whispered as you felt him walking around the counter, soon his hands rested on the edge of the counter beside your hip, he was pinning you down and you felt shivers as you let your hands fall down. Your breath caught in your throat as you realize how close he was and the way he was looking at you. 

You swallowed hard. 

“No, don’t worry,” he whispered nonchalantly as he leaned down to your ear after giving you a peck on the corner of your mouth. “It’s Bradley,” he whispered before he started to kneel down in front of you, one of his hands going up your skirt and touching you again. “And after this, I don’t think you’ll be able to forget it,”

And you never did. 

***

feedback is always welcomed!!!

donate: help me pls with a glass of wine after such hard core smut?

***

[qqueenofhades]

Had an great angsty Dreamling idea - somehow either Hob or Dream gets trapped in Hell and instead of playing the oldest game with whoever is breaking the other out, Lucifer forces Dream to experience what his son had to: to walk back through Hell, his love behind him, unable to check if he's still there. And no doubt Lucifer would pull out all the stops to make the leader look back. I think it'd hurt so much more for Dream to lead too, but either way would be So Painful.

The sky is the smeared grey of ash and soot and a world that never sees the sun, that never feels the touch of warmth or the taste of joy, and endless burned cinders sift down like snow. High on the hill, the dark citadel stands alone, towers buried in the sulphuric clouds, and Dream forces himself to keep to a steady pace, his expression cold and unmoved, even as Squatterbloat snickers and hisses and cracks his whip. "Come on, Dreamlord! Move your eternal arse! You aren't going to keep the Morningstar waiting, are you?"

"Of course not." Dream can hear moaning and whispering and wailing from the catacombs that surround them, shadows flickering just at the edge of perception, weird and wild monsters that have waited an eternity for just such a chance as this. He does not turn his head, he does not look left or right. "Lead on, Gatekeeper."

Squatterbloat looks disappointed that he's being deprived of the chance for some high-quality taunting, but Lucifer must really be impatient, because the demon mutters, clacks his teeth, and speeds up again. They climb the narrow, winding stair, where a freezing wind is blowing so hard that Dream staggers, almost losing his balance. For a terrifying instant, he sees nothing but the endless black-rock abyss and the hordes of chittering, howling, hungry demons gathered at the foot of the mountain, burning torches and beating drums, slavering for blood. If he is so unfortunate as to fall, he will not be getting up again.

In a few more moments, however, the dreadful ascent is over, and Squatterbloat pulls the bell-rope. The torches burn with greenish, eerie flame, the portcullis rattles up, and the Gatekeeper proceeds inside, Dream following close on his heels. "My lady," Squatterbloat announces, in the odious, groveling persona of extreme deference that he adopts around his infernal mistress. "He's here."

"Ah. Dream of the Endless, at last." Lucifer Morningstar turns from where She stands in icy majesty, Her wings black against the white silk of Her robe. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

Dream has no time for this. "Morningstar," he growls, low and dark as the storms of hell itself. "Where is Hob Gadling?"

"He's there." Lucifer points with one carelessly elegant hand. "You have my word, I have visited no undue harm upon him. Yet."

Dream hardly hears Her. He races toward the dark cage that stands at the far side of the throne room, watched gloatingly by the Lilim, Mazikeen, who doubtless is hankering to practice her torturer's art upon the occupant. Dream reaches out, grasping desperately at -- yes, it's Hob, he is scruffy and dirty and freezing and frightened, but at least he is in one piece and he is breathing, and does not appear to have been used as a demon's chew toy. Dream's voice is more frantic than he has ever heard it. "Hob. Hob, are you all right?"

"Alive, at least." Hob manages a smile, but Dream can see the abject terror in his eyes. "So, any chance of us getting the fuck out of here?"

"I'll attend to that," Dream promises, with one more quick squeeze of Hob's hand. Then he lets go and turns around, facing down the Devil Herself with just as much cold imperiousness. "Our quarrel has nothing to do with the human, Morningstar. Release him."

"Oh, I promised that you would regret the day that you tricked me and stole your helm back, Dreamlord." Lucifer's voice remains smooth as satin, deadly as poison. "You thought yourself so clever, in summoning hope to beat me? So, how powerful is it really, do you think? Do you actually trust in it yourself, or was that all a clever lie?"

A chill goes down Dream's back, which has nothing to do with the bone-deep cold of hell. (The humans always think it's hot, but they know nothing.) He stands as straight as he can, staring Her in the eye, unflinching. "If it is a contest you intend, name your terms."

"Not a contest in the traditional sense, no." Lucifer paces toward him, Her elegant robe whispering secrets to the black-polished floorstones. "I'll indeed let the human go, and you with him. On only one condition."

"And?"

"You must face the same trial that your son did. Orpheus." Her voice drips with barely concealed relish. "You must walk out of hell, Hob Gadling behind you, without ever looking back to make sure that he is still following. If you can manage it, he will be free to return to the waking world, untroubled by me. But if you look back -- well, doubtless you recall what happened with Eurydice. Truly, you should."

Dream opens his mouth, stands like that for a long moment, then shuts it. He feels as if he's been hit by lightning, as if he can't catch his breath, as if he can hardly stand upright or remember his own name. It is, of course, diabolically perfect on any number of levels, a piece of exquisite artistry worthy of Lucifer's craft, but he has never been so terrified of anything, ever. "I don't -- "

"Yes or no, Dreamlord?" Lucifer's voice has turned even more silken, dripping with self-satisfaction. She could not be enjoying this more if She tried, and indeed, it is fitting. Force him to hope, to trust, to put his money where his mouth is, and prove that last time he beat Her fair and square, or replay the oldest and most irrevocable tragedy that he has ever known, that lost his son and his wife and everything else, because -- it's a sad song, but we sing it anyway -- everyone knows how it went. Giving in to a single moment of weakness, Orpheus looked back to make sure Eurydice was still following him out of the Underworld, and then in that instant, forever, she was gone.

"Hey," Hob says, from the cage. "Oy, Dream. Listen to me. We can do it, all right? We can."

Dream still can't muster up a response, even as the seconds continue to drain by. The longer Hob spends down here, the harder it will be for him to leave; even an immortal human cannot resist Hell's baneful power forever. So Dream lifts his head and stares Lucifer down. "Very well, Morningstar," he breathes in a voice absolutely dripping with snow and steel. "Since it pleases you to set those terms, we accept."

"Very good, Dreamlord." Lucifer beckons with the same languid carelessness, and Mazikeen moves to unlock Hob's cage. He falls out hard, and Dream makes a reflexive move to go to him, but Lucifer shakes Her shining blonde head. "Ah-ah-ah. No bending the rules before we have even begun to play. You cannot touch him, you cannot speak to him, you cannot look from the moment your climb begins, from the instant you cross the threshold of my citadel. Is that clear?"

I will kill you, Dream thinks. I will rend even your angelic bones into dust, burn you as you did at the Fall, throw you to your own demons and bid them feast. What he says is, "Yes."

"I'm all right," Hob says bracingly. For a man born a medieval peasant who has now been plunged bodily into Hell, thus to serve as a pawn in the long-running feud between his immortal lover and the literal bloody Devil, he seems to be handling it rather well. That, of course, is just Hob for you. How perverse that Hob's own fate should hang on whether Dream can feel even a modicum of the hope that Hob himself feels all the time, in the worst of circumstances, the darkest of hours. I must do this, Dream thinks, close to panic. I must not fail.

"Well?" Lucifer asks. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Hob straightens up, wipes the blood off his chin, and gives Dream a long, desperately intense look -- trust me, trust me. "We are."

"Very good." She waves a hand, and the portcullis opens. "Your test begins now, Dreamlord. It ends when you both reach the waking world, or you fail, and Hob returns here, as my prisoner, forever."

"Understood." Dream's voice is ice, but his insides are water. He paces smoothly across the floor and under the gate, and back into the teeth of the scouring, screaming wind. It takes every inch of his self-control and then some not to turn his head, to see if Hob is following him down the narrow, cracked steps, or if he has been blown off to the eager demonic hordes far, far below. One step after another, through the split, sliding rocks, steep and sharp-edged and dangerous. There are a thousand and one perils for a human here, even a deathless one. The demons' roars sound like the susurration of waves on a distant shore, and geysers of smoke and steam jet up through the broken ground. That isn't even to mention the looming prospect of the catacombs, and what Dream already knows will be waiting for Hob in there. At the least, Eleanor and Robyn, the wife and son he lost just as Morpheus lost Calliope and Orpheus. Perhaps more. Hob has had a long life, and a great deal of heartbreak. It might just be Hell's phantasms, poisoned illusions, but those can be very convincing.

The wind is still blowing too hard for Dream to hear any sound of footsteps behind him, and he knows that it will not abate for this very reason. He keeps walking, head held high, even as his nerves are shredded. I must do this, he repeats to himself. I must avenge Orpheus, even as much as I must save Hob. I must. I must.

Dream enters the catacombs, and walks past the cells with the flickering shadows, the whispers, the wails, the weeping. His head aches with the effort to hold it still, to not even turn it the merest suggestion of an inch. Dust and bones and other dark things crunch beneath his feet. Far off, water drips like the tears of a heartbroken lover, and the chill is deep and savage. Fuck, this is impossible for a human to make it through without losing their mind. If he just --

No. No moments of weaknesses, no faltering or failures. Step by step by step by step. If you want to walk out of hell, you're going to have to prove it, before gods and men. His heart is thundering in his ears, his breathing echoes wildly. Step by step by step. It is very, very dark.

On the far side of the catacombs, Dream crosses the plains scattered with wind-bleached bones, his coat whipping against his legs. The slope starts upward, and Dream hunkers down and climbs steadily. Dust stings viciously in his eyes, and for a terrible moment, trying to shield his face, he almost looks back. He can hear a distant, disembodied screaming that probably isn't Hob, but sounds just close enough that he can't discount the possibility entirely. Oh gods. Oh gods, this is torture. Torture beyond torture, worse than anything he ever thought. Orpheus, forgive me. Forgive me.

At last, at the top of the slope, Dream knows that they're close now, they're almost out, he can sense the veil between worlds, and the compulsion to look back is almost overwhelming. It buckles his bones, it rattles his teeth, it twists his chest, it tears at him like skeletal fingers, trying to drag him back down with the dead. Hope, he chants to himself. There is hope in hell, you know there is. It is the very thing that even the Devil Herself cannot overcome. Hope. Hope. Hope.

Up ahead, the veil shimmers. Dream staggers, hands on his knees, desperately careful to not look back even as he does. His mouth tastes like chaff and ash. He is so -- very -- close.

The screaming is louder. It sounds terribly like Hob. Lucifer must have tricked him -- must have sent Squatterbloat or the other legions after them both -- doubt comes in, darkness falls --

Dream of the Endless straightens up and runs for it.

