Mobius X Reader - Blog Posts

In The Next Life, Mobius x Fem. Reader

This was more painful than he anticipated

A/N: Might make a pt. 2 if this does well (^-^) I'm gonna try to make this a medium-burn if I do continue this. Let me know your thoughts

Enjoy!

___________________________

Things at the TVA were a disaster. Loki was running around saying everyone who worked here were all variants with their memories wiped. He wanted to believe he friend, he really did. But it was hard. He recognized that the TVA had its flaws, definitely. The more he thought it over, it made sense. He tired to ignore the blazing proof smacking him in the face. And he tried hard. There were other things troubling him too. Not long ago, you had gotten pruned.

You had been a close friend and co-worker to him for as long as he could remember. For all he could remember in fact. Your desks were side by side and you worked every task together. There was an unspoken romance that lay strong between the two of you. Anyone could see it, and all of your co-workers knew you had feelings for each other. He knew it. But, you unfortunately believed Loki when he claimed that you were all variants.

Judge Renslayer didn't take it lightly. She already didn't like you for reasons he wasn't entirely sure of. Your siding with Loki happened to be the last straw. And so you were pruned. It broke his heart. Shattered it over and over again until nothing left was but dust. Another chaotic day came. Or hour, he couldn't tell. Time was practically nonexistent in the TVA as he worked an endless shift. Another court case needed to be done. He didn't trust Renslayer's judgment as of late.

So, in a desperate act to get to you before her, he dashed to his cubicle from wherever he was before. The file for the variant was already on his desk. But time was short, and he didn't have time to read it over. He crammed it all on to a clipboard and dashed toward the courtroom. His rushed and heavy footsteps echoed through the mostly empty, cold cement halls of his office space. A few other agents he had to shove past, but he tried to through polite apologies their way. Running through the courtroom, he burst into the waiting room where the variant stood.

Then his eyes landed on her. The variant. You. He felt his heart drop to the lowest pit of his stomach. This wasn't possible. He watched you get pruned. "Agent Calder." He blurted out breathlessly. Watching the strange man throw himself into the waiting area was odd enough as is, but the way he looked you.. It made a twinge of discomfort spark. "I'm sorry?" You responded, unsure of whatever that name he just called you was supposed to mean. He blinks, his gaze then snapping through the file on his clipboard. His fingers fumbled in a panic through the papers.

"Uhh-hahaha. Sorry" He smiles awkwardly, shooting you a brief apologetic glance. His eyes skimmed over the print parchment desperately. Y/N M/N L/N. He looks back up at you, lowering his clipboard. "You just look like someone I know, Ms L/N" He awkwardly shuffles over to you, holding out a hand for you to shake. Reluctantly, you take it and give a small shake.

"Riiight.. And who are you?"

"I'm Mobius. Think of me as your lawyer"

"Lawyer. Okay"

Just then, your ticket number got called. Dread washed over him like a violent typhoon. You pull your hand away, weirded out by the fact that he hadn't let go even after the shake was well and over. He falters, his head snapping between you and the worker in the booth. He holds a finger up. "I have to go in the courtroom, I will see you in a second, yeah?" Your lips press into a thin, uncomfortable line and you give him one firm nod.

He reluctantly stepped into the courtroom while you gave your ticket to the booth man. Immediately, Renslayer's gaze fell on him. Her brow furrowed and she shot up from her chair.

"No, absolutely not!"

She pointed to the door that led back into the rest of the TVA building.

"I specifically said I do not want Mobius here! Literally any other analyzer! How hard is that?!"

Sounded the judge at B-15. B-15 only shrugged in response. Renslayer sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Somebody please go get another analyzer"

"Ah-hah. Didn't want me here? It's them R-"

Mobius is cut off by the sound of the doors opening. He turns around, his eyes instantly locking with you. The tension in the room was palpable. Your shrink in on yourself a bit. Renslayer groans, to which Mobuis takes as an opportunity to slip into one of the benches. You're escorted to the podium, if it could be called that. More like shoved into it. You stumble a bit and shoot a glare to the minuteman who did it.

"L/N. Variant Y777NN. AKA: Y/N L/N,"

Renslayer announces in a somewhat strained but monotonic way,

"Is charged with sequence violation 72089. How do you plead?"

