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It was Loki's day off and there was a nasty storm, painting the night, starless sky red. Loki was growing more worried as minutes went by and Mobius still hadn't walked through that door. He checked the watch for the third time in the past thirty minutes. Mobius should have been home by now. There was no mission, not that Loki knew of, but Ravonna's new policy was making it less convenient for all Analysts, Hunters and Minutemen to travel without the help of a Tempad and a Time Door; something about saving the environment and saying no to personal use of the technology. Or, a Tempad was only allowed when it was work-related from now on.
(Which Loki understood. He simple wished there was an exception, like right now when it was raining cat and dog, and Mobius didn't own a car. So it was him and the TVA's service bus, plus a ten-minute walk, until he'd reach their shared apartment; Mobius's own apartment, to be precise, Loki only said yes when Mobius asked if he'd love to move in — he didn't say the exact words, but whatever this was called, Loki and Mobius were roommates ever since.)
The sound of the door being opened could still be heard, disregard the roaring from the sky. Loki quickly turned his head in the direction and jumped up from the couch to greet his not-really-lover-but-still-more-than-friend (it was... complicated, and neither Loki nor Mobius had yet to bring up the subject of labelling their relationship.)
Mobius was soaked in the rain, dripping wet from head to toe, as he hurried inside and closed the door behind. Loki opened his mouth, he was already getting ready to fetch Mobius a towel to help dry him off when something stopped him dead in his tracks, leaving him paralyzed and speechless.
In Mobius's arm was a black tiny ball of fluff (not actually fluff, since everything was soaked in the rain) and it was shaking. Mobius was shaking, too, but only a little, not as bad as that thing he held so tenderly in his arm. And that thing was making a noise; a meowing.
"Mobius," Loki said, when he finally, finally found his voice. Though moving a muscle was still too difficult a job as of now. He couldn't look away from the thing — the creature — Mobius brought home with. What's happening, Loki had no idea, but he didn't like it. "What... is this?"
"Huh?" Mobius looked at him for the first time since he retuned home, having rid himself of his boots and his jacket. But it was the look in Mobius's eyes that bothered Loki the most; so nonchalant, so clueless, as if he had no idea what he was doing.
"What..." Loki was still at a loss for words, though he did manage to shift his eyes up from the meowing creature and to Mobius's face, then back at the meowing creature again. "Wha — what..." He stuttered, utter shock in his voice like Mobius had just betrayed him. (He did, didn't he?)
"Wha... oh," finally it clicked. Mobius looked at the thing in his arm, and at Loki, still too nonchalant. "This? I brought a stray."
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Loki had been uncharacteristically (or not-at-all uncharacteristically) hostile the second Mobius brought home with him the stray.
"I found him on my way home," Mobius said, when Loki — hurt and confused — gave him the silence treatment and made it Mobius's own job to dry himself. (Usually, Loki would dry him up and put him in clean, comforting clothes. It'd become an unspoken rule between them... not exactly a rule but a pattern where Loki would take care of Mobius and Mobius would return the favor. So it was completely normal for anybody to see them fixing each other's ties when they were at the TVA.)
Mobius knew Loki was upset.
"He was shivering and starving. I couldn't just leave him out there," said the Time Agent as he pointed at the little kitten, now bundled up in layers of warm blankets in front of the fireplace with a bowl of milk next to his makeshift nest.
"So you decided to make the decision yourself, without asking me, bringing that thing home —"
"He's not a thing, Loki. He's a cute, harmless little kitten."
Loki hissed at Mobius, like a feral, adult, wild cat who didn't like sharing its territory with a newbie. Though there was still this hint of hurt, the 'how could you do this to me?' written behind those murderous eyes. And Mobius knew, all of Loki's issues; it wouldn't matter if Mobius had brought home a cat or a woman, as long as the littlest bit of Mobius's attention were to be shifted from Loki, Loki would make it personal, counting the subject of Mobius's attention as his enemy.
"Loki, come on..."
Loki averted his eyes now, arms crossed over his chest. Mobius sighed softly, he knew what this was; another wave of Loki's silence treatment.
