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Mobius had far better places to be than in a dingy dive bar on a Thursday night, nursing a pint of lukewarm beer while trying to inconspicuously peel the soles of his shoes up off the sticky floor without alerting the crush of people around him. He could be in his dorm room doing any number of things: studying, watching television, jerking off, sleeping.
He leaned over and told Steve as much, but barely got halfway through his complaint before a sharp elbow jammed into his ribs. He doubled over, clutching his side as Steve looked down at him smugly.
“Shut up, Mobius, seriously,” Steve sighed, shoving his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose. “You offered to come.”
“Because I didn’t want you coming here alone.” Mobius countered, rubbing at his side as he straightened up again. He was already uncomfortably warm and handed Steve his beer as he shucked his denim jacket to tie it around his waist. The bar was full – probably beyond capacity, if Mobius was being honest – with most of the crowd clustered in front of the stage as they waited for the show to begin.
Tonight’s band were called Winter Soldier; a rock band comprised of students from SHIELD University. Steve had been dating their lead singer and frontman, Bucky Barnes, for a few weeks now, and had been eager to come and watch him perform. He hadn’t necessarily asked Mobius to join him, but rather Mobius had offered when he’d found out that Steve was planning on coming by himself. That wasn’t a problem, really – not when Steve’s boyfriend was in the band – but Steve was a spitfire that could start a fight in an empty room. He needed supervised, and Bucky couldn’t exactly do that if he was on stage; hence why Mobius offered his company.
Mobius was vaguely familiar with Winter Soldier, due to the fact that Steve was prone to watching their videos on repeat sometimes, filling their shared dorm room with Bucky’s dulcet tones. Their music was good, he supposed, but not really his style. Their aesthetic was a bit out there, as well; lots of leather and chains and dark eyeshadow that Mobius did have to admit they pulled off pretty well. He was more of a graphic tee and country pop kind of guy, though.
Mobius took a sip of his very mediocre pint as he leaned against the high table that he and Steve had managed to procure a spot next to. They were fairly close to the stage, positioned towards the left-hand side where the bassist would be. Mobius’s gaze flickered over to the stage at the sign of movement; their crew were doing a few last-minute checks, which told him that the show would be starting within the next few minutes. That suited him fine; the sooner it started, the sooner Mobius could get back to his room to finish watching his jetski documentary.
Mobius watched idly as the band’s drummer – a sports science student named Valkyrie – took up position and tapped out an anticipatory trill. A tentative hush settled over the crowd, and Valkyrie looked up with a humoured expression.
“Keep talking amongst yourselves, assholes,” She called, and a burst of laughter flitted across the crowd. “We’re not quite ready yet.”
Valkyrie flipped her braids over her shoulder and fiddled with something at her feet, out of sight behind the drumkit. Mobius’s gaze flickered to the next point of movement on the stage; the band’s guitarist this time, who was approaching Valkyrie from behind. Mobius didn’t know Sylvie personally but knew of her; she was Valkyrie’s girlfriend, as well as being one of Thor Odinson’s adopted siblings. Thor was a meteorology student who had been in one of Mobius’s Shakespeare classes in first year along with his other adopted sibling, Loki.
Loki was something of an enigma. Mobius had never interacted with them directly but had paid attention from afar. They were quiet and closed off to new people but lit up whenever they were with their siblings. They were also extremely intelligent; they were a literature student, and their contributions in the Shakespeare class had been enlightening. Mobius had developed a little bit of a crush on them after they’d torn Romeo and Juliet apart on a whim in class once.
They were also, coincidentally, the bassist for Winter Soldier.
Alright. So maybe Mobius had a little bit of an ulterior motive for accompanying Steve tonight. That became all the more apparent when Loki strode out onto the stage, dressed in tight leather pants and black combat boots. They wore a loose white shirt that was unbuttoned down to their navel, showing off the leather harness that looped and twisted over their torso and around their throat.