He runs with everything he is, everything he has, arms over his head, eyes closed, so he cannot be tempted even for a moment, but still does not even make the motion. He has no hope, not really. He does not know how. But he has Hob, and Hob is hope, and he asked Dream not to fail him, and Dream cannot, he cannot, he cannot. He feels something shimmer, then part and tear, and all at once --

Warm, humid air hits him, and a scatter of rain, and then the sound of traffic rumbling down the road nearby, and Dream sprawls headlong on very hard concrete. Even for an Endless, it hurts to fall on it, and it hurts even more when something heavy lands directly on top of him. They roll over and over, sending nearby rubbish bins flying. The bins are helpfully emblazoned with LONDON BOROUGH OF CAMDEN -- it's here, they're back, they're in the waking world, and they --

Fuck, is it Hob or is it something much worse? What came out of Hell with him, what is here, what has been unleashed -- if Lucifer broke Her bargain, or tricked Dream more than even he knew-- what if it was just a demon that looked like Hob, and Hob himself is long, long gone --

"Dream," a rough voice is gasping, and dirty hands are clutching at his face, and Dream stares up to see Hob Gadling, in the flesh, grabbing at him desperately. "Dream. Fuck. Fuck."

Dream sits upright, as Hob pulls him, and they clutch hold of each other right there in the alley, shivering and shaking and sobbing so hard that they barely make a sound. Hob's arms wrap around Dream almost twice, and Dream fists handfuls of Hob's filthy shirt, and they kiss once and then again, again, not caring who might see them or about anything else at all. It tastes like salt and smoke and sulfur. "Is it -- " Dream can barely get the words out. "Is it you?"

"Aye, love." The London sky is cloudy, as usual, but Hob Gadling's smile is brighter than the sun, brighter than life. "It's me."

[murasaki-murasame]

I wasn’t exactly planning to spark on the Valentines banner in GBF, considering how recently I did my last spark, and how close we are to the anniversary, but then V-Aglovale’s uncap art happened, and that kinda pushed me past the point of no return, lol.

I at least managed to get him [even if it took a full spark], and tbh this feels like it was probably the luckiest spark I’ve had thus far, all things considered, but let’s just say that I don’t recommend anyone try and do the ‘bingeing as many side-stories and fate episodes as possible to do a spark’ thing since it’s just absolute misery, especially if you have to do it over the course of like three days.

Anyway, there’s a lot to say about what I got along the way, lol.

I don’t really wanna get too much into the specifics, but I did have to do several paid summons to actually finish the spark, so that sucks, but if I had managed my time better I could have done it almost entirely F2P, since even after it all I still had a good amount of side stories and fate episodes left. I just ran into the issue of not having the time to actually do all of them.

I don’t remember the exact order I got everything in, at least in terms of the dupes and the summons, but going by my adventurer list sorted by recency, here’s a roughly chronological list of what I got from this banner.

- Fire Yuisis

- V-Scathacha

- Light Sara

- V-Monika [three times . . . ]

- Earth Vaseraga

- Soriz

- Hades [two times, lol]

- Summer Zooey [!?]

- SSR Zehek

- V-Melissabelle [three times again . . . I laugh to hide the pain :’)]

- V-Grimnir

- V-Clarisse

- Fire Yuel

- Jeanne [her OG version, not her Grand version]

- Light Gawain

- V-Aglovale from the spark itself.

I also got Surtr, Rose Queen, Quetzcoatl, and Owlcat along the way.

Oh, and I also got V-Teena and V-Narmaya, but they’re SRs so that’s less surprising.

Aside from the dupes of the Valentines units that I got, the only gold moon I got was Illnott, which I think is now my third copy of her weapon. Even though I actually have a lot of SSRs at this point, basically all of the ones I got in this spark were brand new. And even with gala rates I think I got notably lucky with my SSR rate as a whole. Counting dupes, Not counting V-Aglovale, I think I got around 25 SSRs. I dunno what percentage that works out to exactly, but it’s definitely somewhere between 6% and 10%. The quality of what I got is probably more noteworthy than the quantity, but still.

I should probably regret this a lot more than I actually do, but the fact that it turned out so well makes it hard to feel that bad about it, lol. I didn’t have any of the Valentines units before this, so the fact that I managed to get all but one of them from a full spark feels really good. I dunno how much I’ll actually use some of them, but I’m at least going to try and use Aglovale as much as possible, lol. 

I know V-Grimnir is really good, but I already have OG Grimnir, and it sounds like V-Grimnir really needs certain tools that I don’t have yet in order to truly shine, so I don’t think it’s worth investing in him at the moment, but in the long run it’s nice to have him in my collection so I don’t have to worry about trying to spark or annitix him in the future if I decide he’s worth investing in. For now I guess I’ll just use him as a skin.

V-Monika seems like a good character, but I feel like earth is my most competitive element at the moment, so it’d be hard to justify investing in her. She’s at least a more potent battery unit than C-Magisa, but that seems to be the main thing she has going for her.

V-Clarisse seems really useful, but mainly for the sorts of hard, lengthy raids that I’m not really strong enough in general to tackle just yet, so she’s another character that might sit on the backburner for a while.

V-Melisabelle seems like she has her niches, and I have a soft spot towards her since I used her wind version for a long time before I got better characters, but I feel like this spark in particular really expanded my light roster in ways I didn’t expect, so it’d be hard to fit her in.

V-Scathacha seems like an interesting flame healer, but she seems kinda risky and high-maintenance, while the Lumberjack + C-Nemone combo feels extremely comfy and safe in comparison. She seems good for enabling enmity, which Fire Yuisis could really benefit from, but from how I think Scathacha’s skill works, I wouldn’t be able to just use that skill on the same turn as Fire Yuisus lowers her own health, since they’d just stack together and immediately kill her. It seems more like a way to get her back into enmity range after she heals herself back up from it, so that requires more specific timing. But it’s worth considering.

And on the note of Fire Yuisis, I’m really happy I got her here, since she honestly would have been high on the suptix priority list otherwise. I have some good flame attackers, but she always seemed really appealing as a unit, and the recent New Years event rerun made me like her as a character.

As for V-Aglovale himself, he seems like one of the strongest Valentines units, so I think he was worth sparking for that alone, at least. Aside from the obvious reasons that primarily made me spark for him, my light roster feels really weak [which is probably more of a grid issue], so the idea of him being a really strong attacker really appealed to me. He’s also a sword unit, so that’s convenient, and he synergizes nicely with De La Fille. He maxes out his crest stacks super fast anyway, but at least she helps him get there a little faster, lol. I still might end up going with Aglovale / Lucio / Feather, though. Feather was my last spark target, so I’d rather not boot him off my team so quickly.

If I had gotten Aglovale near the end of my spark, I probably would have sparked Grand Jeanne, so it still kinda hurts to have gotten her OG version instead, but oh well, lol. I dunno if I’ll use her since I have so many other options now, but she seems good. I might still spark Grand Jeanne in the future, but I’m also kinda interested in Grand Cag and Grand Noa.

And continuing the trend of me getting more new light units than I expected, I also got Light Gawain, and he’s basically in the same position as Fire Yuisis where I might have suptixed him later on if it wasn’t for this. He probably would have been a higher priority than her, honestly, so this is also a relief. It’d be kinda hard to fit him onto my light team at this point, but it’s nice to have him.

Oh and I also got Light Sara, lol. I almost forgot. I dunno how much use I’ll get out of her, but it sounds like she definitely has places where she shines.

After looking into what his kit’s like, I probably won’t ever use Earth Vaseraga, but it’s nice to have hiim. It’d be nice if you could use him as a skin for VasZeta, since I’m still planning to annitix them, but apparently you can’t. I can see why, but it’s still kinda lame.

Though on the other hand, I’m really happy to get Soriz. I feel like I’ve gotten a billion new earth units in the last few months, but he’s another unit who I was really hoping to get at some point, so this is nice. I haven’t gotten to the V2 raids yet, but it sounds like he’s extremely useful there, so hopefully he’ll make those a bit easier once I get to them.

SSR Zehek is kinda meh since at this point I have enough good dark units, and I’m planning to recruit Seox relatively soon, so he just doesn’t really have a place in my team, but getting more new SSRs is always nice.

Fire Yuel was a real surprise to get, but it’s good to have her. I’m not super familiar with how she works, but I’ve heard that with her uncap she’s a really good flame buff unit, which is nice since at the moment I feel like C-Nemone is my only real option, and she takes a while to ramp up. I think I also got Fire Societte a while ago, but sadly I don’t think she’s worth using, lol.

Anyway, I think the real star of this whole spark was probably Summer Zooey, who I managed to just randomly pull. I’m like 99% sure she wasn’t even on rate-up. At least now I feel way better about my previous choice to spark Orchid instead of her a while ago. I still feel kinda iffy about enmity as a mechanic, but I can tell that it’s going to be extremely useful in the long run just to have her as an option to use if I need her. She’s definitely one of those characters I might have eventually sparked for meta reasons, so it’s nice to get her on the side like this.

I also somehow got two copies of Hades in this spark, which is kinda funny. I don’t really have any interest in switching to primal grids in any element any time soon, but it’s nice to have these summons for the future. Funnily enough I got my first Hades in the same tenfold as Summer Zooey, which felt like the game making up for not giving my many dark units or summons before this, lol. I think it’s still my element with the fewest SSRs, but at least I have a lot of really strong ones.

My initial plan before all this was to keep hoarding a spark for the anniversary in the hopes of maybe getting Vajra, but I don’t regret choosing to prioritize this banner. Valentines units are a lot more limited than the zodiacs are, and I wound up getting almost all of the Valentines units. It’d be nice to be able to spark Vajra right before water GW, but honestly I’d only really be chasing her for meta reasons, so it wasn’t very hard to convince myself to chase after a character that appealed to me more instead, while also being a good meta pick. I also just don’t really want to replace anyone on my current water team, lol.

Hopefully I’ll get some good luck on the anniversary roulette summons, but I did this spark knowing that it meant giving up on the chance of doing a full spark for the anniversary, so I’ll just have to take what I get from it now.

So yeah I think this was actually a pretty insane spark, in terms of both quantity and quality of my SSR pulls. Now i have to reap what I sow and deal with the first world problem of now having lots of new characters I want to level up and use, lol.

[mimisempai]

I can read you like an open book

Summary:

5 times where Loki refuses to see that he has been found out by Mobius and once where he accepts it

Lokius has so much potential. How not to be tempted?

🌈 Happy Pride month ! 🌈

To celebrate, 1 day, 1 story.

Be ready for smiles, laugh, fluff, tooth rotthing fluff, positive vibes and a lot of love!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32034121

1798 words - Rating G

1.

"I'm Agent Mobius, by the way."

I don't care about your name. I'm Loki, God of Mischief, you moron!

The man with the ridiculous mustache looked suspiciously innocent.

Loki asked him in his most indifferent tone, "Are you taking me somewhere to kill me?"

The man, Mobius, answered in the quietest way possible, "No. That's where you just were. I'm taking you some place to talk."

Loki harrumphed and retorted, "I don't like to talk.

Without losing his smile, Mobius replied, "But you do like to lie, which you just did."

Seeing that Loki didn't bother to answer, he continued, a cheeky sparkle in his eye, "Because we both know you love to talk."

He had the audacity to add, emphasizing his words with his hands, "Talkie-talkie."

Loki was boiling inside, but he wouldn't allow this jerk to see his anger.

How could this fool have seen through to him? No way!

Yes he liked to talk! So what? He had a voice so he might as well use it. At least he never said stupid things.