Her gaze is scrutinizing. As if she were judging you for something you weren't even aware you did. Hatred shone in her cold eyes. You could feel all eyes on you. The two minutemen, and Mobuis. His gaze although behind you, was pained and yearning. Loki's theory was suddenly so very, very and blaringly true. Utterly real on every level. "Uhm.. Innocent? Look, I watched your little timeline lesson. But I just don't get it. You're convicting me of a crime I'm wasn't even aware I committed? Let alone to a law that literally nobody but you guys know about? That's plain tyranny. Subjecting all of the universe to a clown house. What is wrong with you people?"

Mobuis stifles out a laugh. That was such a.. You, thing to say. Renslayer feined being unfazed, but her eye twitched.

"So you admit you committed the crime?"

"WHAT?!"

You slam your manacled hands down on the rim of the podium. Renslayer banged her gavel three times, ending the trial.

"She pleads guilty, prune her"

Feeling conflicted about pruning the very obvious Variant of her friend's former partner, B-15 turned her pruning device on and began to approach you. Panic set in, but just as you opened your mouth to protest: Mobuis sprang up from his seat and shuffled hurriedly to the bench.

"No, absolutely not! Mobius, I didn't even want you on this case in the first place!"

"Listen, please. Look at her. There is no way that isn't a variant of her. Maybe Loki was right about the-"

"Oh spare me Mobius! You know very well that doppelgangers exist. She is exactly that! A doppelganger to Calder. They don't even have the same name"

"Fine, okay. Let's say you're right, she's not a variant of Calder. Then she deserves a chance with me. I know you're not very fond of Loki.. Buuut he's made some major improvements and helped out a lot around here. Please"

"Then you should know that all I want to do is help the TVA. C'mon, one small drizzle doesn't promise a storm"

"No. You're only favoring her because she looks like her. I know you Mobius"

Renslayer pauses. She knew better than to let personal bias to get in the way of her position as a judge. She had worked so damn hard to get to this point.. But when it came to Mobius, she just couldn't help herself. She growls, pinching the bridge of her nose again. "Fine. One, and I mean one! One slip up and she pruned. Got it?" Mobius let out a triumphant laugh, pumping his first. He claps, then pointing at the high strung woman above him. "I won't let you down!" He turns to you, making a hand motion for you to follow him. "C'mon, we've got to have a talk"

Your mind was a swirl of confusion. Who was his Calder person they were talking about? And were you or were you not a variant of them? It didn't make sense. Calder certainly wasn't your name. You start to follow Mobius out of the courtroom. You were surprised by the fact that the bitchy judge let you go alone. But, with the same luck you'd had all day, she signaled for the two minutemen to follow. Immediately, they came to either of your sides and took a firm hold of your arms. Wonderful. Despite himself, Mobius didn't speak to you.

All that joy he felt in the courtroom had been sucked out of him in a split second. Normally he was so chatty and sarcastic. But with you? He couldn't muster. You even walked the same way. He would recognize the pace and weight of those steps in the busiest mall in all of the infinite timeliness. He glanced back at you and felt unbearable sorrow. He forces a smile at you before returning his gaze ahead. Unaware of his feelings, you looked around as you walked. This place was huge! And the veiw outside the balconied halls was absolutely stunning.

It almost felt like you were dreaming. The sight was very surreal. This whole experience was. When the two of you reached the time theater, he held the door open for you. The act itself was gentlemanly. All save for the way he hung his head so low. What was up with this guy? You hadn't done anything to him. Except for look like someone named Calder. Apparently. You entered and looked around. The room had the same orange and grey color scheme as the rest of this place. It was so empty though. Taking the obvious hint, you go and sit at the small table in the dead center of the room.

The door shut right after, and Mobuis let out a sigh of what sounded like relief while you examined the contents of the table. A little orange tv thing? Two sodas from a brand you definitely didn't recognize and then Mobius' clipboard as he set it down. You look up at him as he sat. He had forced himself to be normal. Casual. If he scared you off then he'd just be hurting himself and the way Renslayer viewed him. That was the last thing he needed. "Drink? Go ahead and have one" He offers, taking one of the two aluminum cans and thumbing it open. Your brow furrows.

"What flavor is it?" You question tepidly. His own brow raises at your question, pausing his hold of the can to his lips. Nobody had ever asked him that before. Normally they refused the soda all together. "Lemon lime?" You hum in thought before very suspiciously taking the offered beverage. "Thanks.. I guess. So uhm," You thumb the can open. It cracked loudly, the snapping sound echoing off the thick cement walls. "What is this room?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked. This," He states after stipping the soda, began to mess with the keys to the little tv. Or was it a computer? "It's a time theater. I use this projector to show you your timeline"

"My timeline? I don't get it," You take a drink of the soda, "What's the point if I've already lived through it all?"