They picked up their bass and slung the strap over their body, fingers fluttering over the strings as they checked that it was in tune. Someone from the crowd wolf-whistled in their direction, and Loki tossed their hair back over their shoulder as they looked up in search of the source. When they found the culprit, they elegantly flipped the bird before returning to their task. Mobius snorted a laugh into his pint, and Steve eyed him curiously.
“What are you laughing at?” He asked, and Mobius waved him off.
“Nothing, nothing,” He shook his head, placing his palm over the top of his glass as he set it down on the table. “Go back to ogling your boyfriend.”
“I would, if I could see him.” Steve grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. He was pouting, and Mobius grinned as he reached out to poke Steve’s bottom lip. Steve smacked his hand away with a grimace, which only made Mobius grin harder. He turned back to the stage just as Bucky walked out and he saw Steve’s jaw drop out of the corner of his eye.
Bucky was attractive – there was no denying that. He wore a pair of flared leather trousers – not dissimilar to Loki’s – with a pair of heeled boots that gave him a few extra inches. He was shirtless, save for a barbed wire choker and a corset cinched around his waist that stopped at the top of his ribcage, showing off the tattoos that adorned his chest. He had a cropped leather jacket on over the top which obscured the intricate tattoo on his left arm, although the ink on his left hand was still visible. Mobius had seen it a few times when Bucky had been over to visit Steve; his entire left arm was inked to look like it was made of metal, from his collarbone to his fingertips. It was pretty cool, Mobius had to admit.
Bucky spotted Steve – and Mobius – immediately, and he hopped down from the stage to push his way through the crowd and approach them. He greeted Mobius with a smile and a perfunctory handshake before his attention zeroed in on Steve.
“Hi, baby,” Bucky murmured, taking Steve’s chin in his hand and drawing him into a kiss. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad to be here,” Steve smiled into the kiss, his hands finding their way to the taper of Bucky’s waist. “I’ll see you afterwards, yeah?”
“Absolutely,” Bucky nodded, drawing back a little and resting his forehead against Steve’s own. He lifted his other hand and tucked a loose strand of hair back behind Steve’s ear, fingertips caressing the shell of his ear. “Have you taken your meds?”
“I have,” Steve affirmed, raising an eyebrow in Mobius’s direction. “This guy made sure of it.”
“Good man,” Bucky grinned at Mobius, reaching out for a fist bump which Mobius returned with a chuckle. “Alright, I’d better go before Sylvie has a conniption. We’re already running late as it is.” Bucky explained, ducking his head to kiss Steve again – thoroughly and with plenty of tongue – before pulling away and heading back up onto the stage.
Loki was smirking at him, and Bucky preened as he took up position at the microphone. He tapped it a few times to check it was on before clearing his throat.
“Sorry, guys. Just had to make out with my boyfriend for a minute. We’ll get started now,” Bucky said with a rakish grin, and the crowd erupted into a mixture of whoops, catcalls, and cheers. Mobius laughed, ruffling Steve’s hair as he flushed and ducked his head. Though slightly embarrassed, Mobius could tell that Steve was also pleased at being claimed so publicly. “We are Winter Soldier, and tonight we are going to be proving to you that rock?” Bucky tilted his head, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Rock will never die.”
The crowd screamed as the lights dropped, plunging the room into darkness. Val counted them in and then they were off, instruments blending together and lifting Bucky’s voice high above the crowd. They were good live – really good, in fact – and Mobius actually found himself getting into it. It also helped that Loki was sensational to watch; they were electric, their body brimming with raw talent and power that made it impossible to look away.
Yeah, okay. Maybe he was more into leather and rock music than he’d previously thought. Or maybe it was just Loki.
Before too long, the show was already winding down. The instruments fell away, a hush descending over the crowd as the band took a breather, sharing a bottle of water between them. Sylvie shook her hair out, tying the top half into a bun at the back of her head. Loki smiled over at her, gesturing at their own hair, and she crossed the stage to do the same for them.
