#tva!lokixoc

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. I suggest listening to Creep by Rediohead (or Kelly Clarkson's cover)

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Part 2 here

When he saw her one day, wandering through the shelves of the TVA library, he thought she was a ghost. Loki would have sworn it was her but not exactly her. There was something different; her hair, for example, was brown, not red, and she was much more smiling than he remembered. Loki initially had doubts about whether it was her, but then he spent days observing her—watching how she furrowed her brows when concentrating on reading a file, how she leaned against the railing to gaze at the city suspended in time, how she always chose apple pie in the cafeteria. Every day was a stab to his heart until he decided to approach her.

"Miss Princhett," Loki approached the cafeteria table carrying a cup of tea for himself and a cup of coffee. "May I join you?" he offered her the cup.

Lydia Princhett. Shield agent. She had red hair and a stern face. Died in 2012.

"Of course, even though I don't think we've ever been introduced," she grabbed the cup, giving him a slight smile. Loki tightened his lips.

Lydia Princhett. Consultant at the TVA. She had brown hair and a relaxed expression.

"I'm Loki, from Asgard."

"I know," she brought the cup to her lips, and for a moment, Loki was filled with hope. "Everyone knows about the new consultant with Mobius," she laughed almost mockingly. "I'm a consultant too. I was supposed to be disposed of, but in my timeline I was a bounty hunter, and they thought I could be useful," she shrugged.

Loki knew. That's why he’d kept her. No one knew better than her how to find someone and, conversely, how to hide them.

"And are you? Useful?"

"I sincerely hope so, otherwise, I don't think they'll wait long before getting rid of me," she chuckled lightly.

Loki remembered the first time he heard her laugh. He had tried to make a toast and burnt himself. Her laughter sounded like a bell, and the burn was absolutely worth it.

But none of that had ever happened for her.

That Lydia had never fought against him, lost, and spat at his feet, telling him how he would never be feared and respected like Odin.

She had never tended to his wounds after a fight, even under coercion.

She had never looked at him with pity when she realized that, in turn, Loki was under someone else's influence.

She had never agreed to hear his story and had never told hers.

"What was your Nexus event?" Loki didn't think before speaking; it just came out.

"Don't you think that's too personal a question?" Lydia raised an eyebrow but decided to answer anyway. "I decided not to go to work one day; I had absurd cramps," she leaned closer, whispering and eliciting a light laugh from both of them. "I didn't think the world would change much just by not going to work for one day."

Loki tilted his head. "When was it?"

Lydia shrugged. "I don't know exactly how long ago, time is a mess here, but it was in 2012."

Loki nodded, lips pressed into a line.

That Lydia had never known him, and she had never been a causality during the New York attack.

There was a moment of silence in which she observed him, and Loki felt tiny under her gaze. It seemed like she was analyzing his soul, exposing every secret.

"Do you know me, Loki of Asgard?" Lydia tilted her head, offering a smile.

He looked at her for a second. "No."

"But did you know me?"

Loki didn't answer, lowering his gaze.

Lydia finished her coffee, placing the cup on the table and sighed before standing up. "Well, thanks for the coffee; it was delightful," she gave him a forced smile and began walking towards the exit. Loki opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Lydia stopped after a few steps.

"For what it's worth," she turned to him, "I'd like to get to know you, Loki of Asgard."

Loki gave her a slight smile, the saddest he had ever made, and with a nod, he bid farewell to her ghost before finishing his tea and returning to work.

#fanfic #loki series #loki laufeyson #loki season 2 #loki x reader #loki #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc

[ao3feed-lokiangst]

Loki's ONE

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3jOPJqx

by PonderRose

ONE is the last remaining Kang variant left, and Kang is determined to eliminate her. Raised by variants of Rocket and Groot, the three constantly have to go from timeline to timeline to avoid the TVA (which Kang created in part to find ONE). While in a hurricane in Alabama, ONE meets Loki, who becomes determined to help her. No Sylvie. LokixOC. Other marvel character variants. Enjoy!

Words: 1108, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Loki (TV 2021), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Kang the Conqueror, Time-Keepers (Marvel), Rocket Raccoon, Groot (Marvel), Erik Killmonger, He Who Remains (Loki TV), Mobius M. Mobius, Kid Loki (Loki TV), Classic Loki (Loki TV), Boastful Loki (Loki TV), Alligator Loki (Loki TV)

Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3jOPJqx

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #loki #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe #angst

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 10: It ain't fair.

My personal suggestion for this chapeter is Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles

Part 1 here - part 11 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

TAG LIST: @kats72

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021

Brad had led Mobius and Loki to Sylvie and had reaveld Dox’s plan to fix the damage to the sacred timeline.

The pruning of timelines carried out by Dox had been an effective genocide, but it had allowed them to gain time and narrow down the field to find Renslayer and Miss Minutes.

"We have a trace on Renslayer's tempad," Lydia announced, approaching Mobius's desk, followed by Casey.

"In fact, we have two," the latter clarified.

"Where are they?" Mobius urged.

"Chicago, 1868 and 1893," Casey handed a folder with all the details to Mobius.

"Is there anything relevant?"

"The 1893 Chicago World's Fair, but it wasn't particularly exciting, there was electricity and a pavilion run by women," Lydia shrugged.

"And is it important?" Loki asked, whom Lydia had been trying to ignore all along.

"If you had studied, you would know that they were very avant-garde things for the time," Lydia replied with a hint of venom before turning to Mobius. "I'll leave the operational part to you, let me know if you need anything else" she said before turning around and walking away.

"What did you do to her?" Mobius whispered to Loki.

"Nothing."

"It's never nothing," Casey interjected. "It's just that you don't know what it is."

"If I were you, I'd find out before she comes up with a way to prune us and make it look like an accident," Mobius urged.

Loki rolled his eyes before grabbing his coat and running after her.

---

"May I know what's wrong?" he asked once he caught up with her outside the control room.

"Nothing," Lydia shrugged without turning towards him.

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you," she retorted without even looking up in his direction.

"Is it about the milkshake?" [A/N: I'm just Ken playing in the background]

Lydia froze in place and turned to Loki.

"You know, Loki, I don't think you've ever had a milkshake." She took a step towards him, causing him to step back. "They're small drinks" she took another step "fresh, fruity," another step, "not over five foot six with a crooked haircut and smelling of fried food."

Loki found himself stuck between her and the empty corridor wall.

"Are you talking about Sylvie?"

"Are you talking about Sylvie?" she mocked him. "Of course I'm talking about Sylvie."

"Wait a second... are you jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she took a step back, "what should I be jealous of?"

Loki grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him and reversing their positions so that she was pinned between the wall and his body.

"If it's not jealousy, then what is it?" he looked down at her.

"I don't like her," Lydia tried to hold his gaze as she felt her legs turn to jelly. "She's a viper."

"Strange," Loki breathed against her face as he saw her chest rise and fall faster and faster. "Even Mobius doesn't like her, yet he doesn't avoid me."

"I'm your friend, I care about you," despite Lydia's attempt to sound convincing as she held his gaze, her voice almost sounded like a whisper.

"Is that what we are, Lydia?" Loki leaned dangerously close to her. "Friends?"

"Aren't we?" her voice trembled as she unconsciously tilted her face up towards his.

"Ok, Casanova, we don't have time for this," Mobius grabbed Loki by the shoulder, pulling him away and causing him to stumble backward. "Mobius?!" Loki looked at him.

Lydia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as her face flushed various shades of red.

"Come on, we had little time before and certainly it hasn't increased," Mobius started walking.

Loki sighed, following him, and in doing so, glanced at Lydia, finding her blushing, with her mouth slightly open and her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was a work of art.

Turning around, Loki slipped on his coat, pleased with himself for causing all that beauty, and ran a finger over his lips, wondering if hers were at least half as soft as they seemed.

Basically the essence of situationships. Where you just can't be jelous 'cause he ain't ya boyfriend. But com'on. Y'all clearly made for eachother. If you agree, you're welcome to apply to the delulu club, I'm president. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading, I accept suggestions 'cause I'm unsure about my ability to write streamier scenes. Let me know if anyone's interested in being added to the tag list.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 6: The Night We Parted.

This chapter's musical suggestion is Love of my life by Queen.

Part 1 here - part 7 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

This chapter is a little bit angsty but it's all for the sake of the plot.

Who am I kidding, this was angsty from the start.

Perhaps it was the influence of the TVA that transmitted this conviction to her, but Lydia felt wrong. The erroneous copy of a corrected version of herself. And she threw herself into her work, hoping to prove that this was her better version, starting a sort of insane competition with herself. The problem was that Lydia had never seen her file, afraid to know exactly what she had missed, so she didn't even know what she was competing against.

Until that moment.

The recording contained everything. Every encounter, every exchange, every glance, every moment.

"There's only one place where you can find such a source of energy." "Which is?" "The Stark Tower in New York."

Lydia glanced at Loki, who didn't take his eyes off the footage.

The file really had everything, up to her last day of life. Their whole story, from her perspective.

Midgard, 2012. Battle of New York.

"I want you back to the bunker."

Lydia shook her head amusedly. "No way, I'm finally back in New York, and there's no way I'm going back to that shithole at the end of the world."

Lydia - Agent Prichett - sat facing Loki in the small space at the back of the black jet they had stolen from SHIELD.

"I'm serious," Loki put his hands on his legs, leaning towards her "when the Chitauri arrive, the situation won't be good."

"Don’t you say? I thought you wanted to have tea with the Avengers while playing with one of your space pets."

"Lydia" he said impatiently.

"Loki" she imitated his voice.

There was silence for a moment.

"You'll lose."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. They're bigger and more powerful than you, it's an uneven match" Lydia shrugged.

"But if I were to win—"

"It won't happen" she decreed, looking at him severely before taking a deep breath, softening her expression "You still have time, Loki. Stop everything, withdraw your orders."

"They'll come anyway," Loki shook his head.

