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uǝɥdǝʇs (strange) wrote in dunwichgame,
@ 2024-11-20 15:46:00

Entry tags:

!log/thread/narrative, marvel (tv/film): loki laufeyson, marvel (tv/film): stephen strange (au), ∙ plot: november 2024

Stephen

Loki

WHO Stephen & Loki • WHERE Pickman, the roof • WHEN Nov 20th
WARNINGS TBD but extreme feels for sure.

"Be prepared for a different view."

Stephen kept telling himself that he needed to get his eyes checked. Whatever he'd seen over the network, it was just from.. whatever was going on with Dunwich. It sounded like a reasonable explanation, didn't it? Sort of?

Regardless of whatever excuses he could come up with, some part of Stephen hoped that logical side of his brain was wrong. Maybe he wasn't hallucinating. Maybe he really had seen what he thought he'd seen.

But that wasn't possible. The Loki he'd known back at the Crown Plaza was long gone and Stephen was never going to see them again. It had been years at this point. If Stephen was going to figure out how to get back to them, he would have done it by now.

Yet that hope inside of Stephen could never fully die and right now, it was buzzing inside of him.

Stephen loved Loki in every universe, that much had become evident to him. He loved the Loki that lived here in Dunwich and would probably love any version he came across. But Stephen would forever be particularly attached to the one that married him so of course his hand was shaking a little as he formed that portal with his sling ring, taking him up to the roof.

Be prepared for a different view, Loki had warned him. And, of course, Loki could have meant the view outside. It was very 1900 out there, which could be unsettling. Stephen stepped out onto the roof and yes, it was different up there. The roofing tiles under his feet had changed, the view in the distance less modern. But Stephen wasn't looking at the neighboring buildings. He was looking at Loki.

He froze, the tea he'd been carrying dropped onto the Pickman roof. Either this was a really, really cruel trick or his mind was messing with him, because there was no way he was seeing what he thought he saw. "Loki?"

CODING

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timevariant
2024-11-20 10:10 pm UTC (link)

Loki had chosen their words wisely, several meanings all rolled up into one package that had, somehow, managed to look dismissive in writing.

Being snarky had always come easily, no matter what timeline. And Loki could now say that more definitely than -- well. Possibly anyone. Mobius included. They'd woken to a head full of things they hadn't gone to sleep with, and while it would take some sorting it had been imperative to begin the unraveling here.

Which was why it was, admittedly, less easy to be as snarkily dismissive as usual when Strange finally made it up to the roof -- telltale signs of his ridiculous teleportation method sparking out behind him, cup of tea in hand.

Well. Not in hand anymore, actually.

Loki rose an eyebrow over the shattered ceramic, but couldn't even manage real disappointment. "Maybe," they said after a moment, tucking an errant strand of hair behind their ear, "A milkshake next time."

It felt abnormal to feel nervous, but there it was nonetheless. "Stephen."

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strange
2024-11-20 10:27 pm UTC (link)

Something shifted behind Stephen's eyes. Whatever doubts or reservations he had, they were already melting away. Loki had mentioned a milkshake. Which sort of implied, "You remember me."

His brain was still catching up to what was going on, trying desperately to accept all of this as real. Stephen's heart, on the other hand, was already way ahead of him. Stephen crossed that roof as fast as his feet could carry him, scooping Loki into his arms and hugging them tight, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

He wanted to ask how this was possible, but maybe the how didn't matter right now. For what felt like a long time, Stephen could not speak. All he could do was hug Loki, terrified of letting them go.

"How long -" When Stephen finally did speak, his voice cracked, broken by the sudden lump in his throat. "How long has it been since you last saw me?"

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timevariant
2024-11-20 10:44 pm UTC (link)

"Well, you're a part of it," Loki said dryly, because yes, they remembered. A lot. A different lifetime. A different world, and then another, too.

Frankly, it was a lot. Lesser men and gods would have crumbled under the weight of it all. Maybe Loki might have too, if given enough time. But it was easier, standing, when someone else was doing the hard work of holding them up.

If only for a little bit, even.

Their fingers wrinkled the fabric of Stephen's shirt, a hug returned easily.

The question, on the other hand, not so easily answered. "I don't know," Loki admitted after a moment, leaning back to squint at Stephen, like looking might make sleuthing out an answer a simpler task. It was not. "Time is a construct," they decided, bland.

