WHAT: Kate tells Mobius her big moving plans WHERE: Mobius and Loki's New Asgard cottage WHEN: Day after Kate and Elsa's talk WARNINGS: Nothing major STATUS: Complete
Kate was still floating on a giddy high after she and Elsa had come to the decision to move in together, officially. She knew it wouldn’t really be all that different — she had as good as lived with her girlfriend for months already. Her trips back to what was officially home (Loki and Mobius’s) had dropped pretty sharply recently, down to once or twice a week, if that.
So, she wasn’t expecting to surprise Mobius with this news or anything. And honestly, she was feeling so good about it that even if he reacted badly, she could handle it. Probably. She didn’t like the thought of disappointing him, of course, but she knew him well enough that it wasn’t high on her mental list of possibilities.
And it wasn’t a big deal, right? She was only moving down the road, and she wasn’t going to just fall off the face of the earth. Or, well, Vallo, whatever it may be.
The heat wave had died down, but it was still hot outside, and the humidity was no joke. Stepping into the cool of the cottage was a relief on her too-hot skin. Licorice came trotting over to greet her, and she immediately scooped him up and kissed his head.
“Mobius!” she called out. “You here?” She headed a little deeper into the house, headed toward the library. She figured she had a fifty-fifty chance of finding him there.
Living by the ocean had its advantages - the coolness of the sea breeze was one of them, at least to Mobius. Because it soothed flushed faces and carried the aroma of salt, of freedom, of something briny and yet something that also brought him comfort - he was born to live by the sea, meant for it, and that jetski was practically an extension of him by this point. Perfect time of year to take that Brigitte-crafted beauty out for a spin too, and he was just in the process of putting on his wetsuit and gathering his supplies (packing a beach bag was important - you needed sunblock, a life jacket, maybe a flashlight and other tools; he was always prepared) when he heard Kate calling for him.
His trajectory shifted a little, and he wandered out to greet her. “Hey, you,” he grinned a bit, a carefree and crooked smile with ruffled silvery hair to boot and a spark in his eye - what could he say, now that he finally got a chance to live his jetskiing dreams he was doing so to the fullest. “I’m here - what do you need?”
He was used to her coming in and out and didn’t mind - didn’t mind that she was spending a lot of time at Elsa’s cottage either. After everything he and Loki had been through, Mobius appreciated the opportunity to sort of settle down a little - just being with the person you loved was important, because every day felt like a gift around here. Gifts you shouldn’t squander.
“Oh, wow.” Kate chuckled, face splitting into a smile when he came out to meet her. She should have expected he’d be raring to take the jetski out, now that it was weather-appropriate again. She’d only heard tales of the legendary jetski up until recently when he could actually start taking it out. And leaving right on the ocean was definitely a plus when that was one of your biggest passions.
“Uh, I was actually hoping to talk to you for a minute. Do you have time to sit or are you meeting someone?” She knew he’d taken Alex out with him a couple of times, so she didn’t want to hold him up. There wasn’t anything urgent about what she needed to say.
“Not meeting anyone,” Mobius replied - sometimes he went with Alex, sometimes with Loki. Or more like he’d gone with Loki once and his partner had decided that jet skiing really wasn’t for him - which was fine. They didn’t need to both be obsessed - the fact that Loki had tried it for Mobius was what mattered; it was just a good thing that the expertly crafted jet ski beauty was solid and sturdy and probably a little bit special - it could withstand the weight of a deceptively heavy Frost Giant and his Midgardian lover.
The wetsuit was comfortable enough to walk around in - he always walked to the beach suited up, in fact, because it was right there. The village was small too, not like it took a ton of time to get from Point A to Point B. “We can go sit on the porch?” he suggested. It was covered and opened up right to the kitchen, so sometimes Mobius would leave the doors open too - when the weather was decent, and not too hot. But the breeze made the atmosphere pleasant regardless and it was an equally pleasant scene all around - the porch was as quaint as the cottage itself, with baskets of flowers and geraniums crawling this way and that.
“What’s on your mind, kiddo?” She wasn’t really a kid, but. It was simply his affectionate nickname for her.
Porch it was. Kate nodded and followed Mobius out, settling onto the cushioned bench beside him. It was nice out here, close to the water and getting that nice salty sea breeze. It was a nice reprieve from some of the heat, not like the stifling heat dead in the middle of the city. And the plants were nice, too — she knew Loki worked hard to keep those maintained, and the flowers added some extra nice scents.
“Well,” she began, turning to look at him while she spoke, “Elsa and I are gonna move in together. Which means I’ll be officially moving out. Obviously.” There was no point beating around the bush here. It was best to just get it out there, but it was still apparent she was kind of nervous. And if it wasn’t, well —
“And I just want you to know it’s not because I don’t love you or want to be here with you, but I just am so crazy about her, and I don’t want to pass up on any chance I can to be happy here. And there’ve just been so many disappearances lately, you know?”