"And how?"

Loki didn't answer, and Lydia exhaled a frustrated breath.

Back at the TVA, all of that, Loki knew. He had seen it. What he hadn't seen was everything Lydia had done once they arrived in New York.

When the Avengers arrived in New York, Lydia led Black Widow to the platform where, from the device containing the Tesseract, the beam that created the portal between worlds originated.

"How do we destroy it?" "With this" Lydia raised Loki's scepter with a smirk. "How did you get that?" Romanoff raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you know me, I have a couple of aces up my sleeve" Lydia shrugged. "Well, how do we do it?"

TVA, 2021

After closing the portal, Lydia and Natasha Romanoff descended from the tower to rush to support the other members of the ground team with what remained of the Chitauri. It was at that point that debris from a building collapsed, hitting Agent Princhett, and on the screen appeared the words

<Lydia Pinchett - End of recording>.

Lydia shrugged as she couldn't take her eyes off the footage. Her death had been so... unheroic. A piece of debris? Seriously? Of course, not all endings have to be particularly grandiose, but that... that was pathetic. Not to mention the fact that she had just found out that Loki, the man sitting next to her, who had organized the closest thing to a TVA picnic under the stars, had tried to destroy her entire world and had torn apart a good percentage of New York.

Loki, for his part, had his brain spinning.

"What... what happened?"

"I died."

"Yes, I got that," he turned to her, "I mean in New York. Why did you lead her there? I mean... I would have won."

Lydia raised an eyebrow, moving her eyes from him to the screen.

"Why... why did you betray me?" Loki turned his torso towards her.

"Loki... she was never on your side," Lydia shook her head, looking at Loki's hurt expression.

"That's not true... we, I mean you and I... you saw the same thing I saw. There was complicity, there was—"

"Manipulation, Loki," she interrupted him, "that's what I saw. Every time she talked to you, she wasn't just curious about your motivations, she didn't want to know you because you interested her. She was interrogating you."

Loki shook his head, turning to the other side.

"I know it hurts, but it's true," Lydia extended a hand, placing it on his shoulder, but Loki shrugged it off, "I'm sorry you misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Loki turned abruptly, "You deceived me!"

"Me? I didn't do anything. While those things were happening, I was here," she pointed a finger at herself, "Variant, remember?"

But Loki didn't listen; he was lost in his thoughts and anger.

"It's your fault if I lost."

"I didn't ask you to attack my planet. I'm only guilty of defending my home," she shook her head annoyed.

"I trusted you, I opened up to you, and you stabbed me in the back."

"From what pulpit comes the preaching," Lydia forced a laugh, "what do you want, Loki? Apologies for something I didn't do?" she raised her voice slightly.

"You hurt me!"

"I didn't!" she yelled, standing up, "As far as I'm concerned, I only met you a few weeks ago!"

"But you're her," Loki stood too, pointing to the screen, "and if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that people don't change," he shook his head with a bitter smile, "a backstabber doesn't wait for anything but the right moment to strike again."

"And you're certainly an expert at that," she spat, approaching him.

Loki stared at her for a moment before bending slightly so they were face to face.

"At least I know who I am."

They stared at each other full of anger for long endless seconds before Lydia took a breath through clenched teeth.

"It's not my fault you fell in love with someone who manipulated you."

Loki could have started a long speech, probably accompanied by a presentation with about twenty slides, about the fact that this wasn't love. But it wouldn't have made sense. The only relevant issue is that the eyes he had in front of him, those he had just believed were the sweetest and brightest in the universe, now seemed to him those of a viper.

"Get back to your work, Prichett, trample anyone who stands between you and your mission since it's the only thing you care about."

Loki passed her, giving her a slight push. He strode across the room and left through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"You fucking murderer!" She screamed, trembling with anger.

Lydia grabbed the computer keyboard and, with a scream, threw it against a wall. "I didn't do anything!" she grabbed the monitor and, tearing out all the wires, threw it to the other side of the room, repeating louder, "I didn't do anything!!" as she trembled and tears covered her face.

She collapsed into the chair, rested her head on the desk, and covered it with her arms while repeating softly, with a voice interrupted by sobs, "I didn't do anything."

No more starry skies for these two. Next chapter will be connected to canon events. Please go on supporting as I'm writing a short sequel. Or I'll just make this fic longer. Dunno. Ps. Should I make a masterlist with all the links for this fic? Is it even needed?

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 13: Lost Boy

My suggestion for this chapter is Lovely by Billie Eilish, who, apparently, fits perfectly into this fanfic.

Part 1 here - part 14 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Midgard, 1994

Lydia was in the scientist's study, or perhaps it was some sort of laboratory, in 1994. Soon, the room filled with people. Her friends, as Loki had called them.

Apparently, the woman, the doctor, was the one she trained with at the TVA gym, and she had engaged in a friendly competition with the jet ski salesman, who was also an analyst, whatever that meant, on who could solve more cases in the same amount of time.

Lydia had never seen them before and Loki's stories were just that. Someone else's stories.

"So, you're some kind of cop?" the man asked her.

"More of a secret agent" she replied.

"How secret can it be if you're telling us?" the scientist/writer asked.

"Forget it," Loki emerged from a time door, interrupting the conversation. "It's better if you go back home."

Lydia exchanged a confused glance with the doctor.

"What do you mean, forget it?" the woman asked.

"You need to go back home, I was wrong," he sighed.

"No, wait" the jet ski salesman interjected "First, you tell us the fate of the world depends on us, and then... nothing?"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong, I just…" Loki glanced at Lydia, it lasted only a moment before he lowered his head, shaking it "wanted things to go differently. You need to go back to your place, it's right this way."

"No, it's not." A blonde figure emerged from a time door.

"Sylvie…" Loki widened his eyes.

"The branches are dying. If we don't hurry, there might not be a home to return to, for any of you."

Lydia observed her, but she wasn't familiar either. She sighed, feeling her fingers tingling, she looked down but didn't see her fingers, just filaments.

"Loki" she managed to call and gave him a terrified look before disappearing.

Loki saw that scene three times before he got a hold of his abilities and went back in time. And back to the TVA.

Several centuries later.

Loki watched with tears in his eyes as Timely managed to load and send the range multiplier onto the frame. Loki cheered for a moment before the frame collapsed again. It was the billionth time he had tried. He glanced at Lydia, who had a mournful face, it was the billionth time he had seen that too. He thought back to what she had said to Sylvie when they had argued. Lydia was right, it all started with the death of He Who Remains; that moment had marked their destiny.

Loki went there and spent several years there. It took a long time before he could truly talk to He Who Remains, and when he did, he realized that everything, everything, had been a waste of time.

He was tired, disheartened. He had to find another way to fix everything but was starting to run out of ideas. He had promised Lydia that he would find a solution, for centuries he had clung to that promise because finding a solution would mean saving her life and all his friends'. But he was wavering. The loneliness he felt was destroying him.

Midgard, 2073. Temporal Branch 39,618

The house was empty at that moment, but someone, many people, surely lived there. He climbed the stairs and went to the only lit room. There lay an old woman in a bed, under layers of blankets.

"Did you remember my coffee, Liam?" The old lady turned to him.

"I'm afraid not, I'm sorry" Loki said to announce himself.

"Well, what are you doing at the door? Come in."

Loki took a few hesitant steps towards her, who pointed to the chair near the bed. Loki sat down and looked around. The bedside table was full of medicines, and there were a couple of oxygen tanks in a corner.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm eighty-seven, dear, it's already strange that I'm still breathing" she tried to laugh, but the laughter quickly turned into a cough.

He kept his gaze low.

"You seem lost," the woman observed.

"I think… I am" Loki looked at her thin arms and knotted hands resting on the blankets.

She looked at him with the tenderest look Loki had ever seen.

"You know, young man, you remind me of someone" she began "He too was very lost when I met him and had a truly terrible character" She managed to drag Loki into a little chuckle, but seeing how she suffered through the laugh, Loki's eyes immediately saddened.

"He had mournful eyes, just like yours, and I fell in love with him. Not right away, but for a lifetime."

"Where is he now?" Loki asked as his eyes moistened.

"Oh, he's very special, you see, he doesn't age like me, and he doesn't have time to deal with a dotty old lady."

"He should be here" Loki lowered his gaze.

"Oh, no," the old lady covered his hand with her knotty one "he must protect the world, I would never want him to be here watching me wither away. I've had a good life, I've saved the world many, perhaps too many times, and I've had a family."

"But you're alone" tears filled his eyes.

"You're here."

A few tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Why are you crying, boy?"

"I don't want to be alone, Lydia" he said with a broken voice, wiping his face with his hand.

"My dear, you needn't worry about that" she squeezed his hand with the little strength she had "you have great power. You're altruistic, generous, and kind. And good people never stay alone; they just have to trust others and welcome them into their hearts."

"What should I do?" he said, sniffing and taking a breath, trying to calm down.

"Oh, I don't know about that, but I know you'll figure it out, and when you do, just remember one thing: you must not be afraid. You are very loved, and when you are loved, there is nothing to fear, Loki. Love gives us courage." She laughed lightly between coughs as she transformed into filaments between his fingers.

FINALLY I GOT BACK! Soo... sad ain't we? Well, this last part was written way before the hole chapter, it was so clear in my mind and so teary, unfortunately. Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list. Next chapter will be the last related to canon events, but the ff is not over. We have around 6 more chapters. A special thank you to @mischief2sarawr who's a lovely supporter and also added me to their public reading list. Check out their blog for amazing reading suggestions!

Cheers everyone.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston #ghost #loki tva

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 14: Courage

My suggestion for this chapter is Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce,

Part 1 here - part 15 will be published on Monday 03/18, hopefully, unless I'm late again.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

"Love gives us courage".

TVA, 2021 – Frame Collapse

"You need to put your head in here so we can scan your temporal aura" O.B. said to Timely.

