Connection

It took you a moment to realise that Sylvie was kissing you and under other circumstances you probably would have pushed her away. Right now, however, mere minutes away from the end of the world any human contact felt more than right. You gently rested your hands on her hip as she devoured your mouth with a ferocity that quite literally took your breath away.

She was not gentle and you wondered if she ever trusted anyone enough to let herself be vulnerable but you instinctively knew the answer. She moved against you almost desperately and you felt strangely anchored by her hands that were still holding onto your face with a tight grip.

The kiss was over abruptly as she pulled back with a devious grin and said, "That's what I wanted." Loki groaned and you suddenly felt embarrassed by your lack of self-control and the fact that you had enjoyed the spontaneous makeout session with the Variant you were supposed to be hunting.

You glanced at Loki out of the corner of your eye and you were surprised to see a rather severe expression on his face. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest as Sylvie let out a faint laugh. "Unlike you," she addressed him with a cruel smile, "I'm not a coward."

Loki whipped around and glared at her with an intensity that would have made a weaker person shrink into themselves in fear. "Excuse me?" he challenged and you could hear that he was genuinely offended by Sylvie's comment. She scoffed and casually pointed at you as she responded, "I know you want to do the same."

You instantly started blushing brightly and you barely managed to lift your head to take in Loki's stunned expression. He looked at you with wide eyes for a long moment before he sighed and a shy smile appeared on his face. "I remember you saying it can't happen again," he said with a wink and you felt tension fall off your chest at the soft smile that followed.

You took a deep breath and glanced at the asteroids that were falling at an increasingly faster rate and the magic shield that was bound to fail soon. You looked directly into Loki's eyes and it was almost as if the rest of the world and the impending doom disappeared for a second.

"I think I can make an exception for the apocalypse," you responded and Loki's melodic laugh was the most beautiful thing. He turned his body towards you and when he lifted his hand to tuck stray hairs behind you ear your heart fluttered in your chest. You leaned into his touch and he smiled before gently capturing your mouth with his.

You sighed into the tender touch and wrapped your arms around his back to hold him close. He was slowly moving against you and you felt overwhelmed by the affection and care in his kisses. His lips were soft and when you allowed his tongue to meet yours you could taste a faint bitterness you attributed to the strange alcohol he had drunk earlier.

Loki's hand wandered into your hair and you instinctively pressed deeper into him when he started caressing the back of your head. He let out a whine at your insistence and you could feel your heart hammering in your chest as he moved against you. Your tongues entangled in an almost familiar dance and you felt the strong urge to be infinitely closer to him.

Your fingers were digging into the back of his shirt and you could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric. Loki pulled back slightly but only to allow you to breathe for a second before his lips descended on yours again. You vaguely registered Sylvie letting out a curious hum but your attention was almost entirely taken up by the persistent pressure of Loki's mouth against yours.

He angled your head to gain deeper access and you couldn't help the moan that escaped the back of your throat and you felt heat shoot to lower parts of your body. His kisses felt all-consuming and you never wanted them to end.

Eventually his movements slowed and you whimpered when he gently nibbled on your lower lip before pulling back completely. He smiled at you as if all the answers of the universe lay in your eyes and you were stunned by the fond expression on his face.

You knew your cheeks were flushed a deep red but you couldn't bring yourself to care when the way he looked at you made butterflies appear in your stomach. You smiled back at him and you saw a flash of mischief in his eyes before he leaned in to leave a quick peck on the tip of your nose.

You giggled in response and you were only brought out of your trance by the loud crash of a nearby asteroid. You glanced at the magic shield that seemed significantly weaker than earlier and you took a deep breath as you attempted to make peace with the situation. Your life would end but at least you were spending your final moments with people who liked you and made you laugh - and apparently kissed you.

You turned to face the blackened sky and gently took Loki's and Sylvie's hands in yours and squeezed gently as you watched a storm of asteroids rushing towards you. Everything was strangely quiet and when you felt both of them return your touch eagerly you felt truly calm and ready for the end.

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened and you let out a gasp when a Timedoor appeared right in front of you. Without thinking further the three of you jumped up and darted through the portal just in time to avoid a gigantic meteor that would have crushed you to pieces. You stumbled into a hallway of the TVA and you were instantly surrounded by a large number of agents led by Mobius.

You barely had a chance to make a noise before they slapped Time Collars on both Loki and Sylvie and started taking them away in different directions. You considered following the agents but Mobius put a hand on your shoulder that clearly signalled you to stay where you were.

"The only reason you're not wearing one is because I saw you trying to stop Loki from going through the Timedoor," he said quietly and you faced him warily, "I'm relying on your cooperation." You were taken aback by the cold tone of his voice and you breathed deeply to calm down your frayed nerves.

You had saved from what you expected to be a painful death only to be confronted with the harsh reality of the TVA's workings. "Are the Time Collars really necessary?" you asked with a frown and you almost flinched when Mobius barked out a laugh. He emphasised how dangerous and destructive all Loki Variants were and that this escapade had only proven that they couldn't be trusted.

You considered arguing against it but you could tell by the look on his face that he was not in the right headspace to listen properly. You were practically vibrating with frustration but you knew that an emotional outburst would not help your cause. You shoved down the feelings of contempt and worry for Loki and Sylvie and focused on the matter at hand.

"How were you able to find us on Lamentis?"