Sure, he liked to twist the truth, but when you're the god of mischief, was that so surprising?

Anyway, nobody had discovered his biggest secret, his biggest lie, that was the most important.

He discreetly scanned the man in front of him who now seemed a little less inoffensive.

2.

They were in a room devoid of any decor, sitting face to face, separated by a table.

Loki decided to attack. He could be accused of lying, but not of not facing the truth.

He asked Mobius with a defiant look, "What do you want from me?"

Mobius inhaled, as if to give himself courage, "Well, let's start with a little cooperation."

No, that's not going to happen, buddy.

Loki was a god and a god doesn't cooperate.

He replied with a smirk, "Not my forte.

There he was again, that piercing blue-gray gaze that seemed to see much more than Loki believed. Accompanied by that smile that gauged him.

"Really?"

Mobius paused and for a moment Loki thought he knew how to stage himself as well as Loki.

The rascal continued, "Even when you're wooing someone powerful you intend to betray?"

How could he know that? Nobody knew about Thanos! Even Thor didn't know about it!

Don't show anything Loki! Don't show him he's right.

The bastard insisted, as if it were insignificant. "Come on."

Loki, took his most superior and closed look before answering.

"You don't know anything about me."

That's it, move on you moron!

"Maybe I'd like to learn."

What?

What does he mean, he'd like to learn?

No way, Loki wouldn't be fooled.

No one really wanted to know who Loki was.

Those who wanted to know him only wanted it to get something out of him.

He wouldn't be fooled by that smile and that look. Even though...

He shook his head not to let such thoughts linger

3.

Since Mobius seemed to want to know his theory so badly, Loki was more than happy to explain it to him, it was time to show off as much as he could with his jumpsuit.

He straightened his head and said in an emphatic tone, "For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty and regret. There's a fork in every road, yet the wrong path is always taken."

He looked at Mobius defiantly.

So you're not such a smartass now, huh?

"Good. Yeah."

He had the nerve!

Loki was right not to believe that this man really wanted to know him, it was just to taunt him and put him in his place.

Mobius continued, "You said nearly every living thing ," he paused, and once again his eyes seemed to see further than Loki wanted to show.

He added, cheekily, "so I'm guessing you don't fall into that category?

Show nothing. Show nothing.

You didn't expect anything, Loki, so you're not disappointed.

Loki began to snicker. Sarcasm, one of his favorite weapons.

"The Time-Keepers have built quite the circus, and I see the clowns are playing their parts to perfection."

In case you didn't understand, I'm talking about you, the clown, that's you, buffoon!

Mobius started to laugh. A totally genuine laugh.

"Big metaphor guy. I love it."

Genuine but derisive of course.

The rascal continued, "Makes you sound super smart."

Loki couldn't let it go and retorted, "I am smart."

"I know."

Two words, and the tone was no longer taunting.

I know.

Two words said in a firm voice, without a smile, with an intense look in his eyes.

I know.

For once Loki didn't bother to wrap his words in circumlocutions, too disturbed by the implication of those two words. He simply replied, "Okay."

4.

Loki didn't know what Mobius' goal was in showing him his failures, but if it was to piss him off, he had achieved it, yet Loki was not going to show him.

Just as he was not going to show him how his questions affected him.

"Do you enjoy hurting people?"

No.

"Making them feel small?

No .

"Making them feel afraid?"

No. Stop. Answer him Loki.

"Your games don't frighten me."

But Mobius didn't seem to want to stop.

"Making them feel little?"

Loki couldn't help but retort with more vehemence, "I know what I am."

Mobius raised an eyebrow and asked defiantly, "A murderer?"

Knowing that if he let go, he would show Mobius how much he was affected by what he said, Loki shot back, "A liberator."

And the man had the audacity to reply, "Of eyeballs, maybe."

His words were accompanied on the screen by a video that showed Loki cutting out a man's eye.

Mobius continued, "Look at that smile. You are enjoying that. Did you enjoy hurting them?"

No. No. No. It was the mind stone. It wasn't me.

No! Shut up Loki! No one can know, not even him, get a grip!

Chin up, straight face, sardonic smile.

"I don't have to play this game. I'm a god."

Yes, that's what I am, a god. You won't take that away from me.

"Of what, again? Mischief, right?"

So what? I may not summon thunder, but I am powerful. In my own way.

The man then added, "Yeah. I don't see anything very mischievous about this."

Of course, since it wasn't him. But how could he tell anyone that he, the great Loki, had been under the influence of someone, that he had been manipulated by a stone.

He replied in a bitter voice, "No, I don't suppose you do."

Mobius sighed. He seemed almost disappointed.

Loki wondered why he felt a tightness in his chest. The same one he felt every time he knew he had disappointed his mother. The difference was that he had only known Mobius for a few hours.

5.

Loki was devastated.

His mother had died. She had died by his hand. At least because of him.

Mobius had continued to confront him with his failings.

Sitting on the floor, Loki no longer had the strength to stand up or fight back.

"You weren't born to be king, Loki."

Of course I was.

Even he was beginning not to believe it anymore.

"You were born to cause pain and suffering and death. That's how it is, that's how it was, that's how it will be. All so that others can achieve their best versions of themselves."

He looked up at the screen where the Avengers were displayed one by one. The instruments of his defeat. The defeat he felt burning right now.

He asked with a broken voice, "What is this place?"

Mobius didn't answer, just walked over and held out his hand and said, "Come on."

No more taunting in his voice, no more mockery, just compassion? Loki looked up to see if what he heard in the voice was showing on the other man's face.

He read the same compassion.

Weakened by what he had just discovered about his mother, Loki found himself wanting to grasp that hand, to believe what he read in those eyes.  For a moment, he listened to himself, grabbed the hand and stood up.

But he was Loki, God of Mischief, so he snatched the small device from Mobius' pocket

+1

"Loki?"

Mobius had just come back into the room, Loki was distraught.

Sitting on the floor with his hands in his head, he raised it at the sound of his tormentor's voice.

The man approached him gently and said, "Nowhere left to run."

I don't want to go. I don't want to go anymore. I don't want to be that Loki anymore. I don't want to go back.

"I can't go back, can I? Back to my timeline."

Can I be me here? Really me? What I want to be.

For the first time since he knew himself, Loki felt a compulsion to tell the truth.

Looking Mobius in the eye, he said softly, "I don't enjoy hurting people."

He paused, "I..." he exhaled sharply and repeated again, "I don't enjoy it."

For the first time, he really wanted to convince someone that he wasn't the monster everyone thought he was. Now that he had started talking, it was like he couldn't stop. He continued, "I do it because I have to, because I've had to."

Mobius looked at him with those caring eyes he had had earlier and another feeling he couldn't read.

He replied softly, "Okay, explain that to me."

Loki swallowed, this was the moment of truth.

"Because it's part of the illusion. It's the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear."

Mobius simply nodded, before adding in a tone filled with understanding, "A desperate play for control. You do know yourself."

Loki bit his lip and added in a breath, "A villain."

He exhaled again.

"That's not how I see it.

Once again Mobius held out his hand to help him up, and this time Loki didn't hesitate to take it. Once on his feet, he didn't want to let go of that hand, the only non-violent human contact he'd had in years. He didn't even realize that he was tightening his fingers on Mobius'.

He asked the question that had been burning in his mind, "If I'm not the villain, then what am I?"

They still hadn't let go of each other's hands and now Mobius' thumb was gently stroking the back of Loki's hand.

Mobius tilted his head a little, seeking Loki's gaze even more.

He said with that smile that Loki was beginning to appreciate, "I don't know, but we could search together, if you want."

Loki nodded slowly and answered with a slight smile. The first sincere smile devoid of any trickery.

The real Loki smile. _________

Not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

[cheekygreenty]

Little Witch - Part 14

The Darkling x Reader

You felt fine after dinner, the food quickly replenishing your dwindled physique, but you didn't go back to work. You took Aleksander's advice and took the rest of the day to rest and take your mind off the countless tasks you had. There was one thing you needed to do though and that was thank Zoya for today.

She didn't have to do any of it, in fact, you believed she hated you from the minute you interrupted Aleksander's meeting. You were told by a servant she was out training Inferni's and so you made your way down to the Etherialki training grounds. She stood there, the image of a goddess. Her dark hair fell down her blue kefta in defined curls, collecting small snowflakes.

There was no indication she'd been involved in a deadly attack a mere 4 hours ago. Saints, I think I have a crush on Zoya. Nevertheless, you walked over to her, calling out her name to grab her attention.

'Deputy, how are you feeling?' She looked worried yet relieved to see you standing in front of her on both of your legs.

'Y/N will do Zoya.'

'Alright then'

'Thank you for today. I don't know what came over me.'

'We all have our moments. Some of us just hide them better' You couldn't tell whether that was a dig at you or not.

'You're an amazing soldier Zoya. I'm very impressed'

'Well I didn't just sleep my way to the top if that's what you're implying.' She turned her addicting gaze away from you, studying the young Infernis.

'I beg your pardon?' You were taken aback.

'How's your leg?' She tried to change the topic but you weren't ready to.

'What do you mean Zoya, spit it out.'

'You know what I mean Y/N.' Why was she avoiding the conversation if she brought it up in the first place?

'Are you and Gener-' Is this another thing he had lied to me about? You vaguely remember thinking the two had been involved when you seen them in the same room but it passed quickly, surely he would have told you, especially if it was with one of his most trusted Grisha? The thought was another painful blow to your gut. They just kept on coming. You couldn't finish your sentence for she already answered it.

'No.'

'Zoya'

'Not anymore... Alina is here now' The strong feisty woman was gone now, in her place was a hurt and rejected woman. You were old enough to see it, you had been her before, hell you were her now. You looked at her striking beauty, thought about her incredible skills, and then stupidly compared yourself to her. If he rejected her, you're next. Your silence must have comforted her more than words could, for she shrugged her shoulders and said

'He keeps saying she's his equal, the day to his night' His equal. That's what Alina said.

'You don't need anyone Zoya. I can promise you you'll amount to great things on your own.' Despite the hurt you felt, you focused on her.

'Well as of right now I'm stuck to skiff trips and when you request me' You eyed her inquisitively 'Our dear General's doings.' she admitted.

'What gave you such an honor' you teased.

'I got into a riff with the precious Sun-Summoner after she vexed me.' She shut her eyes tightly as if trying to forget the memory.

'She doesn't strike me as the vexing type-' Your conversation was quickly interrupted when an Inferni accidentally set alight more than just the mannequin and Zoya scrambled to put it out, scolding the boy in the process.

'I'll leave you to it then'

You walked away, hurt and on the verge of tears. You needed to speak to Aleksander, you were sick of him lying to you but you were even more tired of feeling that severe urge to cry every time you thought about him. You came here to do your job and to show everyone you had your powers under control, yet all you've done so far is the opposite. Saints be damned you would walk away from your position because of a complicated relationship, you were better than that. But you also recognized that if you confronted Aleksander about all of this, he would either have to tell you about his plans for Alina or lie again, and you knew he would lie. It was a vicious cycle, one that wouldn't end. It was heartbreaking knowing that the man who claimed to never stop loving you could lie to you so easily.