"Baby..." Mobius approached him with caution, gentle, like one would do a spooked yet feisty cat. His arms smoothly sneaked around Loki's waist from behind, not all the way just yet. Only when Loki gave no sign of protest, and Mobius was certain Loki wasn't going to start clawing at his face before retracting back into himself, did he allow those arms to fully wrap around his Mischievous Scamp. Mobius's chin rested nicely on Loki's shoulder. He was tense, but Mobius could feel him relax under his touch, a soft purr coming from his throat — like a cat — and Mobius made no comment about that, for Loki's own sake.
(Though it did make Mobius's heart beat a little faster every time. The fact Mobius was the only person who could get a purr out of Loki did not help that. Sometimes he wondered if he should be worried, how fast his heart could beat when Loki did this, considering Mobius's age... but it wasn't like he and Loki weren't basically immortal working for the TVA where time could never main them, and the thoughts of Mobius himself having a cardiac arrest of sorts weren't something he ever needed to fear. Ravonna had assured him the Time Keepers had made sure of that. You're gonna be the death of me, Mobius had thought, more than once, though he never once said it aloud, when he first met Loki — this Loki, his Loki — and whenever Loki did something that set his heart on fire, he hoped it wasn't literal.)
"He was alone and he was suffering. Must be scary. I know you wouldn't want him to die in the cold,"
Maybe that was a mistake. Mobius realized way too late; talking about being alone, suffering, left to die, probably wasn't an ideal topic to talk to Loki, for it hit too close to home. Fortunately, Loki didn't seem to take great offense. He did flinch, however, and it was enough to send guilt crawling up Mobius's chest. Mobius was about to apologize, when Loki cut him off.
"I know," Loki said. "You don't have to say sorry. It's fine." Mind-reading wasn't one of Loki's abilities, but it didn't require much to know what Mobius was thinking, judged by the look of sincere regret on his face alone.
"I didn't mean —"
"I also know that," Loki tilted his head backward to look at him. He didn't move his body away from Mobius's hold. "You gave me too much credit, though. I'd probably put the smelly mutt out of his misery just to get it over with."
"Somehow I doubt that," Mobius smiled softly, because he knew of Loki's soft, caring side, the side Loki didn't really want anybody to see, but he was okay with it as long as it was Mobius.
Loki didn't argue. He only whined softly, still in Mobius's arms. "So this means you're kicking me out? Now that you have him,"
"Loki..." Mobius sighed, reflexively placing a kiss on Loki's shoulder where his lips could reach. He knew Loki didn't actually think Mobius was going to kick him out of the apartment and replace him with the kitten. Being dramatic was in his nature, of course, Mobius knew that. "You know I'm not getting rid of you that easily. Hey, this doesn't even have to be permanent, we can let him go when he's strong enough to survive on his own. How about that, hmm?"
Loki seemed to be in thoughts for a moment. Then he sighed. "Fine,"
This was... temporary. The pest would be gone before Loki knew it, and it'd be just him and Mobius like it'd always been. Loki just had to tolerate it until the time came.
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The pest — the kitten — seemed to adapt pretty well, too well in Loki's opinion, to his new home — no, not home, just a temporary shelter. Temporary.
"Mobius," Loki whined helplessly. He'd pushed the cat off of the kitchen island five times in the past two minute this morning, only for the little one to carelessly jump right back up and headbutt Loki's arm, rubbing his fur against Loki's skin, which wasn't as irritating as it was terrifying, because Loki was certain there was no way for him to know for sure the cat did not carry a plague or some other type of disease in his tiny, furry body, disregard how the kitten's medical result insisted the little one was perfectly healthy with no disease.
(He got a thorough medical examination early in the morning. It only took less than twenty minutes to get the results done, with the TVA's advanced technology.)
"He likes you," Mobius said. He thought he was in some part responsible for Loki's misery, since he was the one bringing the kitten in. He supposed the least he could do was pause the movie he'd been watching, get up from his favorite loveseat and accompany Loki by his side, even if Mobius made no move to remove the cat from where he was meowing at Loki on the wooden material, where Loki was trying to make his salad in peace.