There was a little bit of a jittery smile at the end there as she realized how nuts she probably sounded. Oops
Honestly, Mobius expected that this was coming - he wasn’t particularly surprised, not really. And of course he’d support whatever Kate wanted to do - besides the fact that she was a grown woman, he also cared a lot about her. When you cared about someone you wanted what was best for them - it wasn’t about him, it was about her living her life to the fullest because back home was sort of a dumpster fire for her. She had Clint and his family - but she’d also been responsible for sending her mother to prison, and that wound was fresh. It created a rift between mother and daughter even if Kate had done the right thing - taking time away from that to learn how to process it, to heal, wasn’t a bad thing at all.
And she was happy being with Elsa and her newfound family while she began to come into her own as a hero - there was no multiverse-wide mission going on with her in their world either, but street-level stuff was important too and the gods knew New York City was a place that needed heroes looking out for the well-being of the little guys who couldn’t look out for themselves.
“Well, hey, you’re not moving to Timbuktu or anything,” he chuckled. “Just down the road, right? It’s alright, you know. I want you to do what makes you happy. As long as we get our bowling nights sometimes - or you just come over for dinner so I can practice those cooking class skills on you. I’d miss you otherwise.”
He glanced at her fondly. “So you two are pretty serious, huh?”
“Both, please,” Kate said, relief plain in her voice and on her face when she grinned. She’d suddenly dropped into hyper-worried mode for some reason, but this was really what she’d expected the whole time. Mobius’s support meant the world to her, and she was happy to have it. She could chill for real now and just settle in, enjoy his company for a few more minutes before he went off to ride those waves on his fancy jet ski.
She shrugged a shoulder, her smile only widening when her cheeks warmed. “Yeah, I guess it is,” she confirmed. “Lately, especially, it’s gotten into more serious stuff.”
Sex, specifically, but she wasn’t going to delve too deeply into that. There were some things even a Vallo-dad didn’t need to know.
Both it was, then. Mobius certainly didn’t mind - he’d become pretty attached to Kate and that was no secret. The last thing he wanted was to deny her a chance to actually be serious with someone, or not be supportive of that - and he could sort of guess what ‘more serious stuff’ meant but he definitely didn’t need details. Not like he was sharing those with her or anything, regarding what he and Loki tended to get up to behind closed doors.
She’d probably scream and run away, so, all of that was best left unsaid.
“Well, I think you’re pretty great together,” he said about her blossoming relationship with their fellow New Asgard transplant. “I know it’s hard to sort of consider getting serious here, or settling, because every time one of those disappearance lists pops up it feels like hell, but. I still think it’s good to try. We should try.” And keep trying, even when it seemed impossible and like nothing would work.
“Oh yeah,” Kate agreed with a small chuckle. “It’s not easy, but we agreed we weren’t going to let that stop us from going for it. I’d rather be happy while I’m here and have no regrets than be afraid to make connections because I might get thrown out of here someday. I wouldn’t have her or you if I hadn’t tried.”
She couldn’t say she didn’t understand the temptation, though. Maybe some people found it easier to isolate themselves while they were here. From the very beginning, it was made clear none of this was necessarily permanent. It could be, but it could just as easily not; it was all a toss-up, a game of chance.
Luckily, Kate had never really let risks stop her from doing what she felt was right or, hell, what she wanted. Elsa was someone she wanted, and even if she left tomorrow, before they ever got to move in together, she would be happy. She’d remember they were together and they loved each other, and that mattered more than anything.
“Thanks for getting it.” She reached out to grab Mobius’s hand and give it a squeeze. “You’ve been so amazing to me from, like, literally day one. That means everything to me. Still the best Vallo-dad a girl could ask for.”
Oh no, he was going to get all emotional. Previously, Mobius didn’t really believe he had any natural inclination toward parenting - he simply didn’t think about it, not while with the TVA. Didn’t consider that he may have had a family someplace, once upon a timeline elsewhere - he’d been focused on the job and dedicated, though the occasions when he did get to interact with children out in the field he found he had a knack for it. Maybe it was a natural sort of skill, or natural empathy and compassion at play - but as soon as Ymir showed up in their lives, having tumbled into his and Loki’s house from the future, Mobius knew that there wasn’t really any other role he felt meant to slip into.
So he squeezed Kate’s hand in return, then tossed his arm around her to draw her closer so he could give her something of a side hug. “I do get it,” he assured. “I know it sounds crazy but - I fell in love with Loki by watching his reels, his life. I studied him for the equivalent of a thousand years and then when we finally met it was a whole whirlwind - I’d have given anything to actually build something with him and now that we’re here there’s no way in hell I’d let go of it easily.”
He ruffled Kate’s hair a little too, just because it was probably in the Dad handbook someplace. Maybe on page seven or something. “I’ll be your Vallo-dad as long as you let me.” If that meant a place to sleep or pumpkin gnocchi (one of the first things he’d made for her! One of the first cooking class assignments!) then so be it. Whatever was required or necessary, or even whatever she wanted.