“Alright,” Bucky panted into the mic, running a hand through his hair. It was slick with sweat, dripping onto his bare shoulders. He had since shed his leather jacket; he’d tossed it to Steve with an exaggerated wink, and Steve had wasted no time slipping it over his shoulders like a brand. Bucky walked across the stage, stopping next to Sylvie and throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Before we play one last song, I just wanna give a shoutout to my frankly incredible band.”
Sylvie rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, shoving her hand against Bucky’s face. He grinned, pulling her close again and smacking a loud kiss to her temple. “Sylvie is the greatest guitarist I’ve ever had the pleasure of coming across. Not like that, you filthy fuckers,” Bucky groaned at the lewd chuckle that rippled through the crowd. “No, but really. This band wouldn’t be what it is without her, so thank you, Sylv.”
Sylvie’s cheeks were flushed as she gave a bow. Bucky blew her another kiss before moving up to the back of the stage, where Val was still perched behind the drumkit. “Our drummer, Valkyrie, who is fucking insane. In the best way,” Bucky grinned, placing his hands on Val’s shoulders and resting his chin on the top of her head. “I love this woman to death, although perhaps not as much as Sylvie does.”
“He’s right.” Sylvie shouted, and Val pointed at her with one of her drumsticks, mouthing an ‘I love you’.
“We’ve all seen the thirsty videos you guys post of Val,” Bucky laughed into the mic, strutting down to the front of the stage and grabbing one of the bottles of water from beside his mic stand. “Drink some water, go outside, and touch some fucking grass.” Bucky shouted, opening one of the bottles and pouring some of it into his mouth. He turned his head towards the crowd, spraying the water out over the first few rows. Steve snorted at the display, pressing his palm to his mouth and shaking his head.
“He sure knows how to put on a show.” Mobius commented, and Steve rolled his eyes.
“Tell me about it.” He murmured, his eyes never once leaving Bucky.
“And finally, the finest member of this motley crew,” Bucky ambled across the stage towards Loki, stopping a few paces away and dropping to his knees. “Loki, if I wasn’t hopelessly in love with my Stevie, I’d ask for your hand in marriage.”
Loki threw their head back, letting out a sharp bark of laughter. They lifted one of their feet, pressing the toe of their boot to Bucky’s forehead and pushing him backwards. Bucky went, sprawling across the floor with a howl.
“You wound me, baby!” He shouted into the mic, planting his heels and arching his back off the floor. Bucky laughed as he crawled onto his knees again, settling back looking up at Loki appreciatively. “For real, though. Aren’t they a fucking gem?” He asked the crowd, who whooped and hollered in response. “Right?! And they’re also single, by some cosmic miracle.”
Steve nudged Mobius at that, and Mobius shoved him.
“Fuck off, Steve.” Mobius muttered, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the table. He looked up at the stage to find Loki looking right at him, their eyes dark even beneath the house lights. Loki threw him a laviscious wink, and Mobius felt a flush spreading across his cheekbones.
Bucky had since returned to the front of the stage, fixing his microphone to the stand again. “We’re gonna play one more song for you all tonight. I know, I know, it’s very sad,” Bucky said, raising his hands in a placating gesture as the crowd booed. “But we’ll be back again next week, so don’t worry. You don’t have to miss us for long. Anyway, this song is a new one. It’s called I Wanna Be Your Slave.”
Bucky’s grin was downright filthy as he began to sing, his fingers curled around the microphone stand. Sylvie had hopped up onto the drum stage and had her back to the crowd, facing Val and mouthing every line to her. Val’s expression was open and adoring, her tongue peeking out between her teeth as she smiled.
Loki hadn’t stopped looking at Mobius, their fingers flying over the strings. They tilted their chin upwards, gesturing for Mobius to come to the edge of the stage. Mobius was frozen in place – Loki was the hottest person in the room, and all of their attention was on him. It made his blood burn beneath his skin, heat pooling in his gut.
Steve sighed, placing a hand on Mobius’s back and shoving him forward. He stumbled, but the crowd parted effortlessly to let him through until he was standing at the edge of the stage. Loki stepped forward, falling to their knees but still looming over Mobius. They were haloed by the bright stage lights, shining through their hair and giving them an ethereal, angelic quality. The lights illuminated the glitter on Loki’s cheekbones and the sharp, knife-like jut of their eyeliner.