(Karma is a bitch, but Mobius wasn't going to say that aloud. He remembered not being able to finish his own salad when Loki was trying to explain to him about Ragnarok, back in the day when they were more reluctant partners than... than whatever they were right now; this... kinda complicated relationship.)
"I'm just trying to make breakfast," Loki said, annoyed, but there was no threat of actual anger in his voice.
"Okay, and..."
"And I can't do that, if he keeps —"
The kitten meowed, cutting Loki off.
"I think he's hungry..." Mobius said, more to himself than to Loki, as his brain tried to come up with an explanation as to why a cat this tiny demanded so much food, when Mobius had just fed him tuna twice in the last hour. But honestly, the Why was simple because the cat was just hungry.
"Hold on..." Mobius added, reaching for another can of tuna and a bowl.
Loki rolled his eyes, but otherwise he made no comment about his boyfrie — no, not that — about his absolutely-not-boyfriend pampering another living thing that wasn't Loki, right in Loki's face. Whatever. Loki was absolutely not jealous he unconsciously hissed when Mobius scratched behind the kitten's ear.
Mind you, that was... not at all jealousy.
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Loki just wanted to read in peace. Today was another day off, not just for Loki but for Mobius, too. Which was good. They both had their little Me Time, as well, and Loki's Me Time usually involved a book, a fuzzy blanket, and a cup of hot cocoa. (While Mobius's involved a jet ski magazine and a can of Josta.)
Thing were going smoothly well, until he was interrupted (warned) by a single meow coming from the pest Mobius had brought into their lives, before the pest jumped up and joined Loki on his bed. (His and Mobius's shared bed, but that was... well, another story, and it wasn't like Mobius was currently physically here.)
Mobius, Loki glanced towards the other room, was busy watering his plants. And Loki knew, apart from jet skis and Josta, Mobius was a dedicated plant dad. The last thing Loki wanted, was to disturb Mobius's little Me Time with his azaleas; the only thing, besides jet skis and Josta, Loki allowed to have some of Mobius's attention.
He didn't get a second warning when the kitten landed on his lap. Loki froze. He, even if he'd never admit, was always ridiculously awkward when it came to physical contact, disregard if it was with another person or another animal. He was super awkward with Mobius during the beginning of their still-too-complicated-to-label relationship. You're like a spooked cat, Mobius had said with a fond chuckle when he first patted Loki under his chin, like one would do a tamed house cat, and even though Loki had been both awkward and spooked back then, he reflexively leaned into Mobius's touch. The touch became more natural, less awkward, as time went by. And before Loki knew it he couldn't go a day without begging to be touched by Mobius. Only Mobius.
Loki looked precisely like a (metaphorically) spooked cat right now, with a literal cat on his lap.
"Shoo," he said, without moving a single muscle.
The kitten yawned then, curling into a tiny ball of fluff on his lap.
"Shoo," Loki said again to the very same fruitless result.
He wasn't... panicking. There was a cat sleeping on his lap. This was... fine. It was fine. He'd been through worse.
The noise Loki made, when the kitten licked his hand, came dangerously close to being a sob, a cry for help. Whether or not Loki expected his limb to get eaten, (he did) he was too stunned to jump away. Mobius. This was all Mobius's fault. Damn him and his soft fucking heart that ended up making Loki lose a hand.
Except the kitten didn't actual eat Loki's hand. Loki watched, still shocked, the creature made himself comfortable on Loki's lap, eyes now closed. He looked small and peaceful.
Huh.
Loki looked at his still-intact hand, at the kitten, at his still-intact hand, then back at the kitten again. It was safe to assume the kitten had already fallen asleep, still on Loki's lap.
This is... interesting.
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Mobius had to stop and do a double take when he walked past the bedroom, after having finished watering his beloved plants, to make sure he did not hallucinating things. He did not. Loki was sleeping, which wasn't unusual a sight. What was, was his having their newly rescued kitten sleeping just as soundlessly on his chest. Loki's arms came up to hold the kitten in a gentle and protective manner.
Huh, Mobius thought. This is... interesting.
He couldn't help pulling out a phone to snap a picture. It wasn't going to end up on his Instagram, Mobius knew, for that would mean giving Loki a green light to murder him. But having the photo for himself to look at sure was nice. The corner of Mobius's mouth curved up into a slight smile. It appeared the boys were getting along rather well.