Loki, who had lived that secene way too many times, sighed and strode across the room, reaching Lydia who was standing beside Mobius.

"I need to talk to you" he told her and wasted no time grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to a corner of the room.

"Hey, what's wrong? What's happening?"

"I want to tell you that I tried" Loki swallowed as Lydia looked at him confused. "I swore to you, I promised you, and I tried. So many times."

"Loki, I don't understand" she looked at him worriedly.

"I went back in time, learned to control temporal jumps, and tried to prevent the collapse of the frame 8 trillion times," he explained with tired eyes.

Lydia looked shocked. Loki had spent centuries looping back and forth in time, for her. For them. For the TVA. Lydia stepped closer to him, stroking his face, observing his weary eyes and his attempt to smile at her.

"Loki" Lydia wanted to tell him that it was enough. That he couldn't go on like this. That if that was to be their end, knowing that he had tried, she would accept it. She couldn't pronunce a word, but Loki understood everything.

"I know what I have to do, one last attempt" he mimicked her and rested his hand on her cheek.

"Don't torture yourself, Loki, please," Lydia shook her head.

"One last attempt" he repeated as his eyes welled up. "I just need to know one thing." Loki took a deep breath, recalling the words the elderly Lydia had said to him. "Do you love me?"

Both of their breaths stopped.

Lydia looked into his blue eyes for what felt like an eternity, and in them, she saw the courage she had lacked until that moment.

"Every time you hold my hands to comfort me, every time you're there when there's no one else I'd want, every time you smile at me, every time you're patient with me, and every time you lose patience. Everytime we argue and everytime we mock each other. Every day, every moment, even when I hate you, I love you, Loki."

Loki began to breathe again when he hadn't even realized he had stopped. He blinked once before bringing her face closer to his and kissing her. With desperation, with sadness, with fear, with courage, and with love. All the love he had and all that she had given him.

He kissed her and held her tightly with all the strength he had in his body.

When he ran out of breath, he pulled away and, holding her close, whispered one thing to her, murmured like a secret against her ear.

"I've kissed you 8 trillion times."

--

TVA, some days later

Lydia watched Yggdrasil, the Tree of Worlds that concealed Loki.

After kissing her, Loki had rushed downstairs, opened the doors, and before disappearing, he had said he would do it for them. For all of them.

He left and saved the world. Like a real hero. But what burden had he left behind?

Lydia had screamed. She didn't remember what or how long for. She screamed and cried until her throat hurt, then she continued as she lost her voice.

She didn't know how much time had passed since then.

There were days when she felt like she couldn't do it, when she thought that maybe, if he had simply died, it would have been better, rather than seeing him condemned for eternity to the thing he feared most: loneliness. Those were the days when she couldn't stop crying.

There were days when she felt strong, full of hope because at least he was there and she could find a way to reach him, to free him. Those were the days when she studied tucked away among the shelves of the TVA, wandered through spacetime, searching for solutions, and made life hell for Timely and O.B., pressing them to come up with some idea.

And there were days when she felt absolutely nothing. She stood motionless staring at Yggdrasil. She didn't speak, she didn't eat, and anyone who saw her wondered if she was still breathing. Days when she seemed a ghost.

"Here, I thought you might need this,"

Lydia turned to see Mobius. He wasn't doing very well either, and that brought them together.

He handed her a cup, and Lydia took it, letting the smell of coffee fill her nostrils.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"You'll have to accept things, sooner or later," Mobius said, putting his free hand in his pocket while holding a folder in the other.

They had already had that conversation.

"Loki spent centuries, if not thousands of years, trying to save us, Mobius," she took a sip from the cup. "I don't intend to do any less for him."

"You don't have his abilities, Lydia, it's a futile comparison."

"The last time I looked at him, I promised myself that I would save him, just as he saved us," she turned to the analyst. "I've never given up before, and I don't intend to start now."

Mobius clenched the folder in his hand but didn't respond.

"Yet, it's beautiful, isn'it?" He looked through the window.

"Yes. Yes he is".

YOU MAY THINK THIS IS THE END. YOU'RE WRONG. THE HELL I'M LEAVING LOKI IN FUCKING TREE. Sorry for the short chapter but I felt like cutting at that scene. As usual thank you for reading, See you soon <3

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston #ghost

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 5: The Night We Met.

This chapter's musical suggestion is The Night We Met by Lord Huron.

Part 1 here - part 6 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021

Loki knew what he had to do. He had seen fragments of her, the SHIELD agent, in Lydia, the consultant at the TVA. The one he knew was buried inside, somewhere beneath layers and layers of paperwork. He had seen her bright eyes when she stepped forward on a case, the satisfied murmurs when she took the first bite of cake, and how she played with the pen when she was bored. All he had to do was bring her out into the open.

There were no starry skies at the TVA, that was true, but he was the god of mischief, and creating one would be child's play.

"Lydia Princhett," Loki called from the entrance of the library, seeing her sitting with her back to a desk and earning some glares from others present.

"Loki... of Asgard?" Lydia asked, turning slowly towards him, confused by his use of her full name.

Loki crossed the room in long strides and positioned himself beside the desk.

"Come, I want to show you something."

"Uhm, can it wait? I'm working, and I'm about to close the case—" Lydia glanced from him to the documents.

"Nope, let's go," Loki gently grabbed her arm, lifting her from the desk.

"Come on, Loki, I'm serious," she whined.

"So am I," Loki flashed her a big smile, raising his eyebrows. "Let's go," he pulled her along towards the library's exit.

"But where?" Lydia asked as she was dragged through the TVA's corridors.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"I know," he smiled, "but you'll like this one" he assured, opening a door that led to a circular room, completely empty except for a table with a couple of chairs and a computer.

"Wow," Lydia took a few bored steps inside, moving towards the center of the room, "an interrogation room, never seen one of them empty" she crossed her arms.

Loki closed the door behind him, approaching her and entering her personal space.

"Close your eyes."

"Why?" Lydia tried to muster a smile to hide the embarrassment of having him so close.

"Trust me."

It's not that she didn't trust him, but the voice he used, deep and calm, was akin to a command, yet reassuring. Lydia took a deep breath, trying to calm her heartbeat, before closing her eyes.

"Now open them" he whispered against her ear.

Lydia opened her eyes and saw that the walls and ceiling of the room had transformed into a vast starry sky. She looked at the ceiling with her mouth agape, taking a few steps around the room. She knew where it ended, and she knew it had to be an illusion created by Loki, but she feared that if she got too close to the walls, it would disappear.

When she turned her gaze back to Loki, she saw him settling down on a blanket that Lydia knew wasn't there before.

She approached him and sat down beside him.

"It's beautiful" she smiled then shifted her gaze to the sky and furrowed her brow slightly "but I can't find any constellations."

"You can't, or at least not the ones you know," Loki smiled, drawing her gaze "this is the sky of Asgard."

"Oh" she commented softly.

"You see, that's the constellation of the centaur” Loki smiled pointing to a group of stars“there's a whole legend associated with that,"

“Would you like narrating?” She smiled.

Loki was happy to oblige.

They spent a long time, not that it mattered at the TVA, talking about the stars, then about their worlds. Lydia was particularly curious to know about Asgard, and Loki wasn't particularly opposed to the idea of telling her everything (again). From there, they talked about their lives, funny anecdotes from childhood, Lydia dislocating her arm while jumping from tree to tree in her backyard, Loki as a snake trying to bite Thor, his battles alongside his brother, her training in SHIELD, and the discovery of her giant nature for him.

In the end, they laid on the woolen blanket, staring at the fake sky above their heads.

Loki realized there was so much about Lydia he didn't know, despite thinking he knew everything; while Lydia realized that, despite the perfect illusion projected on the wall, the brightest stars were Loki's eyes that shone when he talked about his home and dimmed when he talked about his family.

"Do you miss them a lot?" She turned on her side to look at him.

Loki lowered his gaze for a moment before bringing it back to her, brushing her hand with his. "I miss many people" he smiled sadly.

And Lydia saw it. The ghost on his face. It appeared often when he looked at her. She knew that, in his timeline, they knew each other, and she saw that sometimes when he looked at her, he didn't see her, but another person. One who resembled her. And she felt guilty, somehow, wearing her skin, which was such a sad memory for him.

"Loki," she murmured, hesitating and reciprocating the caress on his hand "who was I to you?"

He looked at their hands and furrowed his brows. "It's hard to explain. We were friends, I suppose, although that's not quite accurate. I... cared a lot about you, and you... cared about me too."

Lydia lowered her gaze, swallowing, taking a deep breath. "How did we meet?"

Loki would have preferred to avoid that conversation. "As you know... I've done things in the past I'm not proud of. One of them was," Loki wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it "trying to invade Earth. And... you could say that you helped me."

Lydia widened her eyes incredulously before shaking her head with a little laugh "Impossible."

"No, no, it's true," Loki sat up. "We weren't friends at first, but then you understood. You understood why I had to do it, and you helped me open the portal for the invasion."

"Loki, I don't know what happened there, in the past or... well, in my future, but I'm certain of one thing" she sat up to his level "there's no universe, dimension, or time where I would betray my country, and the fact that we were friends doesn't change things."

Her words didn't please Loki, who looked at her with hurt eyes, as if she were a monster. They stared at each other for a moment before Loki stood up abruptly.

"Very well," he gestured with his hand, making the illusion surrounding them disappear and returning the room to its pale colours. He strode across the floor and reached the only piece of furniture in the room: a desk with an old-fashioned computer. "If you don't want to believe me, at least believe in yourself."

Loki started pressing keys on the computer, and a screen activated on the wall in front of them.

<Lydia Prichett - File 001>

"Or are you too afraid of the truth? Of finding out who you really are?"

Lydia met his challenging gaze with one of coldness. She stood up, approached the desk, and sat in the chair next to Loki's.

Without moving her eyes from his, she reached out a hand and, taking a deep breath, did the only thing she could do. She pressed "play."