You were right to question your trust in him, he never gave you a reason not to.

***

He was sitting at his desk, back turned towards you. You hesitated, the thought of running out the door and locking yourself in your room sounding pretty attractive. Maybe a good cry will fix this.

'Y/N I thought I told you to rest' He spoke calmly, his hand never dropping the pen. You shut the doors, not wanting the guards outside to hear what you were about to say. This made him turn around.

'We need to talk'

He dropped the pen and paper and stood up, indicating he was all ears. You glued your eyes to his knowing your vulnerability peeked through but you didn't care to hide it.

'What are your plans for me, Aleksander?'

He cocked his head to the side, confused. 'What?'

'Why keep me around when Alina is here?'

You were never the jealous kind, but you came to realize this wasn't jealousy. It was disappointment and aching after being away from him for almost a century. You had built up this life in your head, one where everything was perfect and Aleksander hadn't changed but you raised the bar too high. The bad parts of Aleksander faded away with each year and the best parts of him enhanced in your mind. You had forgotten what he was truly like, plus coming to terms with the fact that he lived a seemingly happy life while you were gone stung a bit too. With each day, the disappointment turned into hurt and anger.

'Y/N I already told you, I have a plan.'

'So you expect me to watch you and Alina fawn over each other while I stay in the shadows being a dutiful Second in Command? I may be loyal but I'm not going to blindly follow along Aleksander, not anymore.' It's making me miserable.

His hands reached out for you but you moved away. 'You know I love you Y/N' He said as if the foolish statement would make your worries and anger melt away.

'Then act like it'

'It's not that simple.'

'It never is, is it?' You bitterly laughed. What's the point of loving somebody if you're not willing to do everything to make them stop hurting?

'Why won't you tell me?' Your voice was a whisper he barely registered. 'Do you not trust me? Cause I'll admit it right now, I may love you, but I don't trust you Aleksander.'

Your admission hit him like a pile of bricks. He was brought back to when you first met, your shaking body radiating hostility as you rode in the carriage with him. He tried to assure you you were safe, you were one of his Grisha now, but you were having none of it. You didn't trust anybody for months after you arrived in the Little Palace, especially him and right now, it was all back to square one.

'Have I really given you that many reasons to not trust me?' It had been so long since he had somebody to care for and love that he forgot how to act around you. Perhaps he was back to square one too.

'Yes. Your sly comments about killing the King and finding the stag, your relationship with Alina, even with Zoya- Aleksander you're lying to me every day and you think I'll still be compliant. I'm not the same Y/N you remember.'

'You know what I want Y/N. You've always known'

'I do, but I need to know how you're going to do it all. How can I be supportive when I don't know what the hell is going on around me. A goodnight kiss every now and then won't fix this if you're doing the same to somebody else'

'Is this what this is? Your way of saying I'm fucking my Sun-Summoner on the side?'

'I never said that. All I wanted to know was why I'm not in on the plan that's supposed to give us more power. Is it because I'm a loose cannon, are you scared of what I'll do if I won't agree with you?'

You were sure of one thing; while you were gone nobody dared to disagree with the Darkling and he had grown to get used to it. Power corrupts, resistance humbles.

Somehow you still held your composure, albeit it was difficult. Aleksander however, was losing his temperate demeanor. He was pacing the lengths of the room and his hand had brushed through his hair countless times, the image of someone who was backed into a corner they couldn't get out of.

'I haven't told you because I don't want you to get burned. If it goes wrong it would be good to have some of us not hanged for treason would it not?' Bullshit. He must've forgotten you had the power of a heartrenderer. Aleksander was lying right through his teeth.

'You and I both know that's not true. If history is any indication then they'll turn on all Grisha.'

'And you'll be here to make sure they don't.' He tried to reason but you let out a loud laugh.

'Up until 2 weeks ago you didn't even consider giving me my old post back, do you really expect me to believe you changed your strategy in a matter of days?'

He stayed silent and settled against his desk. His crossed arms showed he was in no mood to discuss any further but you weren't done. He was going to tell you everything whether he liked it or not. You were sick of being kept in the dark. You had your title of Deputy back now, yet you still had no idea what truly went on and had no real sway against the top-ranking Grisha who no doubt were in on the plans. Power corrupts, resistance humbles, and you were done being humbled.

'Aleksander don't make me force it out of you' As soon as the words left your mouth you tried to find some part of you that regretted them but came up empty-handed.

His head whipped around with whiplash speed. You could see the internal battle going on behind his eyes of whether you would actually make do on your threat. You didn't know whether it was empty or whether you actually would do it but it was tempting.

'You said you changed, but I don't think you did' He retorted, eyeing you up and down with a look of displeasure. The situation was a shift from the usual, this time he was the one losing control and spiraling whereas you were the perfect example of a calm before the storm. The Little Witch he had grown to love and worship.

'I'm stronger, I can be stronger. I am limitless' You prided yourself on the restraint you'd shown thus far. You were in a palace full of Grisha, of Healers, a Tailor, a Sun-Summoner yet you didn't make any moves to take anything. The old Y/N wouldn't hesitate to take what wasn't hers. Maybe that's why you would burn out, lose as you gained. This time you knew how to do it properly, how to be an Elemental who yielded it all.

'Your quench for power is contending mine, Sweet Y/N.' For the second time in your life, you saw fear in Aleksander's eyes. He always had a feeling you yearned to have a stronger grasp of the Second-Army and for so long, even now, you tried to lie to yourself and deny it. But deep down some voices always whispered 'it's only right to have a leader who represents them all'.

'Wrong. I already have it, I just need to use it.' You raised your hands slowly, showing him you meant what you said. I'm really doing this. Your heart dropped when his raised too. He's willing to hurt me to protect his lies.

'There's no going back from this' You felt weirdly ready. Although you had never used your Grisha powers against Aleksander in a fight, you had a hefty slice of hope in you that you could overpower him. You had what he had and more.

'Y/N stop this.'

'Why? So that you'll lie to me again? Make me the other woman? It's inevitable that it comes to this' Your heart picked up in speed as your breathing became rapid. The influx of power at your fingertips itched to get out and make itself useful and containing it was painful.

Shadows pooled on the ground and around your feet yet you didn't know who they belonged to. Technically they're all his, I just know how to control them.

Panic shot through you as you felt a tendril of the black nothingness grasp around your wrist. No. You let yourself go, snapping the shackle and mirroring it on him. He had never experienced cruelty at the hands of his own power until now and was completely powerless as the black restraints rendered him useless. You concentrated on his pulse, soothing it to its normal rate then into a slow hum, relaxing his mind. This all felt so wrong yet so right.

'I'm feeling merciful today. When you feel up to it, tell me everything, or else I promise I won't hesitate Aleksander. We're the same in that manner.'

You watched as he gathered himself, anger rising onto his face. His moves were rigid and stiff despite your previous soothing.

'Time is ticking' Before he could say another word, you left the defeated Darkling, instilled with a sudden sense of pride.

______

Part 15

Here's my masterlist where you can find previous parts of this series!

Taglist (Tell me if u want to be added to the Little Witch taglist!)

@theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @0-artemis @lostysworld @xceafh @fire-in-her-veinz @patdsinner33 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @wizardwheezes @aleksanderwh0r3 @tomhollandisabae @hotleaf-juice @justmesadgirl @exo-1204 @houseofdupree @oberonpascal @eireduchess

[clavicuss-vile]

25 Days of TES Cheer #21 - New Life!

@korvanjund ! sorry if you got notified twice, posted again bc tumblr ate it up the first time i think??

TLDR: Solaris celebrates Clavicus Vile's summoning day and has a fun little chat with Barbas :) bc his summoning day is on the new life festival!

"Hey Vile," the half-bosmer said, lighting a candle at the foot of the god's statue. "Happy summoning day."

"Ah so you've decided to pay us a visit again!" Came the echoed voice of Barbas, just behind him. Solaris smiled; he'd always been comforted by Barbas' presence. "Clavicus will be pleased. He's been in a right mood since you last spoke to him."

"He's held a stupid grudge for months?"

"I'm not sure why you're acting surprised." The dog laughed. "You've known him your whole life."

"True."

This shrine was one of the many dotted around Cyrodiil. Solaris knew of three in particular: one in Nibenay, where the cult he'd grown up in was previously stationed, one inside a cave, just north-west of Bravil, and another - that he was currently stood at - just off the road circling the Imperial City. It was his favourite to visit, memories of the cult did not haunt him here.

"How's he doing?" Solaris asked.

"Who, Vile? Same as usual really. Complaining all the time, poking mortals for fun."

"Sounds about right."

"What about you, kid? He's been asking about you, you know. He'll never admit it of course, but he does miss you." Barbas trotted to Solaris' side, lying down in front of the statue of his master. Solaris could have sworn he saw it's stone brows furrow.

"Honestly? I've been good. The Brotherhood is more like a family than the cult ever was. Lucien is like a father to me - an actual one, not whatever nonsense my mother made up about Clavicus." He laughed, and if dogs could raise eyebrows, Barbas would have. Next time he'd have to choose a form with eyebrows. "And of course there's Icarus." He added.

"That's your little loverboy isn't it? Vile approves, by the way. That kid's great great great great grandma - or however many, I loose count- was his champion you know, back during the Second Era."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep!"

"Huh. Oh, wait, there was something I wanted to tell you and Clavicus!" Solaris said with a smile, and Barbas could feel the waves of pride radiating from his body. "Teinaava said Lucien might promote me soon! That would make me his own personal Silencer."

"Oh, really? That's so good kid, well done. I'll be sure to tell Vile when he's not busy in the Fields of Regret. I'll get him to pop down and say hi if I'm able, no promises though."

Solaris smiled. "Yeah, I know. I do... I miss- I don't know. Nevermind. I'll try and visit more often, especially with all these oblivion gates popping up. Never know when my last visit will be the last." Solaris laughed, turning away from the shrine. Barbas watched him walk off, before turning back towards the statue with a scowl.

"I know you're there, Clavicus." He growled. "You were there the whole time, weren't you."

"Ah, caught red handed." The god laughed.

"You should have said something. The kid misses you." He got no response. "Bet you wanted to shrivel up into Oblivion when they mentioned parents, though." The dog grinned mockingly. Clavicus scoffed.

"I say this every time- It's been years, mutt. Tell me how exactly you want me to tell him now? Write them a letter? Perhaps I could ask Dagon to spell it out with his little portals. Hire a messenger scamp?"

"The kid deserves to know, Vile."

"It's too late."

"You're just scared they'll hate you for it." Barbas laughed. "A prince scared of a demiprince. What a sorry sight."

"That's enough, mutt. Go back to the Fields. Thousands of summons, only one god." Clavicus growled before the energy at the shrine died down. Barbas sighed, and followed his master.

[jk-unless]

The Cool Kids

Pairing: Poly!Remadora x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,444 (Definitely the longest one-shot I've ever written)

Requested By: @oster-hagen

~♡~

The Golden Trio and friends were just starting their first year at Hogwarts.You on the other hand had just begun your last year.You,of course,were sad to be leaving the best school you've ever attended,but one person in particular made the entire situation not as miserable.

That person was Nymphadora Tonks.