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strange
2024-11-21 05:11 am UTC (link)

Stephen's mind was racing a mile a minute. From the sound of things, Loki's experience seemed similar to his own - they had gone back to their own timeline after the Crown Plaza. Stephen wondered what all Loki had lived through in that time after the hotel. What all they'd seen, what all they'd done. But there would be time to ask about that later.

Or at least, Stephen hoped. For all he knew, Loki was only here for a brief moment in time and the very idea caused his heart to ache. Stephen reached out, cupping Loki's cheek in his hand. "It's been a few years for me," he spoke, studying Loki's face, "But I remember everything."

That lump in his throat only felt worse, despite Stephen very slowly feeling better. Loki was right here in front of him. He could touch them, hear their voice. And they remembered him. Tears finally blurred his vision. He couldn't hold in in a beat longer. "I've missed you."

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timevariant
2024-11-21 05:33 am UTC (link)

There would be time to ask and answer questions later. At least, the same amount of time that Loki would have assumed they'd have yesterday, or even the day before. Nothing in Dunwich was certain, but Loki had always been of the mind that if they were determined even that wouldn't be a thing to stop them.

"I know," Loki said, of Stephen remembering, because they'd sleuthed that out many months ago. "I remember." Strange had avoided Loki -- this one, the other one -- all the same now, somehow -- for weeks. "You were insufferable." It had made him interesting.

Loki tipped their head into that open palm, closed their eyes for a moment, taking it in. "I've been here," was not the comfort that it was meant to be, but it was at least partially true, and Loki offered what they could. "I'm here now."

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strange
2024-11-21 06:02 am UTC (link)

It took a moment for Loki's words to register. And when they did, Stephen's jaw nearly hit the floor. This wasn't just his Loki. It was also the Loki that resided here in Dunwich. The question of how nearly popped right out of his mouth, but he caught himself before it did. Never ask how in Dunwich. There simply wasn't an explanation for it.

"I have so many questions," was what he decided on instead, using the back of his hand to wipe both tears and the look of shock off his face, "I don't even know where to start."

So if there were two Lokis inside of that subconscious, Stephen couldn't even begin to imagine how they were handling all of this. The look on his face became concerned as he asked, "Are you okay?"

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timevariant
2024-11-21 06:12 am UTC (link)

There might have been some severity to the moment, but there was never a bad time to relish the idiot look on Stephen's face when he was surprised by something. It was wholly endearing, Loki thought, not without a great deal of bias.

"I don't know I could answer them," Loki admitted, rubbing the tip of their palm against their chin, dramatically thoughtful. Well, always a little dramatic. Maybe more so now.

They were not okay. For many reasons. But Loki was nothing if not good at lying. "It's lucky I've got plenty of experience traversing timelines," they said after a beat, one shoulder lifted dismissively. Not something they'd get away with, unless Stephen allowed it, most likely. "We have other problems now anyway." Considering, this was not the Dunwich any of them had gone to sleep in last night.

It felt trivial, compared, but Loki thought they should probably pretend to care.

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strange
2024-11-22 09:07 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, this?" He glanced over his shoulder, watching a horse-drawn carriage pass on the street below. It did feel trivial in comparison. At least it did to Stephen. "We'll figure it out. We always do, don't we?" Or ignore it until it passed over. Or didn't. Dunwich was going to Dunwich, just like that stupid hotel.

Stephen reached out, gently taking Loki's hand. "It would be cooler if there were dinosaurs down there, wouldn't it?" A smile tugged at his lips. The Crown Plaza really had thrown them into some peculiar situations. If they could survive dinosaurs and giant insects, they could survive 1900 Massachusetts.

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timevariant
2024-11-23 12:03 am UTC (link)

There was a lot of that. Ignoring things until they passed and things went back to normal. But time travel hadn't been involved so far, at least in Loki's recollection. Still. It was different, and they probably had to give it some attention.

Stephen and Loki were nothing if not experts in different kinds of time, after all.

Loki twined their fingers together, turned Stephen's over, observing the lack of jewelry that'd once been there. Loki supposed they'd had a ring once, too. "I do miss having options of things to feed you to," Loki said wryly.

And then: "How many lifetimes do you suppose any one person can have taking up space in their brain?"