"Actually, you haven't. In creating that nexus event, you threw off your entire timeline. So what was prewritten, never happened. There is plenty you didn't live through"

"Okay okay, pause." You put your hand up, giving Mobius a discerning look. "I don't understand what made what I did so wrong. Because last I checked, I was doing the right thing. You guys.. You droned in on something pretty serious." Your voice hushed at the last bit, pain showing through your words. He looks thoroughly intrigued by your statement. Leaning back in his chair, he spoke: "Well, by all means, enlighten me. What was the right thing?"

"You mean you don't already know?"

"Sure I do. I just wanna hear it from your perspective."

You let out a deep exhale, setting the soda back on the table. This was gonna be tough. But if it meant getting out of this.. Place. The TVA, then you were willing to do what it takes. To get back to your timeline and finish what those stupid time police interrupted. "Fine. Okay, I'll bite" You were already regretting this. Crossing your arms under your chest, you made yourself comfortable in the school issue like chair.

"I'm sure you know who the Avengers are. I was apart of them. And I'm sure you know my powers as well," While you spoke and absorbed into your own little word, he peeked at your file. Powers included empathic influence and.. What? He couldn't believe what he was reading. "More specifically my ability to heal"

"It doesn't heal on my file here. This says you can transfer your life force"

"Same thing"

"Right.. Go on"

"I.." You take a deep breath. This is when it gets hard. "I was trying to save someone. Heal them. I couldn't- I couldn't just stand by and watch them die"

"And.. Did this person hold any significance to you?"

You scoff dryly, leaning your head back. "He was only the most important person in the world to me."

"Can you tell me more?"

"Sure, I guess. This uhm, this war had broken out. And the people- Things, we were battling against were targeting all of the people we held dearest. They got to him before I could" Your voice grew tight, and cracky. Thick with hard emotion. Your eyes and nose stung as tears threatened to spill. Recalling moments from not so long ago somehow hurt more than living through it. "So I did the only thing I knew how to. I started to heal him. But he.. He was on the verge of death. I knew that. I could feel it, when I started to give him some of my lifeforce. It was like.. Feeding into a bottomless pit. Sucking more and more out of me." By now, you had snapped your eyes tightly shut.

You didn't want to cry. Not now. Not in front of this strange time man. Mobius, however was struggling as well. Not as apparent or as fluidly as you were, but on the inside everything was a storm. Seeing you, her face, her voice right in front of him in such pain. It was the worst kind of torture he could ever be subjected to. He looked back down at your file as you spoke. Reading it over thoroughly. This was.. A lot to handle. "And then the TVA showed up and stopped me before I could save him. Because I didn't.. Finish, all my of lifeforce came back to me instantly. And stole the last bits of life out of him"

"And did they not tell you why they showed up when they did?"

"No, believe me I was told."

You huff, sitting back up right and quickly wiping your eyes. Though, you refuse to look at him. There was something about him, his voice. It was too much like his. You didn't like it.

"They said that I was never even meant to get back to him at all. Those alien things were supposed to keep me captive and that I shouldn't even known he was dying. That I shouldn't have attempted to save him."

A memory came back to you. Being imprisoned by the enemy so that they might convince you to join their side. All for the sake of your powers. The guards watching over you spoke amongst themselves. Laughing about how they were gonna kill everyone you loved so you'd have nobody to save you. Nobody to run to. That way, you'd have no choice but to join their side. Instantly your mind went to him, and you knew that's who they meant. So you broke out.

Mobuis' guilt grew. As much as the TVA pushed all its workers to be void of any emotion for variants, he found that aspect hard. That aspect was especially hard right now.

"Do you have any idea how fucked that is? How wrong?! You people-" You cut yourself off with a strained groan, forcing your rage back down. Feeling anger, as much as it was right, wouldn't help you out right now. If anything, things would escalate. You didn't need that. You needed to get back to him. Maybe you weren't too late to save him still.

"Alright, I get it. You're upset. How about we watch your timeline, yeah? See what could have been if you hadn't caused that nexus event" With a press of a key, the projection started. You watched little clips and tid-bits of your life. The lab accident that landed you with your powers. Fury recruiting you to the Avengers. Training said powers. And then he saw himself up there on the projection with you. He had to do a double take. Albeit he was much younger and blonde, it was definitely him. Loki was most definitely, undoubtedly right.