You and Tonks were best friends and did everything together.That is,until she graduated last year.You weren't exactly thrilled to see her go,but you knew that she had wanted to start her career as an Auror for quite a long time.

You shared the excitement of graduating with your little 1st year buddies at lunch.You were always the type of person to get along with everyone,no matter what house or year they were in.

"Can't you just picture it,my lovelies?Me,Y/N L/N,fighting the crimes of the wizarding world." You gazed dreamily at the ceiling of the grand hall.

"I just know you'll be absolutely amazing,Y/N.I'm going to miss you,though." Hermione says sadly.You coo and ruffle her hair,making her smile.

"Awe~ I'll miss you too,Miss Granger."

"None of these 7th years seem to be as happy as you are to get out of here.Are you sure you liked it here as much as you say?" Ron asked.You let out a chuckle and shook your head.

"I absolutely love it hear at Hogwarts,Ron.I'm just ready to start the next phase of my life,more specifically with Dora."

They understood completely when you mentioned Tonks' name.The trio knew how close you two were and how much you had missed each other.

"I never got to meet Tonks,but she has to be pretty great if you miss her so much." Harry stated to which Dean agreed.

"Yeah,you send her letters like every other day."

"It would be everyday on the dot if I didn't know she was busy with Auror training.Hearing about how long they train makes me rethink my career as an Auror." You groaned,making everyone laugh.

~♡~

Despite everyone worrying about the rampaging troll and he-who-must-not-be-named coming up after 11 years,the school year went by pretty fast.Before you knew it,your graduation day came along.

You said goodbye to your friends and were on your way to become an Auror like your closest companion.

~♡~

After the summer of 1992,you began training at the Auror office.Tonks had already been there for a year and words couldn't explain how happy you two were to see each other.

You spotted her in the lunch hall and ran to your purple-haired best friend,not carrying how unprofessional you looked.You embraced each other,panting but laughing nonetheless.She took a step back and held your face gently in her hands,staring at you with an endearing smile that made you blush.

"What is it,Tonksy?" You asked,placing your hands over hers.

"I just really missed you,darling." She began tearing up,but hid it by embracing you again.

~♡~

Sometime during training,you and Tonks realized something that should have been pretty obvious:your feelings for each other.

Eventually you to had a heart to heart conversation,resulting in you being the power couple you are now.

In a blink of an eye,the both of you were done with your studies and training.You were giving positions as Aurors and couldn't be more proud of yourself.

You and Tonks were immediately took under the wing of Alastor Moody,a very skilled and experienced Auror.He'd never admit it himself,but you and Tonks had made a permanent spot in his heart very quickly.

Being an Auror,you were able to meet many amazing and talented people,including Remus Lupin.

You two met Remus in the year of 1996,when the second Order of the Phoenix was formed.He had started off as someone you and Tonks had looked up to,but as time went by,it became more than just admiration.

Some time before summer,you and Tonks had fallen deeply in love with Remus.The both of you had tried to confess your feelings to the older man,but he shot you down everytime.He'd say things like "I'm too old for you" or "You wouldn't want to be with someone with so much baggage."

The two of you had left it alone when the Boy Who Lived contacted the Order saying he needed help.Harry was very happy to see you again.

"Hello,you little ankle biter!My,have you grown!" You said,hugging him tightly.

"You've changed quite alot yourself,Y/N." Harry said,noticing the change of your style.In his defence,you had got a hold of alot more leather and dyed your hair a deep blue.

"That's what happens when you hang out with the cool kids,Potter." You said with a cheeky grin.

As you walked out of the Dursleys' old home,Harry asked what hearing Kingsley Shacklebolt was speaking of.Tonks reassured him that they'd explained everything when they got back to headquarters.

"Not here,Nymphadora!" Moody shushed her.Tonks' hair quickly became a fiery red.

"Don't.call me.Nymphadora."

You rubbed her arms in an attempt to calm her down.She gave you a small smile and took a deep breath,summoning her broom like everyone else.

~♡~

A year into the fight against the Dark Arts,you and Tonks could tell Remus was slowly becoming more comfortable with the idea of being with the two of you.He wouldn't shy away when you showed affection and even flirted with you from time to time.

One day,Tonks had woken up very chipper,making you confused but happy nonetheless.

"What's got you so happy,dearest?" You asked.She turned to you with the same smile she woke up with.

"I think we should try again with Remmy."

Hearing her say this made your stomach drop.Even with all the signs that Remus had finally returned you and your girlfriend's feelings,the thought of it still made you extremely nervous.Tonks saw your smile disappear and approached you will a small one of her own.

"Everything will go fine,love." She said rubbing your arms in an attempt to make you feel better.

"But how do you know that,Dora?" You asked,still unsure of the entire thing.

"Well,I don't know for sure,but I have alot of faith in how much the relationship between us three have grown!And even if he chooses not to be with us,we'll still have each other." She explained.

"We'll always have each other."

"That's exactly right,dear" She said,kissing you softly. "Now,are you ready to do this?"

You took a deep breath and nodded your head.Tonks smiled and quickly kissed you again.She opened the door and the two of you began to make your way to Remus' room.

Before you could knock,Remus opened the door,seeming to have been in a rush.

"Oh- Tonks,Y/N!I was just about to make my way to your room." He told you in one quick and uneasy breath.

"Were you?" The both of the asked,surprised.

"Yes,and I'd like to get this off of my chest before I let the negative thoughts get to me again." He moved aside so the two of you could get into his room.

The three of you sat on Remus' bed.You and Tonks watched as he took and deep breath and finally began to talk.

"I love the both of you very much." You and Tonks looked at each other with pure joy.You held your hand over your heart and let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"It took me quite a long time to come to terms with it,but I know now my love for the both of you is true and here to stay."

"Remus..." You quietly uttered his name,your voice breaking as tears formed in your eyes.

He took your hand and Tonks',rubbing his thumb over yours.

"If you two are ready to handle a werewolf with lots of emotional baggage,I'm ready to love the both of you with all of my heart." He finished.

You and Tonks leaped into Remus' arms,catching him by surprise.He laughed and held the both of you tightly in them.

He had no idea how this relationship will go,but for the time being,he'll let himself love the two of you with no shame or regret.

[starswelike]

Hot beginning (The Heart - Marvel fanfiction)

This is the first chapter of the Marvel fanfiction titled The Heart

Pairing: Loki x OC

Warning: strong language

In this Story you can except:

massive character developement

an OC, who's secretly Not an OC

a hate to love relationship, and love át first sight

Loki becoming stronger

Lots of fun and sassy remarks

Warning again: I have to admit English is not my first language, but I try to learn it. I think writing is a good way to do it, because I love books and stories, and of course, fanfictions. 🙂

So I really hope if you give my story a chance, you won't regret it (and that I can write understandable 😅)

Well, enjoy the Story! ❤️

Chapter - Hot beginning

The armored troop-carrying SUV seemed to be moving at its greatest calm. Thanks to its serious equipment, the passengers could not feel it when the vehicle drove into a pothole, so starkly, keeping its speed, it broke towards their destination. The prestigious vehicle was perfectly suited for the transport of armed troops.

The nine people the monstrous SUV was carrying did not detect at all the wild pace dictated by their driver, middle-aged Dylan Johnson. The man was not a model of patience, it also appeared in his driving style: if he could not get around something on congested inner-city roads, he pushed it down with noble simplicity.

“Next time let's take a helicopter, it'll be faster." He had a slight annoyance between his teeth, though he could not deny that he enjoyed deep down that he was the greatest and that no one could stand in his way. Rather, the reason for his nervousness was that he was afraid of that, another unit was ahead of them. Dylan always wanted to be the first one who arrives to the crime scene, thanks to his competitive personality.

“Just take us there, Johnson. There will be plenty of other reasons for headaches." replied the small team's chief, Commander Miya Okamura, in a harsh tone. Her ominous words were noticed by all of them, knowing Okamura never exaggerated.

“Can you tell me what we're afraid of?”

Juan José Navarro, the team's sniper questioned in cold blood. His eyes and expression reflected his interest before his voice.

"Here's what we know," she began with the boss's usual firm voice. “There's been a report at 177/A Bleecker Street.

“Isn't that the title of that weird Strange?”

Aidan Cole, a handsome man in his 30s, could not wait for the boss to report everything undisturbed, as expected. He had comments all the time. What's more, he once again expressed his disinterest in magic.

"If you spit at Dr. Strange like that, you can scratch off the background of your phone, snitched," grumbled she, the team's med coach, Bria Hornback. “Scarlet Witch is not appropriate for you, who can't respect magic at all.”

“When did you check my phone, Hornback?” he asked with shock.

“I guess I found it out.”

“Wait. So you didn't know? Then how do you...?”

“Are you still asking? You always talk about her as the perfect woman.”

“Don't discuss who's looking at what now.” Okamura put an end to their light-hearted pecking. “Yes, that's where we're going. Wong came to us, Strange's most loyal man, claiming that particular events had taken place there in recent times, but before they could shed light on the secret, someone created a dimension gate that opened with a spell.”

“Can you make that a little clearer, boss?” Ella Willis was shocked. Her face showed the woman's lostness on the subject with undisgued sincerity, but she was not alone in doing so. Bria herself couldn't suddenly imagine what a dimension gate that would open all the time might look like.

"These wielding fuckers have created again," said Aidan, with mere despity. “Tell me, what's our job, boss?”

“Aidan, I'd like to know more about the situation.”

"So am I," said Bria, taking Ella's side. The weapons expert waved off the tea, which she wouldn't have left without a word. She felt the anger that was pouring in from her insides, but she exercised calm, for she knew it was not the best time to create a big-mouthed rival, even though in most cases she was happy to get involved.

“According to Wong, they don't know who caused the complication, which is why they need our help. Since the summoner's identity, and more importantly the spell itself, is not known, it is much more difficult for them to take them out," continued Miya, noting that the discussion had almost swerved in a different direction again. “What we know at the moment is that there's a dimensional gate that opens the way to several other dimensions at the same time. It's also feared to open up to a place where evil creatures sit on pins and needles waiting to be released to Earth.”

“That's tough. Then what do we do?" One of Bria's best companions, Takahashi Arashi, came out in the dismay of his eyes. He probably didn't get any smarter with the explanation; at least he probably didn't understand how the dimensional gate worked. Bria didn't fully understood it either, she didn't blame him, and she thought it was a sympathetic step to clarify what to do.

“According to what was discussed, Strange is trying to find the magic in the library, or a counter-spell to eliminate it. He noted that because he did not know how to eliminate it, at least traditional techniques do not work for the gate, it is feared to have been created by a force that is in the same way as Strange's power." Hearing the commander's remark, they all understood that the task would be more serious than expected, and Bria swallowed a great deal of concern, fearing that she would have to care for many of her comrades. “While the monks are protecting him, we, the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s units, are striving to catch the creatures pouring out of the gate, take them out and most of all, and not let them get away from the area. The lives of innocent civilians are at stake here.”

"That's why I hate all these magicians," shudded Aidan. “Their spells are like a bad experiment, only if it goes wrong, we could be in big shit.”

“Yes, because the gun is obviously completely harmless. Not to mention the nuclear bomb and its associates. And even these are old-fashioned compared to today's new weapons.”

