Clock's Ticking

Blanket

After we find the other Lokis we find a place to really plan out Sylvie's enchantment of Alioth. We end up in a house that has seen much better days, it is basically just the cement walls standing at this point, but there are a couple chairs and what looks like a couch that has since lost it's legs. Classic Loki and Mobius are sitting and talking about Croki, while the Child Loki and I sit on the broken couch, him laying with his head in my lap and I'm surprised he isn't asleep yet. I don't know why, but I feel very maternal toward him.

Mobius and Classic Loki watch Croki as he walks across the room, "you really don't remember him?"

"I mean, the TVA arrested a lot of Lokis," Mobius shrugs, "but, no, I don't remember an alligator. I mean, who's to say he's even a Loki Variant?"

"He's green, isn't he?"

"I don't know, he could be lying. The long con."

I chuckle as Croki cuddles up next to me, as he does I place a hand on his back, "wouldn't that just make him more likely to be a Loki?"

"That's true, it's always the game within the game with these guys, which I respect."

"That is true," as I saw this, I brush some of the hair out of Child Loki's face and he turns up to me with a smile.

"Well, it looks like most Lokis have a fondness for you."

I shrug, as I do Child Loki turns in my lap again and looks to Mobius, "Mobius, assuming you and Kamaria do get back to the TVA, what exactly are you getting yourselves into?"

"I don't know. I'd like to let people know the truth."

I nod, "but there are people who won't want others to know."

Classic Loki shakes his head as if he is bewildered by our attitude, "so just like that, you're turning on the very thing you devoted your life to."

"Well," Mobius shrugs and smiles to me, "it's never too late to change."

"I hope they know what they're doing," Child Loki sighs, referring to Loki end Sylvie who are planning a couple yards away from us, outside in the grass.

I take a deep breath and gently rub his cheek, "so do I."

"Shouldn't you be out there, helping them plan."

"Yeah, well, you'd have to get up first."

Child Loki nods and smiles like he is contemplating getting up so I can go to Loki and Sylvie. Soon though he gets up and I stand up, walking out into the field surrounding the house. Seeing Loki and Sylvie talking, soon they hear me making my way through the tall grass and they both turn. Sylvie smiling, "there she is," she stands up. "I think I should take this as my queue to leave."

"No, you don't have to leave," I shake my head and put my hands out in front of me.

"Don't worry, we have everything planned out."

With that Sylvie walks back to the structure with the others inside. I smile to Loki who is still sitting in the grass, he then glances to the spot Sylvie had been in, "care to join me?"

I shrug, "can't see why not."

I sit next to him and look out over the landscape. The rolling hills would be beautiful if it wasn't for a murderous cloud monster. We sit there for a few minutes in silence before Loki glances around, "it's cold."

"Mmm-hmm."

With a wave of his hand and a flash of green Loki makes a blanket appear around himself. He looks over to me as he wraps himself up, "I could conjure one for you, if you like."

"You could conjure me a new outfit," I look down at my TVA uniform, which is slacks and a blue shirt. My only saving grace is I changed into my boots before we left to check Roxxcart and never changed back into my heels. "I mean, this is kind of embarrassing, but we are basically wearing the same thing." Loki chuckles and soon we fall silent again, "so... Mobius and his theory about..."

"Right, right. About our nexus event."

"It's ridiculous, right?"

"Absolutely, of course, I mean..."

"I don't mean that it wasn't a nice moment."

"No, it was great. It was really nice. It was, it was great."

"It just sounds like another TVA lie."

"A hundred percent. I mean, totally, yeah."

I have to say I'm a little sour about Loki's attitude toward this and I want to tell him how I feel and that I truly do care about him. I sigh, "I don't know how to do this."

"I don't even know what we're doing."

I chuckle as I look over to him, "I don't have... a lot of real experience with people..."

"Well... there are more important things, right?"

"Right? Yeah. Like, like, helping Sylvie bring down the TVA."

"Saving the universe, when you think about it."

"Well, there's no need to be dramatic, but, yeah, kind of." I cross my arms and hug myself a bit, getting a bit cold. As I do, I see Loki wave his hand before there's a flash of green and when it passes the blanket is around both of us. I move over a bit, stopping when I feel his arm against mine and I smile. "It's not very snuggly."

Loki chuckles, "okay."

"It's a tablecloth."

"No," he answers with a slight whine in his voice, "it's a blanket."

"Okay," I chuckle, "thank you."

"My pleasure," Loki looks over to me, his face angled down and his eyes angled up.

I move close to him, close to placing my forehead against his. I want to kiss him, but I can't. I take a deep breath and ask a very pressing question, "how do I know that, in the final moments, you won't betray me or Sylvie?"

Loki shifts a little bit, turning his body toward me a bit more, "listen, Kamaria, I..." He takes a large breath before letting out a deep sigh. "I betrayed everyone who ever loved me. I betrayed my father, my brother... my home. I know what I did. And I know why I did it. And that's not who I am anymore. Okay? I won't let you down."

"You sure? Cause, if the two of you make it, and the TVA is gone. There might be a timeline for you to rule."

"Ah. And then I'd finally be happy." Loki smiles. I smile back, knowing that's what he really wants, but I sigh, since I'm sadden by the thought that I couldn't make him truly happy. "What about you? What will you do when this is all over?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know either. Maybe... maybe we could figure it out... together."

"Maybe."

As Loki and I sit there the storm begins to get closer and I hear Sylvie call out, "come on you two, it's almost time to go."