----

I know that magic doesn't work at the TVA, but I didn't remeber that while writing this chapter. I promise this one is the only exception.

Happy days are gone my friends. He was a shitty being, she was too. Time to face that.

Again, thanks for the support!!!

The fanfic is finished, so I'll just edit the chapters and post them. Working on a possible sequel, once I have clearer ideas I'll write something down.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 8: Atonement.

This chapter's musical suggestion is either What was I made for? or Ocean Eyes, both by Billie Eilish (couldn't decide).

Part 1 here - part 9 here.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

"Mobius, you don't understand, we found him. The man at the end of time." Loki ran a frantic hand through his hair, pacing in circles in the hallway. "We fought, and-"

"Loki."

The voice didn't come from Mobius. Loki turned and saw Lydia at the end of the hallway, with a hand over her mouth and wide, moist eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Lydia?" Loki tilted his head to the side before being pulled in different directions, as if he had become some sort of mush.

"Loki!" She cried, crossing the hallway towards him before he disappeared... and reappeared shortly after.

"What was that?" Lydia looked bewilderedly from Mobius to Loki, who shook their heads without responding, implying that they didn't even know. "Are you okay?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," Loki moved his neck to loosen it.

"You need help" Mobius grabbed his arm, beginning to walk, and Lydia positioned herself on Loki's other side. Her proximity made Loki tense; he wanted to tell her that she was a damn traitor, but there would be time for that later. He wouldn't be able to speak if he kept disappearing without completing a sentence.

"Does it look that bad?" he asked them.

"Noo..."

"Absolutely not..."

---

"Hey," Lydia approached Loki, leaning on a railing to observe the landscape of the TVA citadel.

He turned towards her but didn't respond, looking back outside.

"I got you this" she handed him a takeaway cup with tea. "I'm not sure if you like it; I might have put too much sugar." As she prepared it, Lydia realized that it had always been him taking care of her, with small gestures like bringing her a hot drink when she was stressed.

Loki glanced from the cup to her before grabbing it with a nod and returning his gaze to the citadel.

Lydia mimicked him, taking a deep breath and a sip of coffee, hoping it would give her the courage she lacked at that moment.

"I'm glad you and Mobius managed to solve the problem of... you know... the disappearing act."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," Lydia looked down at her shoes and took another deep breath.

"I wanted to apologize" she turned to him.

Loki finally looked at her, furrowing his brows.

"You... you were right about me. I was wrong, I turned my back on you in the name of what I thought was my duty and my ambition." Lydia took a deep breath, evidently, just looking at him was enough to take her breath away.

"I'm a soldier, Loki. I'm given a mission, and I execute it, and for me, that's all there is. But in doing so, I lost a piece of my humanity, with every manipulation and every lie. It's true, I hurt you while you've always been a friend to me." She mustered the courage to look him in the eyes, but it failed her. "And for that, I apologize. I don't know if you can forgive me or trust me again-"

"Lydia."

She fell silent.

"It's been a long time."

“Has it?" Lydia tilted her head.

"For me, yes. A lot of things happened..."

It wasn't clear to her what he meant, as for her, it had been a couple days, or at least she thought, but she figured his words to do with his time jumps, or with the multitude of events he had experienced.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Loki saw that her face had a guilty expression, similar to the one he had seen on his own for several days, when he had believed her dead, before meeting her at the TVA. The expression of someone confessing their sins to a ghost.

"You sold me and Sylvie out to Renslayer to satisfy your ambition and quench your anger," Loki spoke calmly, as if he were just stating facts, and Lydia couldn't find anything to say in response, lowering her eyes under the weight of the truth.

Loki observed this too, before continuing. He was hurt by her, of course, but deep down, he felt he understood the feelings that had driven her and the weight of the consequences it carried.

"But I suppose I'm the last one who can condemn such things" he sighed to himself.

"I don't know if I can trust you again, but if it's forgiveness you seek" Loki captured her gaze with his "then consider it granted."

Lydia let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, captivated by his blue gems, and smiled at him, miming a "thank you" with her mouth. He nodded.

Lydia leaned on the railing next to Loki, and both took a sip of their respective hot drinks, savoring the silence for a few minutes.

"Would you mind telling me what happened down there, with... Sylvie?"

Loki moistened his lips before beginning. "We found him. The man at the end of time. We fought, and she pushed me through a time door."

"Why?" Lydia felt like she was missing a step.

"She betrayed."

A second passed.

"Well, clearly, you have a type."

That was not funny, but Loki laughed anyway.

Our boy is back, as promised. Gotta go fix my hair now, tomorrow it's monday and I have a real job, as a functional adult. Have a nice week everyone!

As usual, don't forget to like, comment and everything else.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 2: What I knew. Part 1 here - part 3 here PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC WARNINGS: none SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him. NOTE: that was supposted to be a one-shot, but I felt like writing a second part.

Time at the TVA flows differently. It's the first thing you learn arriving there. For instance, the alternation between day and night wasn't clear because there was no sun.

Loki didn't know how much time had passed since their conversation. Nor did he know how much time had passed since he sat in front of her at the desk, under the pretense of wanting company while analyzing documents. Nor did he know how much time had passed since he had stopped working to stare at her.

"If you want to ask me something, just do it. You're unsettling."

Apparently, too much time.

The truth was he had no questions.

"I was just wondering what you were working on" Loki said.

Lydia glanced up at him before returning her gaze to the documents. "The same thing as you, more or less. Dangerous variant on the run." After all, they were in the same department, so they obviously worked on the same things.

"And do you like it?"

Midgard, 2012.

"I see you wavering more and more every day" she said with a mocking smile.

"My goals have never been so clear" Loki spat.

"Oh, if you say so, great and mighty god," Lydia taunted, taking a candy from the bag she held. Loki stared, wondering what it was and where she got it.

Lydia followed his gaze, offering him a candy. "Want one?"

Loki took it and sniffed it under her amused gaze before putting it in his mouth and immediately spitting it out, making her laugh.

"But it's disgusting, I've never eaten anything so sweet and sticky."

"I bet you wouldn't want to destroy the Earth anymore if you could enjoy the pleasures it has to offer," Lydia said with a laugh, putting another candy in her mouth. "Why do you want to destroy it anyway?"

"I don't intend to destroy it, I intend to rule it," Loki narrowed his eyes.

"And what will you do with a realm you don't even like?"

Loki straightened up, looking away, but didn't respond.

Something clicked in Lydia's mind. "Ohh," she turned to him, a little too close for the god's taste, "it's your plan B."

Loki ignored her, walking toward the room where they conducted experiments on the Tesseract, but she caught up.

"It was Asgard, the one you wanted to rule. A realm of gods, full of wealth and abundance. But without candies and where everyone hates you," Lydia acidly smiled, and Loki quickened his pace. "It seems fair, everyone should have a plan B." Lydia grabbed another candy.

Loki turned to her. "And what's yours, Miss Princhett?" he said challengingly.

Lydia looked ahead, toward the end of the hallway. "This. SHIELD is plan B."

Loki turned to her, confused by the admission. "And plan A?"

"Doctor, maybe. My mother would have liked that for sure. Or a history teacher, like my other mom."

Loki stared at her for a moment, and she returned the gaze. They were polar opposites. He fiercely desired something and would do anything to get it. She, on the other hand, settled. This difference became clear to both of them in that moment. Probably, they both believed they were right and simultaneously envied each other's capacity.

"Your mouth is covered in sugar," Loki said before walking away.

TVA, 2021.

"And do you like it?"

"What a strange question," Lydia tilted her head, wrinkling her nose. "It's my job. I do what I have to."

"But isn't there anything else you'd like to do?"

Lydia opened her mouth a couple of times, then looked down before speaking. "I would have liked to be a teacher, maybe a history teacher. I've always loved the subject" she replied sadly.

"Well, I suppose this gets you close," Loki gave her an encouraging smile.

"I suppose so," she looked up at him. "And you, Loki Prince of Asgard? What do you wanna be?"

"King, of course," he spread his arms theatrically.

"Of course," she repeated with an amused air, rolling her eyes. "And what will be your first royal decree?"

"Hiring a very well-informed history teacher at court," Loki approached her, leaning on the desk as if about to confess a secret, and Lydia mimicked him, finding herself face to face with his deep blue eyes. "And I already have someone in mind," he winked.

Lydia blushed, grabbed a folder, and rolled it up before using it to hit Loki on the head.

"Ouch," he complained, rubbing his head. "That hurt."

"Oh, don't be a baby," she straightened up in her chair. "Let's get back to work before our analysts come to scold us."

Loki smiled before returning his gaze to the papers.

----

Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a heart, a note or to reblog, this really helps a lot. Part 3 in a couple of days.

#loki x reader #loki x oc #loki series #loki laufeyson #loki season 2 #loki #fanfic #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 9: Toxic.

I suggest listening to Mery on a Cross by Ghost reading this.

Part 1 here - part 10 here .

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

WARNINGS: Captain America wouldn't approve the language

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

To solve the chaos that had erupted at the TVA and set everything right before it collapsed, a series of answers were needed, none of which anyone present had; therefore, while Loki and Mobius were busy trying to find X-5 and consequently Sylvie, Lydia was tasked with finding Renslayer and Miss Minutes. A burden that had come along with her promotion to analyst.

"We haven't found any trace of Renslayer's tempad," Lydia approached briskly, accompanied by Casey and B-15, to Mobius's desk where he and Loki were busy with X-5's tempad, "but we traced the recipient of her last message: Miss Minutes."

"Moreover, Renslayer and He Who Remains are in cahoots," Loki nodded, "I found out while I was in the past."

"What a woman... full of surprises," B-15 scoffed.

"What... are you two doing?" Lydia leaned in close to Loki. Not because she desperately wanted his proximity, especially after believing him dead, partly because of her. Absolutely not. It was to get a better look at the tempad, of course.

