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mimisempai · 5 months

Text

Stepping into the unknown

Summary

O.B. doesn't understand.

Since the events with the Loom and Loki, while the new TVA is slowly being built, Casey comes to visit him every day.

He doesn't understand why.

Even more, he doesn't understand why he looks forward to these visits now.

Notes

They'll get there...at their own pace.

On Ao3

Rating G - 1872 words

"Hello O.B.!"

Although his back was to the person who had just entered, O.B. couldn't help but smile when he heard the voice with its now familiar inflections.

He turned and replied, also smiling, "Hi, Casey."

The analyst was holding a cup of coffee, which he placed on the counter in front of O.B..

He asked, "So? Any progress?"

O.B. shook his head and replied, "No, I'm just gathering data, and since we don't have Victor anymore, it's going to take a little longer. I'd like to go faster for Loki, but..."

Casey interrupted and pushed the mug towards him, "There's no point in rushing yourself, unlike before, we're not under time pressure anymore."

OB nodded and replied, "You're right," then took a sip of coffee, humming with contentment.

Casey gave a slight self-deprecating laugh before saying, "I may not be a scientist, but sometimes I'm capable of saying smart things."

OB was about to retort, but Casey had continued, "If you need any further information, let me know, I'd be happy to help. Anyway, I'm gonna get back to work before B15 comes looking for me. See ya!"

Just like that, he left without O.B. having a chance to say anything. The scientist had a little trouble understanding the analyst's reasons for coming here so often.

He'd bring him coffee or a sandwich or something, and sometimes he'd even manage to get him to share a meal in the TVA cafeteria.

O.B., who rarely received visits before Loki's arrival at the TVA, received them every day now and wasn't sure what to make of it.

What's more, O.B. had come to expect this impromptu visit almost every day.

Casey really was an entertaining person, with a cheerful, enthusiastic disposition, and O.B. was always pleasantly surprised by the way the other man was so enthusiastic when they discussed science and the like. When Casey had told him that he was a bank robber who had ended up on Alcatraz in his timeline, O.B. had thought he was joking, because it really wasn't the past he had imagined after getting to know Casey.

But it was the truth. However, O.B. couldn't care less of his past, because the Casey that mattered was the one he was today.

The one O.B. knew.

What O.B. didn't understand was why Casey came to see him.

Most of the time, O.B. was busy researching and fixing thing for the TVA. He was far from an entertaining guest, but the analyst kept coming back.

Always thoughtful and kind.

Always the same smile.

Casey could see whoever he wanted up there, all kinds of people who were probably more fun than O.B. was. Especially since fraternization was no longer forbidden.

So why?

Why seek O.B.'s companionship?

A capsule containing a device to be repaired arrived through the communication tube and prevented him from thinking about it any further.

And if his eyes wandered to the door several times in the afternoon whenever he heard footsteps, he preferred to ignore the reason and immerse himself in his work instead.

In the end, he was so focused that he was taken aback a few hours later when Casey walked into the shop and asked, "Would you like to get something to eat in the cafeteria?"

O.B., a little annoyed at having been startled, couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth, "Why are you here?"

Casey looked at him in confusion and replied, still smiling, "I just told you, to have dinner in the cafeteria."

The scientist shook his head and replied, "No, I mean why do you come here every day to visit me?"

For the first time, O.B. saw Casey lose his smile as he replied, "You're the one who suggested I come here to talk about what I learned in your guidebook, and even though it's a new one now, I thought I might as well."

Oh, right, it was just from a scientific point of view.

O.B. ignored the disappointment at the idea that Casey wasn't coming for him, just for "science as Casey continued, "And also because I like you. Very much."

"What?"

Casey repeated, "I like you."

"Oh..."

That was all O.B. could think to say, so unprepared was he for this genuine response. He couldn't ignore the warmth that washed over him in reaction.

And this, this was completely uncharted territory for O.B.

He liked Casey a lot.

Even more, if he was honest with himself.

He was the first person to visit him without expecting anything in return.

For centuries, O.B. hadn't really bonded with others. Or rather, he'd gotten used to people coming in sporadically, always asking him for something or giving him something to fix, and usually forgetting him when they came back years later.

So the new opportunity to create a lasting bond was something unfathomable.

But he also couldn't ignore the fact that it was something he longed for.

So what was he waiting for?

Casey's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I understand..."

The analyst had lost his smile now and O.B. had no time to react as Casey continued, "I'm far from having your or Victor's intelligence, I'm just a clerk, an office worker who happened to be in the right place at the right time. And I guess it's not very reassuring to know that you know someone who was a bank robber in another life. Sorry, O.B., I won't bother you again."

O.B. didn't even have time to say a word before Casey had turned his back on him and was striding out of his workshop, bumping into Hunter B-15 who had just arrived.