Bria was unable to stop responding to the man's statement, which earned her inciforming gaze.

"The line-up is the usual," continued Okamura, once again noting the little digression. “Saunders is on his way, Ella's covering for him from above. Aidan and Takahashi will follow him with me. Alma, Hornback and Johnson stay in the back and cover Navarro until he can find the best shooting position.”

“I've been looking for some for you, Juan. Do you see them? “ the young technician in the passenger seat, Alma Mariano, turned back.

“Yes, I picked out what I thought.”

They all had digital display phones as work equipment. A fantasy image of the area to be secure has already appeared on it, beamed by S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites. The gate was located in the middle of the four-lane road, which was open in the north-east and southwest. But they weren't aware if anything had come through.

They all saw the small front terrace that Juan had chosen. Okamura nodded, approve of the decision.

“All right, Alma, you cover Navarro and Johnson's got Hornback.”

Bria was very feared for her associates during every operation. The boss always explained this by saying that they needed her, as a med schooler, to save lives, not to risk her own at the forefront. If she's lost, maybe there won't be anyone else to help. She appreciated the same, and it felt great to her that there was always someone to protect her even when she was in the danger zone, but she wasn't completely satisfied. Even though they told her that she deserved it as a med coach, she somehow felt like a clog and longed to fight better on the battlefield. Unfortunately, she only received basic combat training, and the main education for her was physiology, biology, chemistry, all that science. She gained useful knowledge, but at times she felt like a bird locked in a cage.

The bends were felt from slight inclinations. Bria and the people on the same side as her were leaning forward on a left turn, holding them only with their straps in place, when Dylan said:

“That stinking fucking sky! It's like it was in ‘12.”

If she could, Bria would have jumped up to see what might have been out there, but she knew what was late wouldn't go away, so she waited, despite the immense curiosity that consumed her insides. Their driver compared this one to the incident in which the Asgardian gods appeared on Earth, and Loki unleashed an army of alien beings called Chitauri on them. Would that have meant that bloodthirsty race had re-found? There was a chance, the dimension gate gave them every opportunity.

She took it upon herself with a big sigh, and decided that she would do everything she could to make sure that no such great devastation could occur again. That old case did enough damage to her and her life, and she was just one of them. To this day, countless people have thought of that day with anger, grief, sadness, and they all had their rightful reasons.

Takahashi put his hand on her shoulder and stroked it a little to help her relax a little. Perhaps he did it a little more gently than he should have, but Bria appreciated that and his smile. That man knew her too well, he noticed her tension. She couldn't have kept anything from him.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, they untied their seat belts and armed and prepared for the command.

“Johnson, what do you see?”

'Well, there's trouble' murmured the man, then exchanged a meaningful look with Alma sitting next to him. ‘Conventional weapons won't work here. Some creatures don't even have a solid body that pops up.”

It didn't prove a little reassuring to hear that. Although the arms industry also tried to keep up with magic and space technology, the most widespread weapon was still the one that threw up bullets. True, those who fired shots similar to those of the late Iron Man's energy beams began to gain ground. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. circles did not prove to be a problem to obtain these types, yet Bria was less confident in grabbing her small pistol, which was handed to her after the gun cabinet was opened. She didn't have one, only that and her combat knife.

“Let's go, let's go” Okamura commanded, and Saunders opened the back doors at that moment.

It couldn't be put off any longer, so Bria swallowed all her tensions and went with her companions as discussed. Saunders cut forward with a huge gun, Ella pulled over his head with the help of a jet-pack. Just as Okamura and they discussed, everyone was grouped together to whom they were commanded. Bria waited for Johnson, and together they cleaned up the creatures that got close to them.

The view turned out to be astonishing. At first glance, they couldn't figure out the tangle. Despite the fact that Bria thought it might be time for her to finally be in the lead, Bria was grateful that she could stay a little behind to map the field. If she had been in the front, she would suddenly not have known what to do, but the others shooted at their opponents almost without thinking, reflex, habit.

The sparkly dimension gate was located right in the middle of the road, as the digital map showed. When she looked into it, Bria saw that the place changed from second to second. She saw worlds she never dreamed of. There were some strangers from where they came from. Flaming skeletons or icy giants, splashing swamp creatures or space creatures floating in ghost form. From the horrible to the more beautiful, there were all sorts of things, but thank goodness not all the areas where the gate opened proved dangerous.

With a big leap, a strange, blue-bodied creature, looking like a half-grown frog, landed near her. It was ugly, especially I’s huge canine teeth, which it clapped towards Bria. The woman was startled by the unexpected incident, but she was neither a beginner nor a clumsy one, so she quickly put her gun on him and destroyed the ugly creature with an energy beam.

Dr. Stephen Strange was not present. He must have been wildly looking for a counter-spell. His disciples and members of the order, on the other hand, have been very aides in capturing the terrible creatures. They were mostly pushed into other dimensions, and the monks were very smart. If a creature came from underwater, it was sent to the desert, which came from the cold, thrown next to lava. The cruel but useful procedure has brought its results, and for the time being they have managed to control the various species, none have ever attacked anyone. It was a real relief for Bria to see that the situation was under control. So she aimed her targets with much more confidence. Unfortunately, sometimes she found someone who had just been sent through a dimension gate from under her nose, but it was better to try twice than not once.

“That's going to be fine. Only the doc has to rush” said Dylan, and the medic nodded.

If everything had stayed that way, the situation would have been resolved over time, but no one said that more serious opponents would arrive. The gate made sure it opened in most of the places that exist. Some were given the moment it saw the gate that opened at their home, and some of them were unwittingly dragged in. And Bria was the first to see him.

It's been more than ten years since Bria was attacked in Manhattan. The losses she suffered that day proved to be heavy for her. Although she always thought she could never make amends, and she had to learn to live with the thought that what she lost that day would never get her back, she was overwhelmed with feelings of anger and vengeance when that day came up or whatever hinted at it. That's why she was so ready to act in the open-plan, but the moment she saw Loki unearthed from the gate, who could not be mistaken for anyone else, she was blinded by rage to the extent she had never before. At the same time, she felt a sudden desire to act. If she catches that cunning but dangerous god, they'll finally, maybe for once in her life, appreciate her and realize that she's dynamic, too.

Anger is not a good counselor. Bria, who always tried to act judiciously, even if it was difficult, proved unable to restrain herself this time. She wasn't thinking, she was just doing what she wanted to do in those moments.

“Loki!" She screamed, like a wild Amazon, and immediately threw herself toward him, not counting, not caring about the command, nor her team, nor the potential danger. She just wanted to get close to him before God knows what he would do. Bria's only advantage was that she was on her way before Loki could even figure out what had happened to him. She could tell he didn't intend to be here at all. His face was clear with surprise and anger.

Bria almost instinctively pushed aside those who got in her way, could have been her teammates, Strange's men or monsters. It's like Loki was in the crosshairs, and she waded through anything to get to him.

“Hornback, stop!” Okamura shouted at her, hearing it loudly over the radio, but not she heeded it. She wouldn't let anyone stop her.

Loki seemed to be surrounded by a faint blue light. Although Bria had never seen anything like it before, she didn't dilate, and she kicked off and caught the Asgardian before the light flash blinded her.

The next thing she knows, she's feeling them fall and she's burying Loki under herself. She didn't even notice it was hot, and everything looks so red. She wanted it too much. She sat on Loki's chest and held his hands down.

“I've got you!” she declared triumphantly. At that moment, their eyes met. She could see Loki’s confusion, and then his pupils dilated. Bria didn't know where to put this. She thought maybe the god of mischief had seen something that scared him, and her vanity was fading at the thought that it might be her.

Then she noticed the change of environment. She looked carefully around, not yielding to her grip, and discovered they were near a volcano, on a protruding rock, plenty of hot air. And Loki didn't look at all like he was having a good time. He was sweaty, his eyes fell in and his lip was dry.

A dimension gate opened, and they all caught their heads to see an overly muscular creature, resembling a minotaur of legends, fall straight into the hot magna. Their demonic cries, while burning, penetrated to the veal, Bria trembled for a moment, but she ruled.

"I didn't want to come here," murmured Loki under his nose, looking at Bria, as if he expected the answer to the big question of how they got here.

"They probably caught us with a dimension gate and sent us here."

"And why are you here, pretty eyes?"

Bria didn't show anything because of her equipment, just her eyes. They were just as blue as the sky on the most beautiful summer days. Loki looked at her with a peculiar smile, he seemed so confident, she wanted to shout at him, but now she finally ruled herself. She took the first step, caught him and got close to him. She quickly completed the final phase before Loki could escape, pulled a tiny circular object from one of her waistline bags and quickly pushed it to his neck.

"Auch" he hissed and Bria pressed the button in the middle of the device to activate itself. "What's this?"

"It blocks magic" she smiled, smiling slyly, and even good enough to lean close to the face of the God, looking even closer into his eyes, emphasized what she had to say. "You're my captive."

"Hm" sighed Loki and rolled his eyes. Somehow, the threats never work, and he's already reached out to rip the device out of his neck. Bria quickly pressed the button on the remote control for the device, and her prisoner shocked throughout his body and froze.

"If you do something I don't like, count on me to torture you."

"There's has to be a time when you're not watching" chuckled Loki. He was ready for the challenge, he wasn't daunted, even when Bria was sure he wouldn't get out of it. She leaned even closer to him. She herself behaved in a challenging way, feeling in the saddle.

"Test me."

They stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Loki didn't move either. It seemed serious, as if he had studied his situation, but Bria's attention was not abated. But she couldn't deny her excitement. For all the things he did that day, Loki could now be penalized and she was happy to be so close to him. She's heard the saying more than once, revenge isn't worth anything, but it's proved undeniable that it's sweet.

"What do you intend to do to me now?"

If they were already in the crater of a volcano, there must have been a reason to be lured. Bria could have rolled Loki down into magna, he probably wouldn't have survived, especially with a teaser blocking his strength around his neck. Her gaze suggested that she had thought for a moment about this possibility. Once and for all, ridding a villain of the world turned out to be truly graceful, but in the end she followed protocol by pushing his position indicator so that if they sought her out, they would find her.

"It's an enjoyable position, the way you sit on top of me, but maybe we should move."

He was sick of the heat, which is why the Asgardian was talking. Bria, on the other hand, wasn't touched by that. Seeing him suffer was a pleasure for her.

"Commander Okamura!" She told his transceiver, but the static chatter revealed that they wouldn't be receiving it. "The rocks are shielding the channel."

"Should I take you somewhere else?"

"Listen, the easiest thing for me would be to push you into the lava, so you better not pull the plug."

He smiled again. He’s never been scared of threats? Bria was a little amazed by this, but at the same time annoyed, but calmed herself with a quick sigh. She couldn't let Loki mislead her. She knew exactly how emotional manipulation could achieve his goals, which is to escape at the moment. If she’s already captured him, she really didn't want him to get out of hand.