"We're trying to figure out how this modified tempad of X-5 works," Loki turned to her, and Lydia could hear his breath with every syllable he uttered. Not that it affected her.

"A man accustomed to using 80s technology and an alien god from Asgard?" She asked amusedly, glancing from one to the other.

"Hey, look, we're doing just fine," Mobius retorted.

"No, not really," Casey shook his head.

"I think my team could get better results," she reached out with a smirk, her hand open towards Loki, who exchanged a glance with Mobius before handing the tempad over to Lydia.

"Also, I'd like to be present when you question X-5" She passed the object to Casey.

"What?" Mobius spread his arms.

"He might have relevant information about the Minus/Renslayer issue, which is my case."

"Our case" B-15 emphasized.

"Sure" Lydia rolled her eyes, and Loki shot her a glance, amused at how she was turning work into a personal competition with Mobius, "anyway, it's a request you can't refuse, Mobius," she smiled, "it would be unprofessional."

Mobius rolled his eyes, "Am I ever going to get rid of you? How do you manage to worm your way in everywhere?"

"I'm very flexible."

Loki's imagination projected a couple of images of how flexible Lydia could be, but he pushed them back before anyone could notice.

---

"Bred is an asshole, so don't let him provoke you," Mobius had said, but it was very difficult. And Loki had just offered the opportunity to sting by saying his help was needed because there were "lives at stake."

"Lives at stake," Brad repeated. "You've got a lot of nerve... everyone here knows what you're doing, you're just trying to make up for all the terrible and horrible things you've done in life. You're pathetic."

Lydia clenched her jaw but didn't speak. Provocation, it was just provocation.

"I've read your file. You're the problem. Every time we've found one of you. You think you're special, but you're not. No matter what you wear or what lies you tell, in the end, all you do is destroy those around you," Brad glanced towards Lydia. She just looked at him with disgust before glancing at Loki, who kept his low.

"As it happened with your mother."

Lydia snapped.

"You ugly piece of shit," she managed only to take a step towards him before Loki blocked her with his body.

"You know that's what he wants," he said into her ear, "don't let him win." Lydia shifted her gaze to him and took a deep breath, trying to internalize all the calmness his blue irises conveyed.

"Don't listen to him, Princhett," Brad jeered, drawing her attention again, "what does he know about victories when all he can do is losing?"

Loki grabbed her chin, bringing her eyes back to him. Lydia swallowed and nodded slightly. She could handle it, she was fine. She was a professional.

"Stop trying to be a hero, buddy. You're a villain, and you're good at it."

Loki let her go, turning back to Brad.

"Thanks, Brad.” Loki let out a bitter laugh “Thanks a lot. I'm very touched. You're right. I've done terrible and horrible things," Lydia clenched her jaw again, to contain herself, "Yes, maybe that's who I am, they know it well. It's the real me... a loser," he smiled bitterly "I always have been and always will be."

Lydia glanced from him to Brad, trying to understand Loki's strategy.

"And perhaps I was... holding back something," he dangerously approached Brad, "maybe I was just waiting for the right moment, a moment like this, to do terrible and horrible things," he looked down at Brad, "to you."

Lydia hoped he would punch him. She really wanted to see that smug bastard's face distorted. No, it wasn't professional, but it was fair.

"So I'll ask you again: where is Sylvie?" He stressed her name.

"You're too fixated on her," Brad sneered.

"Okay, that's enough," Mobius grabbed Loki by the shoulder, pulling him towards Lydia who approached him, putting a hand on his arm. Not to stop him but to let him know she understood the discomfort he felt.

"You need a psychologist," Brad sneered, watching the scene, "I know one who does couples therapy, or maybe group therapy would be better since there are three of you."

She could have killed him. How much would it cost her? She was dead in the sacred timeline, and the TVA was about to collapse, she had nothing to lose.

"There's too much tension here," Mobius tried to lighten the mood, "Brad, cooperate with us, and we'll send you back to your beloved timeline, as if nothing ever happened. What do you say?" he offered with a smile.

"Would you?"

"Of course, I promise."

Brad let out a fake sigh before bursting into laughter, "Did you see? Damn Mobius, you should be an actor."

"I'm not, I'm an analyst."

"No, you're not!" Brad blurted out, "You're not an analyst because none of this is real. Do you know who you are at least in the timeline? The TVA isn't your real home. Do you have any idea who you've left behind? What your life could be like? You know they've taken our lives, you need to wake up."

"I'm awake."

"No, you need to wake up."

"I'm awake," Mobius repeated, this time more annoyed.

"You're asleep until you wake up, you're nothing. I'm nothing. She's nothing. I don't even know where to start," he looked at Loki, "You're nothing, and until you wake up, you're nonexistent, you're-"

Mobius jumped on him, with a speed Lydia could never have predicted, punching him square in the face.

"It's you who's nothing!"

Loki grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him away as Mobius continued to curse.

“You heard me? You’re nothing”

Lydia followed them out, letting B-15 close the door behind them.

Mobius walked away from the room quickly, still swearing about how Brad was, in short, an asshole.

"Is he okay?" Lydia looked up at Loki who shook his head, sighing.

"I'll go see. I'll update you later; I need to ask you some things."

Shit.

Lydia nodded, smiling in his direction, before Loki ran after Mobius.

---

Lydia spent the whole afternoon at the desk, unable to work, spending hours tapping the pencil on the wood. Her head kept reminding her of how Loki had tackled her with his body. They had never been so close. They had never touched so much.

Then he had approached Brad, and the tension she had sensed before had only increased when Loki had donned the villain's mask. Could it be true that she, the one of the sacred timeline, had really fallen in love with him, as Loki had claimed? Lydia shook her head, what she had seen in the footage was a confused, delirious, and fragile Loki, while the one she had seen a little earlier exuded power.

And then there was what Brad had said. "There’s three of you."

She wasn't in anything, not with Loki and least of all with Sylvie. And even if this absurd triangle were real, was Lydia the other woman? No, it was unfair. She had known Loki first, and then he had declared himself to her, sort of. And she had rejected him... more or less. Well, not really, she had rejected the him from the past. But she had, in fact, insulted the present him.

And if this particular interest in Loki was only due to the fact that he had distanced himself? That his focuns was on someone else? Was it possible that she was that toxic?

Her brain was exploding, and after a while, her eyelids began to droop, and Lydia decided to give up, burying her head between her arms on the desk.

When he arrived, Loki found her still asleep.

He smiled, his expression softening. Lately, Lydia had returned to having a scowling expression, always serious, like the Lydia he had known on Earth, while asleep she seemed to radiate so much tranquility and peace. Maybe it was really him making everything worse, ruining everyone's lives.

Loki reached out, caressing her head, and Lydia jerked awake, opening her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Lydia blinked for a moment, focusing on him.

"Don't worry, I wasn't sleeping," she yawned.

"No?"

"I was resting."

A chuckle escaped Loki, disappearing immediately, leaving a sad expression on his face.

"Are you okay?".

"I was thinking about Brad's words," he leaned against Lydia's desk, supporting himself with his hands, "when I met you here at the TVA, your life was going smoothly, and the same was on Earth, before I met you-"

"Loki," Lydia put a hand on his, "you shouldn't give weight to what Brad said; he was trying to provoke us. He knows our stories and what can hurt us, and he uses it to his advantage."

Loki covered her hand with his other one and looked at her, smiling faintly. With Lydia, he felt like he had someone on his side, not alone, but he had felt this before, and in the end, it had been just a deception.

"How did you know... about my mother?"

Shit. She knew that question was coming. The horrible put-down Brad had said to Loki, she was not supposed to understand what it was referred to.

Lydia widened her eyes, withdrew her hand from Loki's, clutching it with the other and lowering her gaze.

"When I thought you were dead, I felt very guilty and... well, you could say I missed you... I wanted to see you, and the only thing I had of yours was the file," her cheeks colored slightly red, and if she had raised her gaze, she would have seen the same embarrassed expression on Loki's face, "I know it was a terrible invasion of your privacy... I’m sorry about that" she timidly raised her eyes towards him.

"It's okay" Loki shook his head, "in fact, maybe I'm glad... that you've seen the real me."

"There's no real you, Loki. There's only you, here and now. Ignore Brad, please, he's just an asshole, one who looks through the keyhole, sees brown, and thinks it's chocolate when it's just shit."

He laughed, nodding.

"By the way, any news? How's Mobius?"

"He's okay, for now... I think," Loki swallowed, "as for Brad, he confessed to knowing where Sylvie is."

Lydia clenched her jaw, nodding.

"We need her, Lydia. When I was in the future, I saw the TVA collapsing, and she was there. She must know something" he leaned towards her.

"I didn't say anything" she vaguely said, keeping her gaze low.

"I know you didn't exactly start off on the right foot, you two, but there's no room for likes or dislikes here."

"Where is she?" Lydia looked up at him.

"In a McDonald's in Oklahoma, on Earth," Loki paused for a moment, "Do you want to come?"

"I don't think I'd be very useful" Lydia shook her head, "but I have a request."

"Anything."

They looked at each other for a second that seemed endless and yet too short.

"A milkshake" she said after a moment, "strawberry flavored."

"I think I can do that."

---

But when Loki appeared in the control room upon later that day, he didn't have any disgustingly sweet strawberry milkshake; instead, he brought something much more indigestible for Lydia. Sylvie.

Guys, thanks a lot for the support you've shown me, again feel free to leave a heart, a comment or to reblog, this really helps a lot. I had reached a point were I thought this ff was completed. I changed my mind and hopefully we'll have an happy ending. Actually, I've really no idea how it'll end. I'm but an humble narrator of other's adventures.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 12: How do you love?

My suggestion for this chapter is Valentine by Maneskin

Part 1 here - part 13 here.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Midgard, 2012 After the collapse of the framework, while being flung from one point and place in time to another, Loki found himself in a place he knew well. Looking back, it wasn't a place he particularly enjoyed remembering. Not anymore. Not after he had seen the entire story from her perspective.

