Chapter Text
The second his last class was over, he was at the bar.
Not that he was a regular there. Classes had just been stressful lately, and he had a lot of papers to grade, and, well. To say the least, Professor Laufeyson needed a drink.
So he was at the bar. Alone at the corner table, nursing a double finger of whiskey and waiting for Thor to arrive, and damn was he in a sour mood. And what could make that mood worse, pray tell? One of the idiot soldiers making a racket on the other side of the bar, approaching him to the wolf whistles of his buddies.
“Not interested.” He said, hoping the interaction would be over soon enough.
“Slow your roll there, teach. Let’s at least do introductions. I’m Mobius, but you can call me any time of day or night.”
“Loki. Laufeyson. And what makes you think I’d take your number?”
The soldier, Mobius, smiled coyly.
“You look like a fella who’s having a rough day. And rough nights are my specialty.”
Scoffing at the soldiers' crudeness, Loki started to gather his things.
“Woah, sorry, didn’t think I’d struck a nerve. Not stupid enough to put out on the first date.”
“Again. What makes you think this is a date?”
He smiled. Again. God, this Mobius character was a fool.
“It’s not, but I'd like it to be. You seem… complex.”
“Complex? Complex how?”
“Like you’ve got all sorts of layers to you no one ever gets to see. You put off a sort of… broody professor vibe, but I don't think that’s who you really are, is it?”
Loki scoffed, honestly shocked by the man's boldness.
“You’re quite presumptuous for a soldier.”
“That’s certainly a word for it.”
Sighing, Loki adjusted his glasses and stood, hoping Mobius would take a damn hint.
“I’ve got to get going. I’d say it was nice meeting you, but you seem to be one of the more assholish people I’ve interacted with today.”
“I’ll see you around, sweetheart.”
“Hope you don’t.”
Leaving the bar as hastily as he could and ignoring the skip in his heart at the sound of the man‘s voice calling him sweetheart, he dialed Thor’s number to tell him that they should cancel for the night. They both had papers to grade anyways. And Professor Laufeyson was definitely not going to spend the night thinking about piercing blue eyes and coy smiles and striking blond hair as he graded essay after essay. Definitely not thinking about the way his name curled around Mobius’s voice like a tendril of steam around a hot cup of coffee.
Sighing and taking off his glasses, he rubbed his temples and put away the rest of the papers before getting ready for bed. Loki was NOT going to let this arrogant, invasive, witty, oddly beautiful man invade his thoughts. Absolutely not.
…Oh, hell.
—————————————————————
Waking up the next morning, Loki put a pot of coffee on before reviewing what he had to do for the day. One class at 10 and another at 1, lunch with Professor Brunnhilde at noon, and the rest of the day was free. Maybe he’d stop by that nice little cafe he saw a couple days prior. Bruce said they have a wonderful chocolate croissant.
Noticing the coffee was ready, he began to pour an obscene amount of milk and sugar (Loki always drank black coffee with no sugar in front of others. He had an image to maintain, after all.) into his mug and got ready to go.
The walk on campus was nice. It was uncharacteristically warm for an October day, and Loki found himself taking the longer route because he had the time and wanted to enjoy the changing leaves (no one tell Thor that. God forbid Loki has any sort of soft or “cute” quality). The air was just on the right side of brisk, cool enough for a sweater but warm enough that you could be outside for hours and not get cold. When he got inside, about half of his students were already waiting, eager to get on with today’s lesson. They were watching clips from David Tennant's Hamlet, comparing it to other modern adaptations and performances and how his emotion and acting reflects Hamlet's emotional turmoil. After the lesson, he sat in his office grading papers, killing time before lunch with Valkyrie.
A knock on the door startled him from his reverie.
“Come in.”
He smiled, seeing Professor Renslayers cheerful face appear in his doorway.
“Got a minute?”
“Anything for you, my dear.”
“Oh, stop it. I can‘t stay long, my next class is in half an hour. But I’m here to talk to you about something.”
“Oh? Which of Professor Starks' pranks am I being blamed for now? If you must know, it was Thor.”
“None. And I’ll keep that in mind. It’s actually about Mobius.”
Loki’s smile fell slightly, confused as to how she knew what happened last night. He only told Thor.
“How did you…”
“He’s actually a friend of mine. Met him at that same bar. Surprisingly keen, you know. Good at arguing.”
“Good at being a bother, more like.”
“He means well, I promise. Just a little…”
Loki let out a dry chuckle.
“Abrasive? Annoying? Rude?”
“Honest. Too honest for his own good.”
“That’s for damn sure. Why talk to me?”
Ravonna’s answering smile shone with a mischievous glare that instantly had Loki on the defense.
“What did he say-“
“He’s enamored by you. Thinks you’re the greatest mind he’s ever encountered.”
Mentally stalling in his seat, Loki took a moment to catch his breath.
“What do you mean ‘enamored’? We spoke for 2 minutes at max. And he was rude. Shockingly rude.”
“That’s just how he is! Give him a chance, Loki, please. You two would be good for each other.”
“Please, tell me why he would be good for me. I’m sure there’s a fascinating reason.”
“Enough with the sarcasm. And I think you need someone as brutally honest as he is in your life, and he needs someone as… tough to crack as you.”
“Tough to crack?”
“You’re like a puzzle. Trapped inside a locked box. Inside another locked box. Inside another locked box. Inside-“
“We get it, Ravonna, no need to go on.”
She laughed, opening the door behind her and heading out.
“Think it over, Loki. Also, he says you have a nice ass.”
“Get out of my office!”
Sighing at Ravonnas laughter from the outside hallway, he tried to grade another paper or two before lunch but he just… couldn’t get Mobius out of his head. His smile, his abrasive attitude, his gorgeous eyes, his way of thinking.
Okay, yeah. Maybe he would give this a try. What could go wrong, right?