She was hot, but not as hot as Loki. The Asgardian was tormented by the symptoms of heat, while Bria simply took the mask off her face and then the helmet off her head. She left her blond hair in a bun, and to torture his prisoner even more, she took out her canteen and pulled a big one out of it. Deliberately so that the fine water drips over her face, and then on her waterproof clothes, a few drops reach Loki. She looked at the man with a sarcastic smile, barely visibly licking her mouth, his eyes almost staring out, so he observed. This filled her with satisfaction, and she even made a small laugh.

"You're an evil woman, you know that?" Loki said softly. Although him tone might have been surprising, Bria ignored it.

"I'm just enjoying the moment."

"As do I."

"What?" she tipped his head to the side. "I can tell you're about to die of heat, and you can't even get the teaser out of your neck, because if you reach for it, I'm going to push the button. What is it that you can enjoy now?"

He smiled again. Despite the circumstances that were really causing him suffering, Loki was very easy to use to confuse Bria. She was terrified to realize that he had already begun manipulating her, as he had piqued her curiosity.

" Yes, even though you can see that I'm not a fan of heat, the energies that come out of you, the passion, the sexuality, the confidence, and how beautiful you are and how close you are to me..."

"Are you seriously complimenting me?!" Bria screamed, as did another being that they didn't pay attention to, but in the meantime it got here and fell into the lava. Loki smiled like rabies. The Asgardian was crazy, if he really thought it would take her off his feet. The woman was sure that Loki had not taken a word seriously, if only because of his great egotistical reputation, which, because of his divinity, looked down on people so despised that he would have condemned them directly to servitude. When someone felt this way about humanity, the compliment could not have been real, but in Loki's case, the issues should be treated with reservations.

"What's so surprising?" The man's half-smile would have been quite heartwarming with those sparkling eyes if it wasn't for Loki who Bria hated so much because of the old attack. "Don't they ever tell you how beautiful you are? Or are your fellow human beings so blind?"

"Don't think I'm going to fall for the honey-glazed words. You're a god, and I'm a human. You look down on us."

"But I recognize beauty."

"You're just trying to embarrass me so you can manipulate me."

"Yes, because I'm guessing you're trying to lock me up somewhere. I can see the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo pinned to your chest."

Bria almost screamed at Loki not to stare at her breasts, but she couldn't let anger take control of her. The Asgardian tried hard to get out, obviously by all means. She was starting to feel uncomfortable alone with Loki. She was really hoping the beacon sent the notification. Even if the radio waves were blocked, the position indicator sent a signal to every satellite in existence, which could then be decoded in S.H.I.E.L.D's central application.

"I am surprised by your sincerity," she replied, more calmly than she had first planned.

"At the same time if I can't escape, I'll try to enjoy every moment with you at least."

"I'm afraid I'm not enjoying anything with you."

"You sat on my chest quite easily. Maybe you could do it to my lap too."

"With these perverse innuendos, you're not going to get anything from me," chuckled Bria. "Even though I haven't had a relationship yet, I'm not embarrassed by the subject of sexuality. "

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know how many people make pig comments about me at work? I had to learn to handle these."

"I guess other people recognize the beauty you have," said Loki, raising his eyebrows with some anger, which gave Bria joy in the hope that these compliments would finally spare him. "But now that I've found out you're a virgin, you seem interestingly more attractive to me."

"Come on, don't make a stand. I know you despise me for being human, so I can't be attractive to you."

"Why is Hornback written on your dress? Is that your name?"

"Yes, I'm Bria Hornback," she nodded, it's okay for Loki to remember her name." What's wrong with it?"

"It's such an interesting coincidence, don't you think?" the Asgardian flashed that half-smile meant to be alluring again, and his eyes shone despite all his suffering. "Your name is Hornback, and I have a helmet with horns swerved back..."

"Don't explain to me that we have anything in common." Bria was still more restrained than she first wanted, while the sounds of death filled the space. "You're a monster!"

"What did I do to you to hate me so much? Or are you like this because of New York?"

Bria kept quiet. Her ears were hurt by the bitter cry of another creature. Death proved to be shocking, no matter how it came.

But she didn't stay quiet because she wanted to hear the cry so much. She just didn't want to answer the question.

"You don't know me, yet you judge me," continued the Asgardian. "Tell me, do you really think you guys are so flawless? I mean, judging isn't a very nice gesture."

"I didn't say we are, but you did enough damage to my life to make me hate you."

"Yes, it was a big mistake, and yes, I'm guilty. Since then, however, there have been a lot of events that have made me change, so..."

"Oh, don’t you dare make yourself look as a good guy." she snapped. "You're evil, the god of mischief, unreliable, and..."

"Don't be so stupid!"

Loki's voice thundered with anger for the first time, which frightened her. The word was stuck in her throat.

"Are you seriously going to put a little tip on everyone? Good and evil? White and black? You should know by now that there's no one in the universe who has only good or bad qualities. We all have our faults. Even you, Bria."

It turned out to be an odd feeling when Loki called her by her name. Despite the fact that he intended his monologue to be a reproach, it was as if the man found her worthy calling by her name. That said, after he liked her last name, maybe she shouldn't have been surprised.

"You're not treating me like an equal. You judge me without knowing me. You're being this erotic, and you're putting me through this heat. These are bad qualities."

"Merry Christmas! I hope you're pleased with your discovery."

"You're as cynical as I am," laughed Loki, but his throat was scratched. Maybe he was starting to dry out. "They say cynicism is a sign of intelligence."

"Do you have anything else to study on me?"

"Interestingly, the more I learn about you, the more I care about you."

'Wow, That’s good for me. " Bria sighed not a little joyously.

Suddenly she saw a bright flash of light in the sky. A helicopter appeared over the crater, and the beam of light settled on them after some searching. Bria's relieved to see this.

"This is Bria Hornback, med school of Commander Miya Okamura's unit," said she to her transceiver after setting up the general S.H.I.E.L.D. channel, holding one eye on Loki. "I have a captive I'm asking for urgent support for. I catched Loki!"

"All right, Agent Hornback." received the answer via radio. "We're taking Loki into custody immediately. We help you! Please don't move."

Bria smiled for the first time with a truly great exultation at the man who had been laid down. His face finally showed a slight sign of disappointment.

"So you succeeded," he said resonantly.

"If there's anyone you shouldn't look down on, it's me. "

"I'd add, for now. Because I can't guarantee I'll stay with you for a long time."

Bria looked deep in Loki’s eyes, and the feelings of victory were gone. It was perhaps the first sentence she believed without doubt and took as a warning. She did not want to tell the Asgardian that she was up to the challenge.

[melonlordheroes]

All Together, Once Again

-Just yesterday, the 4% pity rate on the Mothers and Sons Son banner had finally claimed the last of Mystery's patience and she was DETERMINED to use the last of her orbs to get a dress for Corrin. This time, however, she was accompanied by a curious Ethlyn and Quan... as well as a very stern looking Finn.-

Mystery: That goddamn dress is gonna be mine, mark my words.

Ethlyn: (a hand on her chin, deep in thought) There's no way, is there? I mean... he does look exactly like you, Quan.

Quan: (soft frown) It wouldn't be unheard of. Sigurd's son appeared here as well as an adult... besides, he has your eyes.

Mystery: (pauses loading Breidablik.) If you're wondering if that's Leif, yeah. That'd be him. All grown up!

Finn: I consider it a mercy you are not summoning for him this time. He ought to be spared your commanding... "expertise".

Mystery: D-Duly noted. Anyway, let's get this show on the roa--

-Mystery fires off a shot on accident, hitting the lone red orb on the circle. She watches, jaw dropped, as smoke fills the room in that all too familiar way... and as it clears, the future King of Thracia is bewilderedly looking around.-

Mystery: --DAMMIT! I CAN'T EVEN BE MAD BECAUSE I'VE BEEN HOPING HE'D SHOW--

Finn: (grabs her shoulders, lifting her off the ground and shaking her) /IF YOU GET HIM KILLED HERE TOO NOT EVEN NAGA WOULD PROTECT YOU FROM MY WRATH!/

Leif: (turns around, smiles) Finn!

Finn: (drops Mystery, turns and bows neatly to Finn) My lord Leif, it is good to see you.

Leif: I must admit feeling deeply glad to know... some... one?

-Leif trails off as he locks eyes with Quan, who tenses up immediately. Ethlyn's hands go to her mouth and tears start filling her eyes. Leif blinks but tries to hold their gaze, then says tentatively...-

Leif: Mother? Father?

-Ethlyn's resolve shatters and she screams as she runs forward, pulling her son into a hug and nearly knocking him over. He does stumble from the force at first, only for Ethlyn to reach up and touch his face. Quan begins to walk over as well, almost doubting Leif is really there, but his pace quickens as he gets closer and he pulls his wife and son into an embrace.-

Ethlyn: My son! My sweet, sweet boy-- gods, you've grown! I've missed so much!

Quan: (quietly) WE have missed so much. ...It's nice to meet you, Leif.

Leif: (blinking tears away, staring up at Quan) S-same to you...

Quan: (gently) I know it might be difficult to see me as your father, given your relationship with Finn--

Leif: By the gods, no! Never! Father, I...

Ethlyn: (openly sobbing at this point) My son, I'm so sorry we left you so early! W-we didn't know about what was-- about the ambush--!

Quan: (puts a hand on her shoulder) Ethlyn, it's all right.

Ethlyn: You lost us and Altena that day because I had to be there but, I swear I--

Quan: Ethlyn. (softly) Please. We should let Leif speak before we confuse him any more.

Ethlyn: (sniffles, rubs eyes) S-sorry, right.

Leif: Don't be sorry, I... I have a great deal of emotions about this, too. (softly) I always... I wondered what you must have been thinking when you left me in Manster. Or if you knew we'd never see each other again, or if... if you'd be proud of who I became. Finn always told me about you and the great things you did, so I tried to live up to your example as best I could. Even if you weren't WITH me, I still felt as if I knew you.

Quan: ...Leif.

Ethlyn: (sniffle) Oh, sweetheart.

Leif: I was always proud to call myself a son of Manster. (rubs eyes) To call myself the son of my mother and father, and to hear people say they saw you in me always made me happy.

-Quan quite suddenly yanks Leif against his chest and begins to cry himself, shuddering powerfully as he does. Ethlyn joins the embrace, sobbing again as all three collapse to their knees.-

Quan: I could never be prouder of you than I am now! My biggest regret will always be that I couldn't have been there to raise you...!

Leif: (clings)

Quan: I'm so deeply sorry, Leif. Could you forgive your fool of a father for failing you?

Leif: You never failed me!

Quan: I couldn't protect your mother and sister, I couldn't survive to come back to you--! If I'd been stronger or smarter we would have lived through that crossing!

Ethlyn: (sniffle) Or if I'd just stayed behind, Altena would have grown up with you...!

Leif: I never once held it against you! If I was- if I was in your position, I'd have gone to reinforce Uncle Sigurd as well! You did the right thing and acted with courage!

-Quan's hold on his family tightens up and his head lowers.-

Quan: All the same, I'd think it better to be a living coward than bravely dead!

Leif: (quietly) Father...

Quan: ...Forgive me. (leans back, wipes face) I know, that was unforgivable to say.

Leif: I understand, though. ...Please don't cry. We're here now, aren't we? We can have back some of what we lost.