Yet, when he saw her bent over, searching for something in the small fridge of the SHIELD base, Loki felt such relief that he almost cried.

"…Lydia…" His name escaped him on the tail of a trembling sigh.

"Yep, that's my name" she replied casually, lifting a jar of yogurt and checking the expiration date.

"Lydia" Loki repeated, this time with a smile.

"You never call me by name, why – hey" she looked up in his direction "what are you wearing?" she smirked "You look so ordinary… you should wear a shirt more often."

"Lydia" Loki crossed the kitchen and circled the table to reach her.

"Okay, this is starting to get weird" Lydia raised an eyebrow.

"You remember me…" Loki furrowed his brows in a way that made him look like a sad puppy. It surprised Lydia.

"We were in the same room until a few minutes ago… why shouldn't I remember you?"

Loki took a shaky breath; yes, this wasn't TVA Lydia, but she knew him, and that was better than nothing.

"Lydia, you have to listen to me" he grabbed her shoulders and she stiffened "I need you to come with me to a place."

"We've been stuck in here for days, I'm fine with any destination, included Disneyland" Lydia shrugged.

"No, Lydia, I'm serious-" Loki stopped, hearing footsteps in the distance, accompanied by the sound of metal on the floor. His footsteps. Loki remembered that moment, he remembered every moment with her.

"Come with me"

As she protested, Loki pushed her into a small closet, where they barely fit, leaving the door slightly ajar, just enough to glimpse the entrance to the kitchen. Lydia's eyes widened as she felt his body pressed against hers.

"What the hell-"

Loki interrupted her by covering her mouth with his hand, he brought his index finger in front of his lips to indicate silence, then pointed to the kitchen entrance.

Lydia furrowed her brows, following his direction.

"Miss Princhett?" Loki appeared in the kitchen doorway. Loki.

Lydia jumped against his body while shifting her gaze from one to the other.

"Miss Princhett…?" the other Loki called out before stepping out of the room, leaving.

When they were alone again, Loki held both hands up defensively.

"I can explain-"

"Who the hell are you?" she attacked, still trying to keep her voice low while they were trapped in the confined space.

"It's me… It's Loki."

"And then who is he?" She pointed to where the other Loki had appeared.

"It's me… it's complicated" Loki swallowed "let's say I come from the future, and to save that future, I need you to come with me. I know it sounds strange, but trust me-"

"Like hell I'll trust you," Lydia scoffed sarcastically.

"Lydia, please," Loki ran a hand through his hair, wondering why, why she always had to be so stubborn. As fascinating as it was, it made his life difficult 90% of the time.

"I know you don't trust me, I know you have a plan to betray me on the day of the New York attack."

Lydia stiffened, clenching her jaw.

"But in the future, you will trust me, our relationship won't be like this, I swear."

In the dim light of the closet, with their bodies so close, Loki's eyes shone with hope, hope that she would believe him, believe in the possibility that he could change, that their relationship could change... but Lydia wasn't interested in his eyes.

"Prove it."

"What? How?" Loki spread his arms.

"If we really are… whatever are we, exactly?" Lydia tilted her head.

Loki opened and closed his mouth several times. "It's not very clear…"

"Well, whatever we are, you must know something about me that I haven't told you yet," she crossed her arms "so come on, convince me."

Loki took a deep breath as he went through everything, every little thing he knew.

"You were born on October 28th in Phenix, Arizona, but you grew up in Scottsdale with your adoptive mothers. You enrolled in the Marine Academy at Quantico before being recruited by SHIELD. Initially, they placed you in the research section, where you dealt with finding high-risk criminals; a few years later, you became part of The Avengers Protocol to select possible candidates for a team to protect Earth." He rattled it all off as if reading from a script, but Lydia watched him with crossed arms, unimpressed.

"Well done. You did your homework," she said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Anyone who found my private file knows those things, they're not worth much, don't you think?" Lydia stepped out of the closet.

"Wait, wait," Loki followed her out and grabbed her arm, she tore away from his grip and turned around.

Loki looked at her for a moment, really looked at her, and saw something he had never noticed before, in 2012.

"You have roots showing."

"Excuse me?"

"Your hair is brown," he said with a bitter half-smile "you dye it red, but the roots show. You dye it red because your mom, Ava, has red hair. You've always wanted to be like her, and secretly you would have wanted to be a history teacher, like her." He smiled, remembering when she had told him at the TVA, "Despite this, whatever the job is, you throw yourself into it headfirst, you have to do it well, and you're a perfectionist. You're ambitious, jealous, and vengeful." They weren't compliments, but Loki listed them with a smile because they were part of who Lydia was, and he was okay with that because those made Lydia herself.

"When you were little, you dislocated your arm trying to jump from one tree to another in your backyard. At work, you drink industrial amounts of coffee but load them up with sugar" he remembered the times she brought him tea, so sweet it was disgusting, but he always drank it because he was afraid she would be upset otherwise, and his eyes moistened at the thought of drinking liters of it just to have her back "and you love the strawberry milkshake from McDonald's." The last sentence came out with a broken tone.

Lydia's head was full of thoughts as he spoke, and the emotion she saw on his face infected her with sadness.

"What am I to you?" she took a deep breath, scrutinizing his face.

She had already asked him that, at the TVA, and he had hesitated, they had argued, and they had drifted apart. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"Everything," he shook his head slightly, "You're everything to me."

Lydia's breath caught, and a moment later, a temporal door opened, and a short man with glasses emerged.

"Oh, good, I finally found you" the man smiled pleased, looking at Loki, "are we ready?"

Loki stepped through the temporal door with one foot and reached out a hand to her as he looked at her with hopeful eyes and prayed in his mind. He didn't know who or what, but he prayed.

His prayers were listened as Lydia grabbed it

I bet y'all think we're reaching the end. We're not. Some more chapters to go, but I assure you won't get bored. As usual I love suggestions, comments, hearts and reblogs, so... please gimmeeee. Lots of Love, or, as my mum used to say, LOL. - C.A.M.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston #ghost #loki tva

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 11: Air.

I suggest listening to Why'd only call me when you're high? and I wanna be yours both by Arctic Monkeys while reading this.

Part 1 here - part 12 here.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

TAG LIST: @kats72 ; @mischief2sarawr

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Mobius and Loki's mission in Chicago had been successful. Theoretically.

Renslayer and Miss Minutes had not yet been taken into custody, but they had returned with the less cocky and more useful Variant of He Who Remains to help prevent the collapse of the universe. And Sylvie. Again.

Lydia wanted to slap her. She couldn't stand her. She didn't like the way she looked at him, the way she stood near him, or even just the way she breathed his same air. Besides the fact that wherever she was, chaos ensued.

Like at that moment, in O.B.'s lab, as he tried to explain the (hypothetical and highly risky) plan to save the TVA, while Loki and Mobius competed over who shouldn't risk their lives for everyone.

"The problem is that there are much more radiation out there than there were before," O.B. explained.

"Well, then Loki will have to run a lot, right?" Mobius shrugged.

"What? Why me?"

"Well, because it's your turn."

"Says Who? Why?"

"Exactly, why him?" Lydia interjected.

"There, thanks. At least someone here doesn't want to see me roasted," Loki shot Mobius a dirty look.

"I believe it should be Sylvie," Lydia tilted her head, shifting her eyes to the other girl, "she created the problem, it seems fair to give her the chance to fix it."

"Only if you hold my hand along the way," Sylvie taunted.

Bitch.

"Also, the plan is only theoretical," O.B. continued, adjusting his glasses, "and we still need to finish the range multiplier, integrating the booster that Mr. Timely" – the latter smiled embarrassedly – "created."

"Very well, we'll leave you to work," Mobius clasped his hands in front of him before turning to the others, "let's go, kids, leave the adults to their spaces."

Lydia crossed her arms and followed the others out of O.B.'s office.

“I think we could use some cake, don't you think?" Mobius started walking towards the cafeteria.

"Cake?" Sylvie spat, turning towards Lydia and Mobius who closed the line.

"Yes..." Mobius furrowed a brow.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Lydia gave her a glance.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Sylvie raised her voice. "The world, no, the universe is collapsing and you want to eat cake while everything goes to hell?"

"And whose fault is that?" Lydia took a step towards her.

"Ah, so I'm the bad guy?" Sylvie mocked her. "It's not my fault if the fragile system you liked so much collapsed."

"Oh really? Because it wasn't me who assassinated the only being capable of making it work, this fragile system." Lydia made air quotes with her fingers.

"I gave freedom of choice, the same one that led you here," Sylvie indicated the ground.

"You created chaos, Sylvie." Lydia got closer to her. "Chaos so great that the universe can't handle it, and now everything is collapsing. And what for?" At that point but a few inches apart and Lydia didn't wait for an answer.

"For your personal vendetta." She spat in her face.

She got punched in the face by Sylvie so hard it made her head spin.

"You know nothing about me!" Sylvie screamed as Loki grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back.

"I know how to recognize a selfish whore when I see one" Lydia managed to say through the pain as Mobius dragged her in the opposite direction.

---

Lydia should've learned, by that point, that provoking a Loki wouldn't lead to anything good.

As she dabbed her cheek with a towel, she also started to think that there was some sort of fate's design. In the sacred timeline she had seen how Loki had reacted when she had provoked him, and now nothing particularly different had happened. In both cases, she was the one who came out worse.

"Free will my ass" she scoffed as she sat on a cabinet in the bathroom where Mobius had sent her to cool off.

The bathroom door creaked open, and Lydia looked up to see Loki. Probably the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

"Are you okay?"

Lydia lowered her gaze but didn't respond.

Loki closed the door behind him and approached her. Seeing that she didn't look up, he bent down trying to enter her line of sight, but she turned her gaze away.

Loki sighed and straightened up, taking the towel from her hand gently.