Kate didn’t fight that side-hug for a single second; the breeze was enough to keep it from feeling too hot to tolerate, and she liked hugs, anyway. Especially Mobius’s, he gave good ones. The dad thing with him felt natural, made her miss her own dad even more but in a good, fond sort of way. No way she was turning that feeling (or the offer of food) away any time soon.
“Thanks.” She pulled back and ruffled his hair right back with a big grin. “I’d prefer to keep you, so yeah. You better stick around or I’ll be sad.”
She hesitated for just a moment, considering if she wanted to ask her next question or not, before she just went for it. “Was it weird? Meeting Loki after…watching him? I know it wasn’t necessarily meant in a creepy stalker way, but…I mean, you knew a lot about him, and it must have been kinda strange, right? For him, maybe?”
“It was a little weird,” Mobius admitted. “Probably for him - to have someone who knows all about your life and has seen every moment of it, the best and the worst. But maybe it was also weirdly comforting in a way too? Because I was ready to stick my neck out for him, defend him and believe in him - I don’t think he really had that from much of anyone before.” Besides Frigga, but even their relationship had soured toward the end which was something Mobius knew Loki regretted.
And, yeah, he also didn’t downplay all the terrible things Loki had done - you could partially blame it on the scepter enhancing the darkness that swirled within him already, the bad feelings and the jealousy and the simmering rage at basically being lied to and raised to hate what he was, but a lot of that was him. He’d been responsible for destruction and maybe there really wasn’t a way to apologize for that - not with words. Words were always a start, of course, but with that much devastation it became more about acceptance and responsibility - and being better. And continuing on.
Mobius believed Loki could do that - and so far, he was. “I’m glad it all turned out the way it did. The TVA needed to fall - living a lie, taking away people’s free will...it isn't right.”
The Loki-and-Mobius situation wasn’t quite the same as what Kate had initially worried about with Elsa. At home, she knew Elsa from a movie — she was literally a fictional character from an animated kids’ film. And Kate knew things about her, yes, but it wasn’t to the same level that Mobius knew Loki. It made her feel a little better, actually. Not that Elsa had ever seemed terribly uncomfortable with Kate knowing certain bits of her history; there was still a lot to share, and Kate never assumed to know her better than she knew herself so it worked out well.
It was just a little concern, something that niggled on her brain on occasion. But it was easy to put her worries at ease when Mobius had known Loki so much more intimately and that had worked out just fine.
“You know it’s not your fault,” she told Mobius, nudging him with a shoulder and meeting his gaze. “You weren’t responsible for what the TVA did, and as soon as you figured out that what was happening was wrong, you did something about it. That makes you a hero if you ask me.”
She didn’t know every detail of what had happened with the TVA and He Who Remains, but she and Mobius had brushed over the subject before. It sounded to her like that agency being gone was for the best, especially given what they were doing. Taking people’s free will, seriously? This guy really thought he was a god, hadn’t he?
It was true - as soon as Mobius realized that everything had been a lie, that he was a variant with a life that had been taken from him, he switched paths immediately. He stood up for what was right and refused to continue on with living that lie too, even if it was technically easier - so much of the TVA fell apart, and even staunch Timekeeper rule followers like Ravonna had their foundations shaken with the reveal. When it became clear that the TVA had deceived them all.
“Well, you’re more of an expert on heroism than me so I’ll take your word for it,” he grinned, in that crinkly-eyed kind of way. The kind that dug into laugh lines he was beginning to carve out more and more (better than stress wrinkles). “Thanks though. I guess you don’t need to be able to shoot fire from your hands to be a hero.”
Would be kind of cool if he could though.
“All you need is your zappy stick and your fancy Timedoors and you’re good,” Kate teased him. “But fire? Cool but unnecessary.” If that was a skill that could be taught, she’d be knocking on Captain Marvel’s door already, but she wasn’t really feeling a freak accident just to be able to blast things to pieces.
“Got room for one more on that jet ski? I can get my wetsuit on and join you.” She’d spent some time surfing (badly but still) on the West Coast in her life, so she’d bought herself a suit just in case she decided to pick it up again. The jet ski would be more fun, though — high speeds!
Did he have room on that jet ski? Absolutely. Mobius was always ready to hop on board with a companion - he’d go by himself and have no problem doing so, but it was always more fun with a friend or loved one. “For you? I definitely do,” he replied, and practically jumped up from the front porch. Now he’d just have to resist the urge to run to the ocean but he’d wait patiently for Kate to put her wetsuit on and they’d go out there to take a ride, salt spray on their faces and the sun warming everything.
“Go change, kiddo. I’ll be right here.”
Seemed like a good way to wind down - or rev up with the adrenaline, but both were fine too. Mobius always jumped those waves so she better hold on. Maybe beyond the boring suits and the silvery hair there was a bit of a thrillseeker in him yet.