Fuck, they were so beautiful.
Mobius was helpless to do anything but watch as Loki stopped playing, reaching out to tilt his chin upwards with one finger. They leaned down; lips almost brushing Mobius’s own as they whispered the final line of the song directly to him.
“I wanna be your slave, I wanna be your master.”
“Fuck, yeah,” Mobius breathed, gaze dropping to Loki’s mouth. Their lips were painted black, the pigment still opaque despite the sweat that gleamed on their skin. “I’m, uh, I’m down for all of that.”
Loki laughed as the lights went out, the crowd cheering and screaming around them.
“Stay with Steve,” They said, brushing their thumb over Mobius’s bottom lip and pressing it to the corner of his mouth. “I’ll come and find you.”
And then they were gone, retreating offstage with the rest of the band as the house lights came on again.
Mobius was breathless as he sagged against the stage, pressing his face against his hands. He could hear the sounds of the crowd clearing out, no doubt spilling out into the cool night air. He felt a hand against his back before an icy bottle rolled against the nape of his neck.
“Steve,” He groaned into his hands. “Steve, what do I do?”
“You come with me to the bar, you get Loki a drink, and you wait for them to come out,” Steve instructed, tugging Mobius’s hands down gently. “They won’t be that long. They’ve got roadies that’ll clear the stage.”
Mobius took the bottle of water that Steve offered him, gulping it down as they headed over to the bar. It was fairly busy – stragglers from the show plus regular bargoers – and they had to wait a few minutes to get served. Steve sat on a barstool while Mobius stood next to him, dazedly eyeing the stage where a few people were clearing away instruments, amps, and cables.
Steve chatted idly about the progress he was making on his portfolio – he was an art major, specialising in mixed medium portraits – and Mobius was content just to listen to him. The cadences of Steve’s voice were soothing, along with the way his hands swept through the air as he gesticulated.
Bucky and Loki arrived a few minutes after they’d been served their drinks: three pints and a glass of water for Steve, who was not only driving but also on medication. Bucky had taken his corset off and had swapped out his trousers for a pair of soft sweats and a pair of beat-up combat boots. It was the kind of ensemble that shouldn’t work, but he made it work. His hair was damp and pushed back off his face, which was clean and free of his stage makeup. His face lit up with a smile as he spotted them, and he stepped easily into the vee of Steve’s legs.
“Hey, Buck.” Steve grinned, reaching up to cradle Bucky’s jaw between his fingertips and pull him down for a sweet kiss. Bucky smiled into it, resting his hands on Steve’s thighs and leaning into him with effortless affection.
“Hi, doll. Did you guys enjoy the show?” He asked, pressing a kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth before drawing back to look over at Mobius.
“It was great.” Mobius nodded, gaze flickering from Bucky to Loki. They smirked at him, and he fumbled as he hid his face in his pint. Bucky’s grin was sharp, and he turned his attention back to Steve with a knowing wink in Loki’s direction.
Mobius looked over at Loki, who looked extremely well put-together despite the energetic performance they’d just given. They were still dressed the same, and the light from behind the bar caught on the collar around their neck. Mobius flushed, reaching for the extra pint on the countertop and thrusting it towards Loki.
“Here, we got you a drink,” He said, and Loki accepted it graciously. “I’m, uh, I’m Mobius by the way.”
“I know who you are,” Loki said, eyeing Mobius over the rim of their glass. “Shakespeare class, in first year. Your reading of The Two Gentlemen of Verona was particularly compelling.”
“Oh, you remember that, huh?” Mobius chuckled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
“I’ll never forget it,” Loki said lightly, reaching for Mobius’s hand and looping their fingers around his wrist gently. They rubbed their thumb over the bone there, and Mobius’s breath hitched in his throat. “When Bucky mentioned that his boyfriend was bringing a friend tonight, I hoped it would be you. Lucky me.” Loki purred, bringing Mobius’s hand to their mouth and brushing a kiss against his palm.
