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Loki's body feels as if it’s being ripped apart all at once he tries so damn hard to fight it, he needs to get back to Mobius— everyone. He thought the time slipping was behind him, but he supposes when the loom broke so did his protection from time slipping. At least he isn’t being disintegrated by the loom right now.. Poor Mobius.. He really likes his skin.. He needs to find Ouroboros He’d know what to do. But that’s a little hard when he’s being ripped apart and shoved all together too tightly, it winds him but he can’t keel over and clutch his stomach, someone is standing against him, he was unprepared to be brought into a fight so he stumbled a bit, not that they noticed.
“Do you think this madness will end with your rule!?” Thor bellowed, urging Loki to look around
“It’s too late. It’s too late to stop it” Loki says, voice raspy from his still-winded state. A tone akin to that of realization in his voice.
“No, We can. Together” Thor says, hostility almost fading from his voice. Loki didn’t realise that the first time he went through this talk. Loki had stabbed him, without even thinking that Thor could have been serious.
Loki stands there, not responding. Thor pulls the pressure back a little now that Loki has stopped resisting. Loki pushes Thor's hammer-wielding arm to the side, weakly embracing him. These long, almost sleepless weeks, or has it been longer, began to weigh on him. He didn’t like that the second he was with his brother it felt okay to be tired. Thor didn’t hold stiff like many do when treated with unexpected hugs, he instantly hugged back, (Hug first, ask questions later.) though admittedly baffled that Thor’s little pep talk worked.
“I’m sorry brother” He choked out, hiding his face on Thor’s shoulder. Though admittedly Thor tensed at that, thinking he was apologising for a future wrong-doing, but quickly relaxed again after Loki didn’t try to harm him.
“It is alright brother. I am sure we can rebuild” Thor offered, only for Loki to shake his head. Thor patted his brothers back before holding him arms length away, hands on either shoulder, a bit of confusion etched on his face. “We can..? Can’t we?”
Loki wrestled with what to say first. He decided he needs to clarify who he is, so that he timeslips Thor won’t hate him for deceiving him. “..I.. Can not stay peaceful for long..” Loki finally says
Thor visibly tenses “Whatever do you mean?” Thor doesn’t know what to do with his face, and starts feeling awkward for having his arms on Loki’s shoulders for so long. “Of course you can” Thor brings Loki back into a hug, but Loki pulls back from it
“Thor I am not your Loki— I mean I am— More so yours than the alligator.. Would you also be an alligator..? Uh” Thor looks at Loki like he has three heads, Loki’s sure he very well might.
“What on Asgard are you on about?” Thor says, fear laid in his voice that Loki is tricking him once more
“..You are familiar with the multiverse.. uh.. How do I put this? I am your brother, Yours and no other Thor's brother, however there are other Thors and other Me's. However, who you were talking to ten minutes ago, when ‘we’ were fighting? Not me me, a different version of the same me, not to be confused with other timeline Me's, It’s your Loki and me but not me because I was arrested— this is really confusing. Uhm. how do I explain this.. Shit.” Loki hopes Thor says ‘I understand’ but he knows he won't, Thor isn’t an idiot but not even Ouroboros could explain Loki's rambling. Loki clears his breath and restarts.
“...In the future you will need to collect infinity stones, via time travel. Like this” he gestures to the scepter he had been holding this entire time “You’ll go back in time to get the tesseract, just a few hours from now, future Stark gets it but hulk bashes into future Stark and he drops it. I wasn’t supposed to pick it up and take it, but I did. Then the time variance authority comes and takes me. Like police for the timeline—” Thor stops Loki
“Loki please start making some damn sense” Thor manages, thoroughly confused.
Loki continues “Right.. So Time people arrest me. Mobius— uh, cool dude helps me out so they don’t kill me. I found out about a bunch of time people's secrets. Time people don’t like that. An alternate version of me kills an important person who stops the world from ending. World starts ending. I got sent here because I keep going backwards and forwards in time without being able to control it. Won't be here for long and any minute mean current timeline me returns” Thor pauses, only half understanding and partly wishing he had let Loki continue his in depth explanation. He nods
“So… You uhm. Are my brother, but went back in time because the world's ending.. And I’m supposed to believe you..?” Thor asks, to which Loki just gives a slanted smile “Right.. Yeah.. no yeah that makes total sense..” he says, trying his best to sound fully convinced. He believes his brother, sure, but he doesn’t really understand just what he’s believing.
“..whatever, unimportant. I have things to tell you.” He leads Thor to a set of stairs nearby and sits down on them. Ironman flys by, intending to help Thor kick Loki’s ass, but after seeing them civilly talking to one another, he grumbles into the coms something along the lines of ‘Thor and Loki are talking. Steer clear of Stark towers’, Thor definitely heard but ignored it, and then Tony flew away.
“Just so we're clear. I care for you, and love you and do not wish you any harm. But the Loki who will surely return soon does. Er, well he still loves you but he also wishes you harm. It’s complicated, as are many things involving me. ..So when I go away you must still apprehend him and lock him up for many many years.” Loki says, which Thor looks heartbroken by. Loki sees the question on Thor's lips before he even asks ‘why’. “Because if you do not I will kill many, many people.” Loki answers before Thor gets the words out, he nods.
“How will I know it’s no longer you?” Thor asks
“You’ll know. It’ll look like I’m being ripped apart. Quite frankly. As Mobius put it ‘It Looks Like You're Being Born, or Dying, or Both At The Same Time’” Loki assures him, not that it make Thor feel any better. Thor decides to change the subject
“Who’s Mobius?” He questions, only partly interested, but when Loki brushes it off with a “Is that really what’s important right now?” Thor is actually curious. He nods
“A friend.” He says firmly, it’s never been that easy to say something like that, almost as if it was an understatement, so he clarifies “Best friend.” Thor smiles at his, ruffling his hair
“So you have made a friend! Finally you will no longer have to sadly cling to me and my friends!” Thor boasts, only to catch a grim expression on Loki’s face “...I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy hanging out with you! I do! Just that my friends, well.. I don’t think they like you much. You deserve your own people” Thor clarifies
“Not that.. Thor I cannot stay here.. I have to fix the timelines.. I cannot shove this responsibility on someone else...” He continues “Plus, I will not live much longer here. Six years is not worth every universe ceasing to exist..” he looks at Thor with remorse, as if his death is not his own.
Thor snaps his head to Loki “Pardon!? Six??” Thor looks panicked “You mean, surely, you live to 6000.” Thor asks, already knowing the answer, not needing a reply, crumbling in on himself only to get a light smack to the face
“Get over yourself. Just visit me in the cell, you’ll have plenty of time together with me.” Loki swiftly responds, standing up and helping Thor up too. “Now.. to fix this up.” Loki has gained an incredible amount of proficiency in his abilities since he left, technically just hours before. He starts to help kill off the few remaining Chitauri nearby and goes to start fixing the buildings with relative ease, well it was actually pretty difficult but he wouldn’t let Thor see that. Though, after only being able to fix the sign on Stark towers, Thor stops him.
“I will not put you to work when you may only have moments left to be with me. Let us steal Tony’s liquor.” He leads Loki inside but Loki can start to feel his body being torn apart. He rushes to hug Thor but only just gets there, Hearing Thor quickly say “I love you too” before Loki is ripped away from him
He ends up in the time theatre, out of breath but smiling. He grabs the tape of his life, knowing it probably wouldn’t be any different but hoping he’ll be able to see what happened to Thor afterwards, just maybe. He stuffs it in his pocket and starts rushing to find Mobius— anyone really.