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strange
2024-11-25 08:41 pm UTC (link)

A laugh huffed out of him, followed by a smile that absolutely reached his hazel eyes. He had missed the way Loki talked to him. Threats and all.

Stephen had seen where Loki's gaze had wandered. He often thought about how much he missed having a ring on that finger. But that ring - as so many other things - had been lost to the Crown Plaza.

"Any one person?" Stephen lifted his brows. "Any one person can barely handle their own lifetime. I know I wouldn't want another Strange rattling around up here," he spoke, his free hand tapping his temple, "But you? You're not just anyone. Why, is it more than just the two of you in there?"

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timevariant
2024-11-26 02:59 am UTC (link)

It was true enough that this version of Loki was a bit more youthful with their threats and snark, and had always saw fit to be more demanding, too.

Strange had never seemed to mind so much as encourage it. Certainly that had goaded Loki on, in a way.

"I am, of course, very capable," Loki agreed, not without some pomp before shrugging that off, less inclined to be full of themselves as usual. There was a lot to think about. "Not really," they said. "But those two lives weren't especially linear. This me wasn't even my first life." Not that it hadn't been for the best, letting go of all that darkness and age.

Not really the point. "I'll make sense of it eventually," they went on, sure of that. "For now, I just wanted to see you."

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strange
2024-11-26 03:59 am UTC (link)

"Mm, well, as your husband, I'm here to help you make sense of it, if you need me." Stephen gave Loki's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He knew that being married didn't necessarily make their bond stronger. But at the same time, Stephen had absolutely meant his vows. He was here to support his partner, especially when things were tough.

I just wanted to see you. It was such a simple thing, yet it managed to pull at something deep within Strange. All he had wanted for years was to see that face again. Now here they were. Needless to say, the feeling was exceptionally mutual. Stephen leaned in, closing his eyes and resting their foreheads together. "I can't believe you're here," he whispered, his touch smoothing up Loki's arm. "I'm going to be straight up intolerable for the foreseeable future. Clingy doesn't even begin to cover it."

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timevariant
2024-11-26 04:07 am UTC (link)

Oh. Loki bit their lower lip, a little surprised at how warming that was to hear. And maybe a bit surprising too. Like something new and exciting and time tested, all at once.

What mattered most, really, was that Loki believed him when he said so, when he volunteered himself for help.

Loki didn't respond, but they did step in a little closer, fingers finding their way to Stephen's shoulders. "Oh, Stephen," Loki said, bemused. "You were already insufferable."

It wasn't so, but Loki wouldn't have been Loki if they hadn't said so. They soothed the snark by closing the slight space between them for a kiss.

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strange
2024-11-26 05:05 am UTC (link)

Stephen would try not to be overbearing. He'd try not to follow Loki around every waking moment of the day. But to a degree, he felt like he wasn't entirely in the wrong here. He had just gotten his partner back after believing they'd be gone forever. It would be difficult to let Loki out of his sight until the shock wore off.

Until then, though, it seemed like Loki was willing to put up with him. Stephen was more than happy to lean into that kiss, his hand caressing the small of Loki's back.

"Think I could talk you into coming down off the roof for a little while?" The question was asked softly, his nose brushing the tip of Loki's. He wasn't trying to sound suggestive, but he was hoping to have Loki in his arms for a short while. They had some lost time to make up for, after all.

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timevariant
2024-11-26 05:17 am UTC (link)

Stephen would try, and probably fail at least for a little while. But it was expected and for the most part, Loki found it endearing.

There were worse things in the multiverse, after all, than someone loving them unconditionally and proving it often. Loki smiled, lips still against Stephen's. Being close was easy -- nothing new, not for any of their recent lifetimes.

There were things that Loki needed to do. They needed to see that Pickman House was in order for an influx of people. Explore the town and see if there were magical mysteries to be solved. They needed to talk to Mobius, assuming Mobius would let them.

But for now -- "You could try," Loki said, which was as good as acceptance and they both knew it. "My house is gone though," they lamented. "So it's a Pickman room, for the time being."

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	strange 2024-11-26 05:30 am UTC (link)
	"Mm, our Pickman room." 1900s Pickman certainly wasn't glamorous, but Stephen didn't need glamorous to feel at home. He gave Loki's hand a playful tug. "The Cloak of Levitation is going to freak." In the best way possible. The cloak certainly hadn't forgotten them, either. (Reply to this) (Parent)