She turned to look at Casey who continued to walk away, then at O.B., raising an eyebrow, "What's wrong with him? I've never seen him look like that before."

O.B. sighed and replied, "I'm afraid it's my fault.

B15 looked surprised and asked, "You? But you're one of the nicest people I know, and Casey's one of the most patient, how is that possible?"

O.B. sheepishly replied, "I think he took my silence for a refusal."

Hunter B15's look went from surprised to confused as she replied, "I don't understand, O.B."

O.B. more or less told her what had led to this situation, and Hunter B15 found it hard to hold back a small smile. Between Mobius and Loki, and now O.B. and Casey... well, at least for these two the happy ending would come sooner than for Loki and Mobius.

She couldn't stop her heart from clenching at the thought of her two absent friends, then she pulled herself together and replied softly to O.B., "The thing that works best is honesty. Go and talk to him. I'm sure your misunderstanding will clear up quickly."

"Oh...okay, if you say so... I... I'll go right now."

O.B. untied his apron, brushed some invisible dust from his clothes, and set off at a hurried pace under B15's amused gaze.

O.B. realized that he had left his workshop without a clue as to where Casey might be.

"Would you like to get something to eat in the cafeteria?"

He felt it in his bones; he was sure he'd find him there.

When he walked through the cafeteria door, he saw him alone at a table, always the same table by the bay window.

For the first time, he wondered if Casey was as alone as he was. Then he called himself an idiot.

"I like you. A lot."

They were all the same here.

All finding their footing in this new TVA.

All redefining themselves.

All learning to bond.

What was true for O.B. was also true for Casey.

Casey looked out the window and hadn't seen him.

O.B. approached slowly in the almost deserted cafeteria at this hour, then pulled the chair in front of the other man and said quietly, "You didn't even give me time to give you my answer."

Casey turned his head sharply in surprise, then replied flatly, "I didn't have to. I told you I understood."

O.B. shook his head gently and replied, "How could you possibly understand something I just realized?"

Casey looked at him in confusion, his hand nervously tapping on the table next to his plate. O.B. gently placed his hand on it to calm him and, looking him in the eye, said gently, "To answer your question, yes, I'll have dinner with you here."

Then he added, "I like you, too, Casey. Very much. I've come to appreciate the time we spend together. Your company is more than pleasant. But it wasn't until today that I realized how much I enjoyed and even looked forward to your daily visit. You must understand that it's absolutely new for me to form this kind of bond. I may have been married in my life before the TVA, but I don't remember it. All I know is my workshop. For centuries. So I have no idea how to do it."

Casey nodded slowly and replied, "Just like I only know this place and my desk."

O.B. continued, "I've never thought about whether you're smarter or less smart than me. As far as I'm concerned, you're smarter than most of the people who come to see me at the TVA, and most importantly, you're passionate about what I do, so that changes everything. And even if you were "just" an office worker, as you say, that doesn't matter to me, it's you as a person that I appreciate, not your job. Your cheerfulness, your enthusiasm, your kindness are just a few of the qualities I enjoy about you, Casey. And as for your past as a robber, that's what it is, your past, we all have one and now we have this life. It made us who we are today, didn't it?"

Casey nodded.

O.B. tightened his hand around Casey's and then added softly and firmly, "I really like you a lot, Casey."

Just then he saw it.

Finally back.

Casey's smile.

He added, smiling too, "I don't want to see you lose your smile because of me."

Casey replied quietly, "I haven't been around as long as you, or maybe my memory's been wiped, who knows. But I'm on the same page as you, you know. I have no idea how to do... this."

O.B. smiled and said a little shyly, "Then maybe we can learn together?"

Casey's smile widened, if that was possible, as he replied, "I'd like that."

He returned his hand under O.B.'s and their fingers intertwined as they continued to smile softly at each other.

Lost in each other's gaze, they didn't see another smile, that of Hunter B-15, who, after one last look at them, left the cafeteria unnoticed.

It was time, she thought, for happiness to settle within the walls of TVA, and if it started with O.B. and Casey, two of her friends, it was even better.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

#Loki #ouroboros #OB #Casey #OB x Casey #Casey x OB #Time nerds #LokiS2 #loki s2 spoilers #LokiS2Spoilers #LokiSeason2Spoilers #Loki Season 2 Spoilers

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mimisempai · 7 months

Text

His smile

Summary

Struggling with a desperate situation, O.B. never expected to meet someone who would change the course of his life.

All it took was one smile.

Notes

I don't know which POV is more enjoyable to write, they're both so adorable.

On Ao3

Rating G - 995 words

"Hey, O.B., this is Casey. I thought he could help."