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"Should we just... I don't know, give him a name?" Mobius didn't move his head from where it'd been resting comfortably on Loki's shoulder, his eyes shifted up a little so they met Loki's own. They were lounging on the couch, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride was playing on the TV. The kitten was having fun with a ball of thread which Loki had recently conjured, specifically for the feline.
"Now I know where this is going," Loki said. His face close enough to Mobius that their lips would touch, if he were to lean down only a little. "We name him and then we get emotionally attached and then we'll be spending forever in an apartment with a meowing creature as a permanent pain in the ass. And by we, I mean you."
Mobius hummed softly in agreement. Though there wasn't really a sign of genuine belief there, as he moved his gaze from Loki and towards the little thing, who now found the hem of the fabric of Loki's beige TVA trousers more interesting than the yarn.
"A pain in the ass, indeed." Loki confirmed his own statement then, lifting one of his legs up with the kitten still hanging from his slacks, his tiny sharp teeth penetrated the soft fabric just nicely.
Mobius let out a noise that sounded precisely like a chuckle. Loki huffed at his not-boyfriend, but he didn't further voice his disapproval, nor did he shake the kitten out of his poor pants.
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Mobius was taking a bath, after having returned home from what was indeed a long day for the both of them; a dangerous Variant nearly injured Hunter D-90 and got away, but in the end, they managed to capture and send the culprit back to the Timeline where he belonged. A Nexus Event successfully prevented. It only came with the cost of both Mobius and Loki coming home with dirt and sweat all over their bodies.
They needed a bath, that much was obvious. Mobius only had one bathroom in his apartment, and Loki had insisted he could wait, and that Mobius should be the first to clean himself up. He was starting to regret his being oh-so noble now, after five minutes went by and the itch on his skin — from the dirt and debris — was starting to become intolerable.
Well... it wasn't like they hadn't done this before. Oh, Loki knew Mobius wasn't a fan of having his personal time interrupted in such a rude manner, but surely, Mobius couldn't deny that it was... nice. Loki wasn't denying it, it felt nice. And he thought they should do it more often.
Loki hardly paid it attention when Mobius whined and protested from the bathtub, after he carelessly pushed the door open and was already taking off his dirty clothes.
"Excuse me?" Mobius barked. Everything from below his shoulders was covered in bubbles, and he made no move to get out of that tub to stop Loki from stripping. "I thought you said —"
"Well, I've changed my mind," Loki, now naked, purred, leaning down with his elbow resting on the tub, his face so close to Mobius's their noses touched. He doubted Mobius ever knew; how adorable he looked when he blushed.
"You," Mobius said, his face turning more red by the second. "Are unbelievable,"
"Oh, I know," Loki smiled. The shit-eating grin. Then he, disregard Mobius's protest, climbed up and into the tub with him.
Mobius murmured something about, 'you always do this,' which Loki responded with, "I know. We could even save water this way," as he seated opposite his not-lover in the round porcelain tub.
He winked as Mobius rolled his eyes. But when Mobius leaned forward to rub gently but firmly at Loki's shoulder, kneading the tense muscle and removing dirt and sweat from his skin, the action came out natural. Loki purred softly. Mobius's hand moved to Loki's back, while Loki reflexively moved closer to him, to give better access.
"Mischievous Scamp," Mobius murmured, a hint of smile in his voice, which Loki purred some more in response. His head, at this point, lied against Mobius's chest. Mobius's arms were basically around him. The water was warm, and this, skin against skin, this was... nice.
He tilted his head backward then, so his mouth was only a couple inches away from Mobius's, smiling knowingly, seductively, as Mobius smiled back. He was leaning down, and Loki could've sworn, as his entire body felt as though it were on fire, they weren't going to be able to stop what was surely happening. Then, before their lips found each other —
A meowing coming from right beside them broke whatever trance Loki and Mobius found themselves lost inside, and they quickly, reflexively jumped away from each other like it burnt.
Loki, of course, Loki forgot to close the fucking door.