Ethlyn: (rubs eyes) R-right. Once Altena's with us... our family will be whole again. And... and we can finally live as a family like we were meant to.

Leif: (sad smile) It might be a while. She lives, but... perhaps I should explain later. In private.

Quan: R-right. (takes a breath, trying to stabilize himself) By the twelve, I must look a sight but we ought to go get you settled. I'm sure you'll want to see Seliph and Nanna...

Leif: (bright smile) Nanna's here?! She got here ahead of me then! Er... (coughs) right. Right. Let's um, let's...

Ethlyn: (chuckle, pats his shoulder as she wipes away the last of her tears) Go get you settled?

Leif: Yes, that's the word. Thank you, Mother.

Ethlyn: (sniffle) Oh gods, I'm going to cry again--! You called me mother and I never thought--!

Quan: (hugs Ethlyn, chuckling a bit himself) I'm on the verge of it myself. Forgive us, my son, seems we'll need some more time to gather ourselves.

Leif: It's nothing, I really... I'm not exactly stable yet either. (laughs, tears at the corners of his eyes.)

-Quan pulls Ethlyn and Leif against him again and all three resume crying and laughing, happy to be together.-

[mimisempai]

True love cannot be concealed

Summary:

5 times where people discover that Loki and Mobius are together and once where nobody is fooled.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32309122

2182 words - Rating G

1.

Miss minutes was heading towards her monitor, after a little night tour in the TVA complex. She found herself in a hallway she hadn't been in for some time, as it was the TVA's senior members' apartments. It was dark and silent.

A sudden noise startled her, so she slipped into the next hallway and looked around. She heard muffled voices but saw no one. Miss Minutes had always been curious. After all, people couldn't do much to her, and besides, she was small so she wasn't noticed. She walked down the hallway, closer to the voices and then stopped in front of a door when she recognized one of the voices. It was the voice of their new supervisor.

"Stop that right now!" Mobius murmured sharply.

Miss minutes wondered who he could be talking to like that in the middle of the night. She also knew that if there was one person who would absolutely not appreciate her eavesdropping, it was Mobius.

Then she recognized the second voice.

"I don't think you really want this, Mobius..." whispered Loki. Though Miss Minutes was slightly shocked at this point, she continued to listen.

"Loki, not here...." then Mobius' voice faded away and there was silence. Miss minutes wondered if she should leave or stay. But curiosity was the strongest and she wanted to see. So she slowly passed her little body through the opening of the door.

Luckily she was not made of flesh and blood, because she would have fainted.

Mobius was standing on the other side of the room, with his back against the wall, and Loki right in front of him, holding him by the wrists. Which would be a strange enough image, but that's not all. They were kissing and as far as she could tell, they were kissing passionately.

Loki and Mobius! Come to think of it, she should have known better, all those looks, brushes, gentle banter, all those clues were evidence of what was going on between the two men.

Seeing that things were heating up, she stepped back on the tips of her little feet and quickly headed back to her first destination.

2.

It was the first Christmas after the TVA's restructuring and Carol, ex-Hunter C-20, was taking advantage of the calm in the hallways to take a little walk before returning to her apartment when she heard Mobius' voice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Then she heard a second voice that belonged to none other than Loki

"I could ask you the same thing.''

After a pause, he continued, "You're not hiding from me, are you?".

Carol found there was a strange undertone in Loki's voice, as if he wanted to taunt Mobius, and it was very strange.

Loki seemed to have an extremely high respect for Mobius, so why would he talk to him like that?

"Don't be ridiculous, why would I hide from you, Loki?" replied Mobius gently.

"Oh, maybe you weren't hiding from me specifically. But there's quite a bit of mistletoe everywhere. So I wonder if that's what you were worried about." said Loki openly, teasing.

"You wouldn't dare Loki, right?"

There was no answer to the question and the silence seemed to drag on.

Carol waited a few seconds before glancing behind the wall.

It was rather dark, but she could clearly see the two men, pressed against each other.

Loki was holding his hand up. In the palm of his hand was a branch of mistletoe with green wisps around it, typical of his magic, and they were close, so close, pressing against each other, then Loki bent his head and…

Refusing to watch more, Carol went back the other way.

Although she had a huge urge to share this secret with her friends, she knew she wouldn't. The secret was not hers, and when Loki and Mobius were ready to share it, they would. But the idea of this unexpected couple warmed her heart. After all, seeing friends happy together was a great Christmas present.

3.

For Casey, the restructuring of the TVA had been a little difficult, because he had to take in a lot of new information. Intensive courses were held and he wanted to take them all to catch up.Between his classes and his work at the TVA he was overloaded with work and he wanted to take advantage of his break to go and rest in a quiet place.

He walked along a few hallways to a restroom that he knew was unoccupied at that time of day. Just as he turned the corner he heard voices behind the door.He was about to leave when he heard the familiar voice of Mobius

"Are you sure about this, Loki?"

"What, are you trying to talk me out of it? "

Casey was about to open the door, happy to spend a moment with his favorite people from the TVA. His first friends whom he respected immensely.

However Mobius spoke again and Casey didn't want to intrude on what seemed to be a private conversation after all.

"Of course not, but I don't want to be something you regret tomorrow morning or in a few days."

"I will never regret you Mobius, never."

He didn't mean to pry, he really didn't, but the conversation had stopped a good 20 seconds ago, and Casey was too curious for his well-being.

So he discreetly slipped his head through the door, just enough to see if everything was okay.

But he soon realized that everything was perfectly fine, and above all he understood the reason for this prolonged silence.

Both Loki and Mobius had their lips occupied with... other activities than making conversation for once.

Casey couldn't suppress a smile, because Casey was always happy to see people they liked happy.

4.

HB aka ex-HB summoned a Timedoor to return from a mission.  It was a door that led directly into the office of Mobius who had taken Ravonna's position.

She went through the door and found herself in her former boss' office, which had changed a lot and was much less solemn.HB liked what Mobius had done with it. Especially the three imposing statues of the time keepers were gone.

The door that opened suddenly startled her, and by reflex, she backed up behind a bookcase.

Mobius and Loki were talking animatedly while entering the office, Mobius took his place behind his desk while Loki sat unceremoniously on his lap.

HB struggled to hold back a surprised gasp.

"Loki, not in my office, we've been over this."

Despite Mobius' protest, the way he tightened his arms around Loki's waist left no doubt that he was enjoying the situation very much.

"Just a minute, it's been at least three hours since I've seen you, and even longer since we've been alone together. Just a kiss and I'll be on my way."

Loki made a pout that Mobius was clearly unable to resist which didn't surprise HB, Loki had Mobius wrapped around his little finger since the first day they met.

"Loki, you know we're not going to stop at this."

"I can't help it if you're irresistible..."

"But this time we can't, in five minutes HB is supposed to be back from a mission, to make her mission briefing."

"What, you and HB alone in this office, like you and me?"

HB hardly restrained her laughter.

"Very funny, really. As much as I like HB you know very well that I only love you. "

This time HB hardly held back her gagging. Too much sap.

Loki made another pout which Mobius quickly wiped away with his lips before pushing him away.

"Come on, go to work now!"

Loki laughed as he headed for the door, then turned and blew a kiss, literally. There were two small green lips that flew towards Mobius and then placed a smacking kiss on his cheek.

"You don't know what you're missing! " Loki said as he closed the door behind him.

Mobius smiled fondly as he leaned back in his chair, "How about you tell me about your mission, HB?"

5.

Sylvie was tired. She hadn't been home in over 72 hours and if she took more than ten steps without sleeping, she would fall to the ground. All she wanted to do was take a little nap to recharge her batteries.

She headed to the small break room where there were a few cots that were quite comfortable for the little nap she wanted to take.  Unfortunately, she didn't go any further than the door, because as soon as she opened it, she saw Mobius and Loki sitting on one of the beds, very close, with their backs to her.

They had a conversation in low voice, which seemed very animated and that Sylvie did not manage to understand. She was torn between the idea of interrupting what was going on between them and looking for another place. On one hand, she didn't want to bother them, but on the other hand her mischievous side and her desire to rest were very strong.

Maybe she could just sit on one of the beds and they wouldn't notice her, she was so tired she was sure she would be able to fall asleep even if the two men started yelling. She was about to put this plan into action when Loki put his arm around Mobius and pulled him against his chest.

She had to go now, she couldn't stay.

The next few seconds passed in slow motion. Sylvie took a step back as Loki turned his head to place a kiss on Mobius' hair, and looked into her eyes.  She saw his eyes widen and his body stiffen, causing Mobius to turn around to see what could have caused such a reaction in his companion.

Mobius said simply, "I know I'm not the kind of companion you were hoping for Loki, but get used to it, you'll be seeing more of this kind of situation in the future. Loki and I are together."

Sylvie answered simply, surrendering, "I basically just wanted a bed to sleep in, what you two do is none of my business." She was too tired to say anything more.

"Are you coming, Loki?" Mobius had walked over to the door and was holding out his hand to Loki.

Loki, looking baffled, hurried to join him. Mobius saw his face and said, "What? I never intended to hide. I'm proud to have you by my side."

Then they headed for the exit.

"You know I never had any expectations for Loki, but if I did, you would have met all the qualifications."

It was Mobius' turn to look baffled as Sylvie, ignoring them both, went to take a well-deserved rest.

+1

"Ah there you are Loki. I would like to see something with you about the upcoming mission."

"Morning Mobius, I'm glad to see you too."

"Hello Mobius!" echoed a chorus of voices.

Mobius rolled his eyes in greeting, "Ah, Casey, Sylvie, HB you are here too. Hello."

"And I'm here too," added Miss Minutes.

"Yes, yes hello to you too!"

"Yes," HB added with a chuckle, "apparently we work here too."

"You guys don't stand a chance, he only sees me," Loki replied cheekily.

"Getting back to the mission Loki, we should review the different parameters-" Mobius stopped in the middle of his sentence, licked his lip before resuming, "ahem, the different parameters." Then, leaning forward, he continued, so that only Loki could hear him.

"Don't look at me like that and then feign innocence."

"Don't you like it?" replied Loki, looking totally innocent before answering with equal brazenness, "It's your fault, please stop looking so kissable."

However, if Loki was the god of Malice, Mobius could sometimes be the master of it.

"First of all you know very well that the one who looks the most kissable of the two of us, it's you." murmured Mobius pointing at him before continuing, "and if you don't stop looking at my lips without doing anything about it, I will take you right here on your desk."

Loki suddenly stood up, and said in a louder voice.

"Very well Supervisor Mobius, I think we're going to have to do a little more work on the mission! In order not to disturb my dear colleagues, I suggest we do this in your office."

"I couldn't agree more, Agent Loki, plus the coffee is much better there."

Loki stood up quickly and they both headed for the door.

The way their heads were tilted towards each other, the way their arms and hands brushed against each other at every opportunity, the way they communicated with their eyes, all those little details, left no doubt about the nature of their relationship for those who knew them.

"I wonder if it will ever get old," HB asked as she watched them walk away.

"I don't think so," replied Sylvie.

"You are unfortunately right," added Miss Minutes.

Then, shaking their heads and smiling, they all got back to work.

_____

Whole series here : Together, for all time, always

Not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