Mobius, emboldened by Loki’s obvious interest, let his fingertips travel carefully down the line of their throat. He hooked his finger through the gold ring at the centre of Loki’s collar, and used it to tug Loki forward a few steps. Mobius felt a thrill run through him as Loki submitted, dropping into the bar stool next to Mobius and giving him the privilege of having a few inches over them. They tilted their head back, baring their throat to Mobius as though he didn’t already have a hand on them.
Fuck the jetski documentary. This was way better.
“Do you – would you like to get out of here?” Mobius asked, and Loki’s eyes darkened as they looked up at him through thick, inky lashes.
“Yes.” They breathed, leaning forward slightly as Mobius released his hold on their collar, as though they already missed the pressure. Mobius took Loki’s pint from them, placing it next to his own on top of the bar and sliding both over to Steve and Bucky, who were blissfully unaware of their surroundings.
Loki lifted a leg, pressing their boot lightly against the small of Bucky’s back. He pulled away from Steve for a moment, mouth swollen red and slick with spit. “Give me the bike keys,” Loki said, holding their hand out with their palm facing upwards. “We’re leaving.”
“Are you okay to drive it?” Bucky asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys.
“All I had was a sip,” Loki said, nodding to the still mostly full pint on the bar. “Nothing else.”
Bucky acquiesced, dropping the keys into Loki’s palm with a flourish. “Alright. I’ll stay with Steve tonight, then. Have fun, stay safe.” He grinned, biting down on his bottom lip as Steve wound a hand around his neck, fingers sinking into his hair. He turned back to Steve, ducking his head and licking a stripe up the side of his throat. Steve smirked at Mobius over Bucky’s shoulder, glasses askew on the top of his head. ‘Use protection!’ he mouthed, and Loki snorted with laughter as Mobius flushed.
“Shall we?” Loki suggested, sweeping an arm towards the doorway in an elegant movement that made Mobius’s mouth water. He nodded, following Loki across the bar and out into the car park. They led him over to a motorbike – a Harley, no less – that sat proudly between Steve’s shitty three-door and a beat-up white Jeep. It was huge and imposing, gleaming in the soft moonlight.
A sharp whistle penetrated the stillness of the night, and Mobius looked up to find Sylvie sitting on the hood of the Jeep, Val standing between her legs.
“Get it, Loki!” Val grinned, and Loki rolled their eyes as they grabbed two helmets from under the bike’s seat.
“I’m trying,” Loki quipped, sliding onto the bike as they pulled one of the helmets on. They gestured for Mobius to come closer and tucked his hair behind his ears before pulling the helmet onto his head, making sure it fit correctly. “Is this okay?” They asked softly, sliding their hands down to rest gently on Mobius’s shoulders.
“This is great,” Mobius nodded, laying a hand on Loki’s thigh and squeezing lightly. “I’ve never been on a motorbike before but, well, first time for everything, right?”
“Right,” Loki murmured, the corner of their mouth tilting upwards. They patted the seat behind them, and Mobius tried his best to slide onto it elegantly. He didn’t hesitate to wind his arms around Loki’s waist, hooking his chin over their shoulder as they turned the bike on. It roared to life beneath them, vibrating between Mobius’s thighs in way that made his head spin a little. “See you.” Loki said to Val and Sylvie, winking before sliding their visor down. Mobius did the same before pressing both hands to Loki’s stomach, slipping them beneath the gossamer fine material of their shirt. He felt their muscles jump beneath his palms, and he had to bite back a smile. Loki manoeuvred the bike out of the parking lot, and before too long they were racing back towards campus.
Mobius couldn’t quite believe this was his life. He certainly hadn’t expected to be ending the night speeding down a moonlit backroad on a motorbike with the person he’d been harbouring a secret crush on for the last few years, but he wasn’t going to complain.
Especially not when, a few weeks later at another Winter Soldier gig, Loki took Mobius up onto the stage and asked him to be their boyfriend.
To the crowd’s delight, Mobius emphatically agreed.
And the rest was history.