(In his defense, it was never necessary, in an apartment where there was only the two of them, when they'd both seen and explored every inch of each other's bodies.)
How long the kitten had been sitting here, on the edge of the tub, watching them, neither Loki nor Mobius had a clue. But before either of them could say something, or reach out to move their new roommate away from the water...
Well, the letter was no longer necessary, not when the kitten took a curious step forward the edge, and neither Loki nor Mobius was fast enough to move him away...
(They did shout a no though, but clearly, that wasn't going to prevent the inevitable.)
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What could've been a hot and fun session in a bathtub turned the opposite direction, but on the bright side, the three were at least clean as a whistle after a nice incident-free bath.
The kitten wasn't shaking as badly as he'd been when Mobius first brought him home that night, but that wasn't surprising when Mobius had made sure the water was warm enough before he lowered himself into the tub. What was surprising, was Loki's deciding to join him in the tub, and afterward followed by the kitten.
"We're such a bad cat dads. Bad, bad." Mobius groaned. The kitten was wrapped nicely in a warm towel in Loki's arms, after both of them were dressed.
"No, we're not. Giving your kitten a bath doesn't make one a bad cat dad," Loki pointed out.
"He could've drown!"
Loki slightly rolled his eyes. This was... typically Mobius, always so paranoid about everything. "He couldn't have drown, Love, we were literally in the tub."
"Well, he's cold."
"The water was warm," Loki made another point.
"At least he must've been scared,"
"Maybe he was startled. A little."
"Cats don't like water, Loki. We must've traumatized him."
"No, we're not. Look at him, he's all cozy and comfy,"
Mobius did; looking at the kitten who was yawning, now on his way to falling asleep in Loki's arms, all bundled up in layers of a warm, comforting towel.
"You are a good cat dad," Loki added. "We are okay cat dads."
At that, Mobius moved his eyes up from the cat and toward Loki's face, something written across his face, across both of their faces.
"What do you think of Cobweb?" Loki asked then. "Too cheesy?"
"No," Mobius said, still not being able to take his eyes off of Loki. "No, I like the name. I love it. He sounds like a Cobweb to me."
Loki nodded. "Cobweb it is." He looked at the kitten — Cobweb — sleeping peacefully, at ease, in his arms. Then he looked back at Mobius, "I know you said this wasn't permanent, but..."
"But do you want it to be?" Mobius said, finishing the sentence for Loki.
"Do you?"
Mobius smiled, "This should be a decision we both make, together. Since I know the last time I made a decision, you weren't there to have any say in it. If you're not ready —"
"That's what I thought," Loki cut him off, "When you first brought him into our lives that night, I thought there was no way I was ready to look after another life, but... but he proved me wrong," he looked at Cobweb now, smiling softly to himself. His eyes then found Mobius's again, "This should indeed be a decision we make together. So if you want to..."
Mobius smiled at him, before he wrapped his arms around Loki's waist, pulling both him and Cobweb close in the process.
Loki had spent so long wondering if the Norns had destined him to be alone for eternity. But then Mobius came into his life, and Mobius challenged everything Loki believed about himself; 'a villain,' 'that's not how I see it,' and Mobius never gave up. Even though everybody else did, in the end, Mobius stayed and Mobius proved his own stubbornness was way stronger than Loki's troubled mind; no matter how many times Loki tried pushing Mobius away, Mobius was always here. And Mobius made him feel things he'd never felt before, not even when he was still Asgard's prince, living in a fancy, glorious palace. Mobius made him feel home. And now with Cobweb entering the picture, it felt like this hole in his chest had finally been filled. It felt right.
Though a part of Loki was afraid, if he was pushing it too fast, too far, if Mobius didn't feel the same, after all.
Loki had just asked if Mobius wanted this, returning Mobius's question. (Because Loki wanted this more than anything.) It'd only been a few seconds, the silence from Mobius's end, but Loki already felt his heartbeat skyrocket.
Mobius was smiling at him, then he said, "More than anything," after a short moment. He meant every word.
The smile on Loki's face widened. He leaned in until their foreheads touched, then he closed his eyes. They both closed their eyes, drinking in the feeling, the love.
This was forever. This... was home.