"I'm not your enemy, Lydia" he said as he delicately took the towel from her hand.

"You have nothing to do here, Loki. Go back to your variant" she snapped.

“So that’s your trigger, jelousy” Loki chuckled.

“Why should I be jelous?” Lydia faked nonchalance, he ignored her.

"When I met you here at the TVA, I would have never said you were such a jealous type," Loki approached one of the sinks to wet the cloth with cold water "but thinking back that you and the girl I knew on Midgard are the same person, I should've remembered that you have a hot head."

"If you've come here to give me a lecture, I don't need it, Mobius already did" she swung her legs on the cabinet.

"I'm not here for that, I'm here because, despite your terrible personality" he shook his head approaching her "seeing you in pain hurts me, a lot."

"Is that why you were with her, until now?" She had to bite her tongue, provoking him wouldn't have had a different outcome, but Lydia just couldn't help it. Fortunately, Loki had developed enough self-control for both of them.

"Lydia" he grabbed her face from the non-sore side so she was forced to look into his eyes, "every wound, every mark on your body, and every tear of yours is a punch in the gut for me."

Lydia's gaze softened, and she had nothing to retort. Perhaps because the absolute sweetness and sincerity with which he looked at her while saying those words had brought down the concrete wall she had quickly erected against him.

Seeing the cat retracting its claws, Loki brought the cloth to her face, and Lydia flinched slightly, but Loki's hand held her steady.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Not much."

"I could fix it, if you want."

"With a magic touch?" she smirked.

"If you want."

"No," she replied after a second of thought "I'd like to keep it, like a war trophy."

"Sylvie is not your enemy either, Lydia" Loki whispered, dabbing her face again.

"Why do you defend her?" Her voice was calm, though perhaps slightly hurt.

"I don’t," Loki lowered the cloth "I agree with you. Probably if she hadn't killed He Who Remains, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"It's not just a mess, Loki. It's a crisis, a desperate situation," Lydia let her concern show.

"And you're right," Loki took her hands, bringing them between his, "but that's exactly why we need all the help we can get, including hers."

Lydia lowered her eyes to their joined hands and let out a sigh.

"And what if we don't find a solution?"

"We will find it, I promise you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Loki," she looked back at him.

"I promise" he repeated "trust me."

Trust. Did she trust him? Did she believe he could prevent the end of times? She wasn't sure, but she knew he was damn stubborn and that the TVA was his home, as much as hers. Maybe she didn't believe he would succeed, but she believed he would try everything, and that was enough.

"Okay" she nodded.

"Okay."

---

And Loki? Did Loki trust her? He wasn't sure he had an answer yet, as much as he was attracted to her and cared about her; she made him feel calm, even more when she was the chaotic one, and understood.

But when Timely failed in his mission, dissolving into space spaghetti, Lydia's hand was the first thing Loki grabbed, and her eyes were the last thing Loki wanted to see before the frame collapsed and the radiation destroyed everything.

Terribly sorry for the late update, my new situationship/"short-term, short-distance, low-commitment casual friend" (comment if you get the reference) kept me up too late on saturday and I needed recover, rest and some paracetamol. ALSO I was thinking of writing an extra streamy, maybe smutty chapeter to be added to this one (like a 11.5 chapter), like a missed scene or stuff. Let me know if you're interested pleaseee Thanks again for all the support shown me up till now, again, if you wanna join the tag list, let me know! My pc is dying, byeeee

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 4: Attention.

I suggest listening to Every Breath you Take by The Police reading this. It doesn't just go with the chapter, it's also an amazing tune.

Part 1 here - part 5 here.

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021.

"So basically, this is not a very clever character; the problem is that he's terribly fast. He jumps from one point of the timeline to another, and somehow… he wants to be found, I feel it, I just don't understand why," Lydia grabbed the fork and put a piece of apple pie in her mouth as she told Loki about her latest case.

There was something missing in the Lydia in front of Loki, but he couldn't figure out what it was, and it was driving him crazy.

This Lydia, despite sharing meals and sometimes a desk with him, didn't look at him the way she used to.

The Lydia he knew always had very strong expressions, a sharp tongue, a quick wit. While this Lydia was calm, often smiling at him sweetly, and always focused on her work. It was on her job that she poured all her energies and attentions.

Loki was beginning to not stand it anymore.

The Lydia he had in front of him was a colleague, engaged in finding the bad guy of the moment. For the Lydia he knew, he was the bad guy of the moment. All her energies were on him.

It was driving him crazy.

"In short, there must be a motive. He arrives, kills someone, and leaves," Lydia made some movements with her fork in the air, "it's stupid. He knows that this way, he creates a NEXUS event, and that we come for him, it's like he's shooting a huge firework, His actions... they make no sense."

"They don't have to"

Midgard, 2012.

On the rooftop of their hideout, the evening wind was stronger, and it slapped her face.

The stars weren't clearly visible due to the light pollution from nearby cities, but Lydia had to admit that they were much more visible than they were in New York.

"What are you doing out here?" Loki approached her from behind, but she didn't turn around.

"Don't you know that even prisoners are entitled to an hour of fresh air?"

"Is that what you consider yourself, Miss Princhett? A prisoner?" he joined her.

"And I'm not, am I?" she retorted.

"I don't see chains on your hands or feet," Loki raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her figure.

"And I suppose I should thank you for that," she smiled sarcastically.

Loki scoffed, turning his gaze to the panorama.

"What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I'm admiring the stars," Lydia joined her hands behind her back, "and waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

She smiled. "Tell me, Loki of Asgard. Are the stars just as beautiful from your immense golden palace?"

"Oh, Asgard's sky is much, much brighter," Loki looked up "clear and full of constellations, except when Thor causes turbulence."

She smiled faintly. "Yes, I've heard stories about your brother."

"He's not my brother," he turned to her.

She nodded. "I'm adopted too. Having two moms, that wasn't much of a surprise," she smiled at him.

"But you never found out you're a blue giant. A monster from a story to scare children."

Lydia could feel Loki starting to grow nervous. That was him: he started from something small, mulled it over until it was loaded with emotions and turned it into a giant, then he couldn't contain it anymore, and it burst out, like a huge explosion.

"No, I didn't," Lydia took a deep breath. "It must have been very painful for you."

Loki turned to her.

The quiet was interrupted by a whistle, followed by a loud bang that culminated in a light in the sky, coming by the nearest city.

"What are those?"

"Fireworks," Lydia smiled slightly without looking away from the sky.

"And what are they for?" Loki furrowed his brows.

"For nothing, they're just beautiful," she shrugged.

Loki turned to her again. "They don't make sense."

Lydia returned his gaze. "They don't have to," she shrugged before going back staring at the sky, while Loki stared at her.

TVA, 2021.

"They don't have to," Loki muttered under his breath. Barely audible.

Lydia swallowed the entire piece of cake. "What did you say?"

He shook his head, looking at the girl with brown hair and a mouth covered in powdered sugar. "Nothing, I was thinking about something."

"No, no, wait. You said they don't have to."

He looked at her, furrowing his brows, and could see every gear in her mind spinning at high speed.

"The killing is a diversion! A distraction… it keeps our attention while the accomplice does something else."

Loki saw how her eyes beamed with light.

Lydia stabbed the fork into what remained of the cake. "Damn, Loki, you're a genius!" She got up from the table and grabbed the jacket from behind the chair. "See you later, I've got work to do."

Loki watched her rush towards the exit.

"I'll tell you how it ends!" She shouted before disappearing behind the café doors.

Loki waved his hand at the chaos Lydia had left behind before shifting his gaze towards the café windows.

He looked at his own reflection in the window and an idea came up his mind.

At the TVA, there were no starry skies, and certainly no fireworks, but luckly for him, Loki was a god. And a god's abilities know no limits.

Guys, thanks a lot for the support you've shown me, again feel free to leave a heart, a comment or to reblog, this really helps a lot. Part 5 will be posted around Thursday 02/15!

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 3: Bury a friend.

I suggest listening to the Billie Eilish song while reading this. Kinda sets the atmosphere.

Part 1 here - part 4 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

Graphic description of violence.

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021.

Loki took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Lydia had her back to him as she inspected the bruises she had earned on the field just a few hours before in front of a mirror in a TVA room.

"Hey," Loki greeted her from the door, not expecting to find her shirtless and blushing slightly.

"Hey," Lydia smiled at him from the mirror.

"I heard you had a tough day, so I thought I'd bring you some of these…" Loki showed her a couple of ointments and bandages.

To Lydia, Loki looked funny, with his hesitant expression, disheveled hair, and wrinkled shirt.

"Close the door," she nodded without turning around.

Loki approached her, who didn't move from the mirror, and observed the extent of the bruises covering her stomach and back. They were of various shapes and colors.

"It looks like a painting, doesn't it?" she let out a bitter laugh, but Loki didn't seem to appreciate it. He furrowed his eyebrows and reached out a hand toward her back without touching her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"What for?" Lydia tilted her head, trying to meet his gaze in the mirror, but he wasn't there.

Midgard, 2012.

"What was that?"

"You'll have to be more specific, Miss Princhett," Loki looked up at her, standing with his arms folded in front of him.

"You had a distant look and then you tilted your head, as if you'd been hit. Which is strange because the only one who could do that here is me, and it would give me a pleasure impossible to forget."

"You're foolish if you think you could beat me in a fight, Miss Princhett."

"Don't change the subject," she smiled at him. Interrogation rule number 12: don't get sidetracked by chatter.

They stared at each other for a second.

"Who's on the other side?"

Loki furrowed his brows. "What other side?"

"Don't play games with me," she gave him a smirk “Whoever is there, crearly is not on your side” Interrogation rule number 27, instill doubt.

"You know nothing, Miss Princhett," Loki stood up, walking past her and moving around the room.