O.B. recognized Hunter B-15's voice, but couldn't remember ever seeing a man named Casey before. In any case, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

He shouted at Hunter, "We're all gonna die!"

She called to him, "O.B.?"

He ran up the metal stairs, repeating, "We're all gonna die!" and then stopped in front of the man he didn't know, probably Casey, held out his hand and said, "Oh. Hey, nice to meet you. We're all gonna die."

Then he quickly walked over to the desk where he put his things down as Hunter B-15 asked, "What do you mean?"

He turned to them and said in a voice of panic he was trying to control, "The blast doors won't open."

Casey interjected, " Did you try the C-12 bypass?" and leaned over the console in front of them to put what he had just said into action, barely giving O.B. time to reply.

"It won't work."

In fact, O.B. was surprised that someone from the administrative side of the T.V.A. would know so much.

Casey continued anyway, a smile on his lips that annoyed O.B. as he asked slightly mockingly, "Are you sure?"

O.B., not one to let things get out of hand when it came to his abilities, replied calmly, or so he hoped, "Of course. I wrote it."

He saw the man freeze, staring at him in amazement, his mouth hanging open, before he straightened and muttered, "Wait..."

Then he reached into the back of his pants and, pulling out something, asked O.B., "You're Ouroboros?"

O.B. recognized the orange booklet in his hand and answered a little surprised, "Yes?"

So what?

But O.B. wasn't done being surprised, because the man turned the book over to him and said with a big smile on his face, "You wrote the TVA guidebook."

What?

Someone he'd never seen before in his life, someone who, judging by his outfit, spent all his time in the offices above him, knew his name, knew his book.

Someone had read his book? It couldn't be, could it?

He couldn't help but smile with pleasure and ask cheerfully, "You've read it?"

He almost fell over in shock at Casey's reply, "Read it? I practically memorized it."

O.B. couldn't believe his ears as Casey looked proud as he turned to Hunter B-15 and couldn't hold back a laugh.

Then the other man turned to him and asked, almost shyly, like a child, "Will you sign mine for me?"

Oh dear, if that wasn't lovely.

Lovely?

He hadn't just thought that, had he?

Casey had approached him with his book, and of course O.B. wasn't going to deny him that, so he said joyfully, "Of course I will. Happy to do it."

Casey had opened the booklet where his picture was next to the introduction and handed him the pen, saying, "Yeah, right next to your picture.

"Hold on."

Hunter B-15.

"You just said we were all gonna die."

O.B. couldn't believe he'd lost his priorities over a smile.

No, he hadn't just thought of something like that again.

Not now.

He regained his composure and replied, "Oh, right. The containment doors are locked, and only the person who designed it can open it with a live scan of his temporal aura."

Hunter understood immediately and commented, "He Who Remains."

O.B. could only reply, "And he's dead. So without Miss Minutes to help us override the lock, we're stuck."

"So we have to convince a rogue artificial intelligence to come back to work?"

Casey had summed up the situation perfectly.

O.B. replied, unable to hide the concern in his voice, "Whatever we're doing, we gotta do it fast. The more those branches grow, the closer this thing comes to melting down. I'll build the device, but you need to find a way in or it won't matter."

The three of them stood in silence for a few seconds, contemplating the inextricable knot they found themselves in, then B-15 shook her head before heading for the main door, and Casey hurried after her.

Despite the urgency of the situation, O.B. still wanted to talk to Casey. For once, he'd have a chance to talk to someone who understood what he was saying.

For the first time in a long time, his body reacted faster than his mind and he found himself following Casey, stopping him with a hand on his arm.

The other man turned to him in astonishment and O.B. asked a little shyly, "If you don't mind... uh, Casey. I'd like you to come and talk to me about what you learned in my manual. That is, if we can get this mess straightened out. You're the first person to talk to me like this in... I don't know how long, and since I've never had any real feedback, I'd love to hear yours."

As soon as he said that, O.B. felt like taking back his words. He was about to do so when Casey suddenly held out his hand and smiled broadly, "It's a deal!"

O.B. almost didn't believe it, but he took Casey's hand and this time he was fully aware of it. Aware of the gentle pressure and warmth of the hand in his. Aware of the open expression on the man's face and absolutely aware of his smile.

As he watched Casey's silhouette fade away, he couldn't help but look forward to seeing the other man again. Even if it was to discuss their common interest, for whatever reason.

He would do whatever it took to save the current situation. He had a job to do and he would do it to the best of his ability. He always did.

Even if a tiny part of his eagerness was due to a certain smile.