"That's him. Don. My Don"

He looks over at you in disbelief. You however, had your sole focus on the projection. He couldn't believe it. Did you not recognize him? Or were you just pretending not to? The odds are completely at bare. This variant of himself was in love with you, and you him. As well as vise versa with him and Calder. You, really. The timeline projection went on. The war. You finding out about Don's death and charging into the battle in blind rage. Nearly dying. The war ending with a great deal of help from you. And your death there after.

"So that's it? I would have used my power and killed myself anyways?"

"Well, I mean yes. But hey! Look at all the good you did. You saved a lot of people"

"Not the one who mattered the most."

He pauses, unsure of what to say. You pull lightly at the collar they had put on you. It was just a little too tight. Assholes. "Remind me why I have to wear this thing again?"

"To dampen your powers. Who knows what you could do without it on"

You roll your eyes. This is ridiculous. Though, he made a fair point, it still didn't make you feel any less like chattel.

"Let me ask you something Y/N. Can I call you Y/N?"

"I don't care"

"Okay. Did you enjoy your time with the Avengers?"

Confusion hit you. What kind of stupid question was that? Of course you did. Despite how tough the job was, you had a support system. People who made you feel safe and welcome. Who trusted you despite your powers. You had every reason to enjoy your time with them. All up until the war, you supposed. A small snort of amusement left you.

"Yeah, I did. It was a whole lot better than being hauled up by Hydra like I was before. I had a life with them. And they're the reason I met Don, so.."

"Even though helping them out stole from your life?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean seriously, not all of them had super healing. Look at how many times you saved them from near death or very serious injury. Even if that war hadn't happened, you wouldn't have lived past your mid-thirties"

"How do you know that? It didn't happen in your little movie just now"

"Think about it. If you're constantly giving away you lifeforce in order to heal others and keep them going, what's left for you? It's not like you ever got any of what you gave away back. Keep doing down that path and you would've been gone pretty early on in life. To me, that doesn't sound worth all you did"

"Yes it was."

You felt anger rising back up. Just who did this guy think he is? Telling you that everything you did in life was meaningless. So what if you gave your life away to other people? It was your life! Your decision! And you gave it to those who needed it. Those who were dearest to you.

"Please, explain. Explain how in any way that would be worth it"

"Because!" You snap, "Because it meant I did something! I wasn't just an accidental weapon made by some sick men in labs! I was doing good for once! I was on the right side, helping the people there live! To keep their mission of peace going! So what if I died?! Then I died with the purpose of keeping others going!!"

Mobius is stunned by your sudden outburst. He hadn't expected it to be so easy to get you to reach your boiling point. Then again, given what you just went through was a lot. And, he was trying to touch a nerve. To find your motives and inner most thoughts. It was crucial in order to determine whether or not you could help the TVA. The room went dead silent, save for your heavy breathing and the soft hum of the projector. You take a deep breath to calm yourself down. Working up like that didn't help anything. And doing so certainly didn't help you feel any better. More so worse.

"..Sorry. I- I didn't mean to lash out like that."

He felt his heart ache a little more. You were exactly like her. Everything like her. A beat passes before he responds.

"No, don't be. That was my fault. I pushed you to that point on purpose. I apologize"

You sigh deeply, burying your face into your hands. A wave of guilt washed over you. This poor man probably got variants like you all the time. Lashing out and screaming at him while he's just trying to do his job. You were no better than them. The silence returns. You're the one to break it a minute later.

"I'm never gonna see him again, am I?"

"No, you're not. They've already reset the timeline"

Somehow you already knew that would be his answer. It didn't matter. You were stuck here now. Either get pruned, whatever that meant. Or have to.. Wait, what did you have to do? You pulled your hands from your face and looked over at the grey haired man across from you.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"For an assessment of sorts. Think of it as to see if you can be of help or not"

"Help?"

"To the TVA"

"Hah! Fat chance"

Hearing you say that pained him a little more. Reluctantly, he stood up. He adjusted his clothes before making for the door.

"Think about. I'll give you some space."

And with that, he left. You listened to the sound of his footsteps as the faded further away until the door opened and shut. His steps sounded just like Don's. You couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that they were very similar. Thinking about it made your skin crawl. So did helping the TVA. After what they did to you, they were lucky you didn't burn this place down. But, maybe if you played your cards right, you could find a way back to him. To Don. So what was your next move?