"But I can see when a man is under duress. And you are, Loki of Asgard," she said. Interrogation rule number 15: keep the conversation going, and rule 16: even at the cost of a confrontation.

"Do I seem under duress to you?" Loki turned to her, starting to stomp heavily on the floor as he walked. "I have the Tesseract, and all the power that comes with it."

"And what do you want to do with it?"

"It's part of a larger plan" he turned to her. "Impossible for a lesser mind like yours to comprehend."

She looked at him.

"You don't know" she blew a derisive breath.

They stared at each other and for a moment she was convinced she saw his blue eyes tremble, with anger or frustration.

And he punched her.

Lydia should have expected it. She doubled over, gasping for air. Loki lowered himself to her height, bringing his face a few inches from hers.

"Don't push your luck too far, Lydia Princhett. Remember that you stand before-."

He couldn't finish the sentence before Lydia grabbed his head and kneed him in the face. Loki stumbled backward, bringing a hand to his face. When he lifted it, his nose had a strange shape, and blood covered his mouth.

They breathed heavily, staring at each other.

Lydia moved first, but Loki was faster. He reached out a hand, closed it into a fist, and brought it down, pinning Lydia hands and feet to the floor as if tied by invisible ropes. Loki approached and kicked her in the lower abdomen. Then again. Then in her back and again.

Lydia felt like she couldn't breathe.

Finally, Loki lifted her up, as if she were made of feathers, and holding her by the throat, pinned her against the wall.

"This is what happens when you oppose a god, Miss Princhett," he spat.

She gathered saliva, wanting to spit in his face, but she didn't even have the strength for that, and the mixture of blood and saliva only reached his feet.

"Odin is a god, he is feared and respected by the entire galaxy. You, Loki, are just an undergrown giant." She tried to force a laugh, but it came out as a groan. "And you'll never be like him."

Loki struck her again; Lydia didn't know where or how many times. Everything hurt. And she lost consciousness.

TVA, 2021.

"What for?"

Loki cleared his throat, taking a deep breath and blinking to dry his moist eyes.

"I'm sorry you got hurt."

Lydia turned to him. "It's the risks of the job, I suppose," she smiled, shrugging, and tried to suppress a grimace of pain resulting from that small movement. "Sometimes bad people act just like that, badly."

Loki nodded, keeping his gaze low.

"Do you mind helping me with that?" Lydia indicated the ointment.

Loki took a breath, as if reconnecting with the present, and smiled at her. "Of course."

Lydia turned again and shivered when she felt his hands covered in cold cream touch her skin.

"Sorry,"

She shook her head. "It's okay, thank you. No one else cared about how I was," finally, their eyes met in the mirror, "you're a good friend, Loki."

He nodded, lips pressed into a thin line, proceeding carefully with his task.

Midgard, 2012.

When she woke up, Lydia was on a makeshift bed, with a blanket pulled up to her throat. The strangest thing, though, was that she felt refreshed, as if she had slept for days and every muscle in her body had relaxed.

She furrowed her eyebrows. Relaxed?

She threw off the blanket and rolled up her shirt under her chest. She got up and ran to a black glass that could serve as a mirror, but again, nothing. She didn't even have a scratch or a mark. She was perfectly fine.

"Son of a bitch."

She grabbed a jacket and ran out, wandering all over the SHIELD base Loki had taken over.

She found him near the only exit to the outside. He knew she had noticed him, but he didn't move. Lydia joined him.

"So, is this your magic?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Listen, I just wanted to say thank you” Lydia was angry at him, obviousely, but she knew that letting that anger out would get her nowhere "I know I provoked you."

"I hope you've learned your lesson," Loki glanced at her, but Lydia saw that it wasn't pure superiority in his gaze. There was a slight sense of guilt behind it somewhere. After all, why would he bother to fix her otherwise? Lydia saw humanity in Loki, an opening in his impenetrable facade. An opening she would exploit to the end.

"Oh sure, now I know how to get under your skin, and I can't wait to do it again," she smiled and he returned his gaze to the outside, "I can't fix your nose with magic, but my point remains. Loki," and the way she pronounced his name made him feel strange, making him turn to her with a less harsh expression than before, "if there's someone or something that somehow threatens you or if in some way all this isn't your doing, you can tell me. I promise I'll help you, and only us will know."

Loki didn't respond, not that Lydia expected an answer. But in this case, it was a victory, it meant he was considering her words, instead of taking them as an offense.

Maybe, just maybe, she would manage to get under his skin and handle his alien brain, convincing him not to destroy her planet.

----

I'm having so much fun displaying the two kinds of relationships in different timelines and how different they are despite being the same people. 2 Chapeters more and then the truth will come out.

Guys, thanks a lot for the support you've shown me, again feel free to leave a heart, a comment or to reblog, this really helps a lot. Part 4 will be posted around Tuesday 02/13!

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 7: How do you plea?

This chapter's musical suggestion is Blood//Water by grandson.

Part 1 here - part 8 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

Time to bring some action here. All that sweetness and sadness was making me wanna puke.

TVA, 2021 – a few days later.

"I believe I know who you are."

"Well, Sylvie, since I also know who you are, I won't waste time introducing myself" Lydia opened the yellow folder containing all the documents related to the variant she had in front of her.

"Why did they send you?" Sylvie tilted her head, settling into the interrogation room chair.

"All the bad cops were busy," Lydia scanned the papers.

"I didn't know there were any good cops at the TVA."

"All the more reason why you should take advantage of the fact that it's me you've got," Lydia smiled coldly.

"I won't tell you anything," Sylvie spat.

Lydia refrained from rolling her eyes; losing patience wouldn't help. She had to find out what caused the NEXSUS event they and Loki had generated. It was her chance to move from consultant to actual analyst. Considering their entire existence was a mistake, comparing their files to those in the archive wouldn't be enough.

"And do you think your partner in the other room will keep his mouth shut?"

"Yes" Sylvie bared her teeth.

"Oh, come on. You know as well as I do how much he loves to talk" Lydia smiled.

"He knows the truth. The truth about the TVA and who works there" Sylvie leaned back, crossing her legs. "And about you."

"And what would he know about me?" Lydia sighed, bringing two fingers to her temple with a bored air.

"Everything. About how you betrayed him."

"And what about the TVA?"

Sylvie closed her mouth and looked away.

"Come on, Sylvie, we literally have all the time in the world. Do you really wish to spend it here?" Lydia spread her arms, but still, Sylvie didn't answer; she decided to press on.

"Let me make you a proposal, considering that I, at least, don't intend to spend the rest of eternity in this room: you tell me what caused the NEXSUS event on Lamentis-1, and I'll intercede for you with the higher-ups," she twirled a finger, "guaranteeing your survival."

Sylvie let out a forced laugh, shaking her head. "Your attempts are pathetic."

"Well, then let's hope my colleague in the other room is doing better than me" Lydia smiled acidly.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Unlike you, Loki doesn't betray people who trust him."

"And you trust him, don't you?"

"The only person a Loki trusts is theirself" Sylvie crossed her arms.

Lydia observed her defensive posture and the way her gaze seemed to want to incinerate her.

"You know, someone once said that trust is the highest form of love" she leaned towards her.

"Then you really don't know anything about him," Sylvie mimicked her "there's nothing in the world that a Loki can love more than himself."

There it was. The NEXUS event. The opportunity to fall in love with oneself. What vanity enveloped Loki.

"Exactly," Lydia smiled bitterly.

Sylvie furrowed her eyebrows before widening her eyes. "What?"

"Thank you for your courteous cooperation," Lydia closed the yellow folder and stood up from the chair with a smile and bright eyes, ready to report everything to Renslayer, without thinking too much about the consequences her actions would have.

----

The next day, the TVA was in turmoil; the monitors in the control room were going crazy. From the sacred timeline branched out an immense number of other timelines, ramifications. There was no trace of Loki, and Lydia hadn't heard from him. She had been prevented from entering the room where he had been confined and ordered to stay away. When she had tried again, after reporting to Renslayer what she had discovered from Sylvie and being dismissed with a "good job, now go take a break," she hadn't found anyone, least of all him.

But people don't disappear; they die.

She had tried to talk to Mobius but had gotten nowhere.

"Until we have approval from the council, I can't tell you anything," he had said as he ran through the corridors in the general chaos.

"Can't you at least tell me if he's alive?"

"It's classified."

"Classified?"

"You don't have a high enough clearance!" Mobius snapped, turning to her, whose analyst rank had not yet been confirmed. Then perhaps out of pity, his expression softened. "Until we have news, he's to be considered MIA."

MIA.

Lydia was an agent of SHIELD, and even before that, she had trained at Quantico. Lydia knew what it meant when someone was MIA.

Lydia closed herself in a small room, leaned her back against the door, and slid to the floor, crushed by her own sense of guilt. It was her who had condemned them both, out of anger, out of ambition. Him, who despite everything, she had considered a friend, with sad eyes and kind words.

Even without being the material executor of their end, she had contributed to it by following the orders given to her. And the last words she had said to him had been, "Damn murderer."

She wanted to cry but couldn't. All she could do was breathe heavily, as if she had run the New York marathon. While in her head, his words during their last conversation overlapped.

"You hurt me." "You stabbed me in the back." "It's your fault."

Now it was true. All true. Everything she yelled she hadn't done had still come to pass. Perhaps that was the true meaning of the concept of "destiny"; or perhaps it was just the manifestation of her true nature.

Guilty.

I know. No loki. Y'all were here for him after all. He'll be back tomorrow, that's the reason I'm posting so soon. My girl needed a little kick in the ass in order to sort her feelings out. It is what it is. Let me know what you think of the story so far. I have recived no comments so I'm not sure what everyone is thinking, but I'm fine also with a little heart or a repost so I don't lose interest in writing. It' really helpful.

#fanfic #loki series #loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x oc #loki season 2 #loki x reader images #loki x you #loki x y/n #tva!loki #tva!lokixreader #tva!lokixoc #tom hiddleston