His smile.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

#Loki #ouroboros #OB #Casey #OB x Casey #Casey x OB #Time nerds #LokiS2 #loki s2 spoilers #LokiS2Spoilers #LokiSeason2Spoilers #Loki Season 2 Spoilers

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mimisempai · 7 months

Text

Unexpected

Summary

When Casey followed Hunter B-15 to meet the man she called O.B., he certainly didn't expect to meet his lifelong idol, Ouroboros, the author of the book that never left his side.

But what he also didn't expect was that the other man would be so kind and have the most charming smile.

Notes

I fell in love with these two sunshines…

On Ao3

Rating G - 870 words

Casey followed Hunter B-15 and had no idea where she was taking him. But he appreciated not being tied to his desk and finally felt like he was doing something useful, so he eagerly followed her.

They arrived in a semicircular room that seemed empty, and B-15 called out, "Hey, O.B., this is Casey. I thought he could help."

A voice answered, "We're all gonna die!" but no one was visible.

Advancing into the room, B-15 called out again, "O.B.?"

Rapid footsteps drew their attention to the left, and Casey saw a man emerge from the stairs, shouting again, "We're all gonna die!"

Then, to Casey's surprise, he stopped in front of him and shook his hand vigorously, saying, "Oh. Hey, nice to meet you."

Then he gave him a quick smile and, not giving Casey a chance to react, continued on toward B-15, repeating, "We're all gonna die."

The hunter asked, "What do you mean?"

The man, O.B., put his things on a desk and turned to them and said, "The blast doors won't open."

Casey interjected, "Did you try the C-12 bypass?"

Then, putting his money where his mouth was, he pressed the appropriate control button as O.B. replied, "That won't work.

Casey chuckled slightly and asked a little mockingly, "Are you sure?"

The man casually replied, "Of course. I wrote it."

Casey froze and said nothing for a moment, mouth agape.

This guy had just said he'd written the command. But then... that meant...

Casey managed to articulate despite his stupor, "Wait..."

He pulled out the booklet he always kept in the back pocket of his pants and asked, barely able to contain his excitement, "You're Ouroboros?"

O.B. looked surprised that Casey had asked as he replied, "Yes?"

Casey, wanting to be sure, asked, pointing to the orange booklet, "You wrote the TVA guidebook."

The other man looked absolutely delighted when he asked, "You've read it?"

Casey immediately replied, not a little proudly, "Read it? I practically memorized it," then laughed slightly as he looked at B-15 before asking the other man, "Will you sign mine for me?"

O.B. replied enthusiastically, "Of course I will. Happy to do it."

They both leaned over the book and Casey showed him where to sign, "Yeah, just next to your picture."

"Hold on."

It was B-15.

Casey had completely forgotten about her, and apparently O.B. had as well.

When she got their attention back, she continued, "You just said we're all gonna die."

O.B. became serious again, and in the same state of stress as at the beginning of the conversation, as he said, "Oh, right. The containment doors are locked, and only the person who designed it can open it with a live scan of his temporal aura."

B-15 caught on and calmly said, "He Who Remains."

O.B. continued, "And he's dead. So without Miss Minutes to help us override the lock, we're stuck."

Casey replied matter-of-factly, "So we have to convince a rogue artificial intelligence to come back to work.

O.B. replied, "Whatever we're doing, we gotta do it fast. The more those branches grow, the closer this thing comes to melting down. I'll build the device, but you need to find a way in or it won't matter."

They stood in silence for a moment, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task, then B-15 was the first to come to her senses and headed for the door. Casey followed suit when he was held back by O.B., who had put his hand on his arm.

Casey turned to him and although he looked worried, O.B. asked gently, "If you don't mind... uh, Casey. I'd like you to come and talk to me about what you learned in my manual. That is, if we can get this mess straightened out. You're the first person to talk to me about it like this in... I don't know how long, and since I've never had any real feedback, I'd love to hear yours."

The last few months had brought many changes to Casey's life. Sometimes unsettling, sometimes very destabilizing, but the fact that someone wanted to talk to him and listen to what he had to say wasn't one of them.

And there was no way he was going to turn down an invitation from his all-time idol. The mysterious person behind the ingenious and practical words of the TVA guide.

So with a big smile on his face, Casey held out his hand and said, "It's a deal!"

O.B., also smiling, took Casey's hand, and this time the handshake was not hasty and rushed like the first one, the glances and smiles were not the polite ones of people who don't know each other, but of two people with a common interest. That, too, was new to Casey.

As he left, he told himself that he'd try to help as much as he could on his own level so that he could visit O.B. as soon as possible.

Of course, he was looking forward to talking about the manual, and his haste had absolutely nothing to do with O.B.'s smile.

Nothing at all.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

#Loki #ouroboros #OB #Casey #OB x Casey #Casey x OB #Time nerds #LokiS2 #loki s2 spoilers #LokiS2Spoilers #LokiSeason2Spoilers #Loki Season 2 Spoilers

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