Chapter Text
Mobius hopped down from his bed only to notice that the nursery was already empty.
Last night, he had stayed up to listen to momma read him a chapter from a story she had picked out. It was a big kid one, too, not a picture book-- a big, long, book with only a small picture on each page. But he liked it anyway.
He thought Loki did too, but then again, Loki had fallen asleep last night, just when it was getting good!
Mobius just had to just see how it ended. He needed to hear how Tip and his friends would defeat the evil witch Mombi.
He took the book off a special display on the top shelf of the bookshelf. Sylvie was at home today, maybe she could read just one more chapter.
He waddled out to the kitchen with the book clutched in his arms, but instead of finding mama on the couch nursing Loki or eating breakfast with him, she was nowhere to be found and Thor was busy making something.
“Thor?” Mobius hummed. “What doing?” He stood up on his tippy toes sweetly.
Thor turned around as if he had forgotten that he had a second little. “Mobius! Hello! I’m making a cake for our little party today.”
Mobius nodded quietly. He hadn’t forgotten that there was a party today, but when momma had talked about a “small outside get-together” he hadn’t really realized it would be an all-morning preparation thing.
“Mh… momma?”
“Sylvie’s outside setting up, little one. I can change you in a moment and we’ll get some num-nums right after I--”
Mobius handed Thor the book.
Thor paused. “That’s Sylvie’s book, child. You should be asking her to read, not me.”
Mobius began to walk away. If Thor was busy, and wouldn’t read anyway, maybe he should try Sylvie.
“Mobius!” Loki giggled. He grabbed Mobius’ arm before he could run away. “Mobius, don’t want num-nums? Or a diaper change?” he asked, trying to mimic the sarcastic, silly tone Sylvie liked to put on.
Mobius scowled.
“It’s alright, little one. Sylvie’s rather busy. I don’t think she’d be able to read to you this second, anyway,” Thor told him. Upon setting his cake in the oven, he touseled Mobius’ hair.
Mobius put his hands over his head. Thor wouldn’t read, he couldn’t get to Sylvie, and now Thor was expecting him to be happy about this? Making light of this situation. He crossed his arms and grumbled.
“Ah, you’ll be alright after we get you fixed up. You’ll see mummy in a few minutes. Just be patient.”
That just made him madder. His face got hot. “Don’t wanna…” he pouted. His nappy was cold and his tummy was rumbly and his socks were just off a little bit; one half off, and the other rolled with the heel on the top of his foot-- and NOW to add insult to injury, his hair was messy, too!
Loki watched, like he was ready for Mobius to explode. “Brother…?” he whispered.
Thor shut the oven and stood up. “Right, I know, it’s alright, brother. I’m on it.”
Mobius limply let Thor pick him up and wiped his eyes as he was slung over his caregiver’s shoulder.
Thor changed him and dressed him up, and combed out his hair before helping him make a bowl of cereal. Even though it made Mobius feel better, it was still not enough. Thor was quick and robotic. He didn’t bother much with kisses and tummy tickles this morning. He hardly even bothered to chat but to be fair, neither did Mobius, he only wanted to hear the next chapter of his story.
After finishing his food, Mobius stood up and ran outside with his book, once again clutched to his chest, to see Sylvie.
She was setting up plastic, folding tables and chairs.
“Momma!” Mobius cried.
“Hello, little one!” Sylvie grinned. “Are you as excited as I am for our party today?”
She spoke in that high, babytalk voice that made Mobius’ tummy flutter, and she bent down like Mobius was shorter than her, which, he’d be the first to point out, he wasn’t.
“Um… no…” Mobius admitted. She sounded so enthusiastic it was almost embarrassing to disagree.
“Aw no… what’s wrong?”
“Read? Please?” He held it out to her.
“Did you take that off the display?”
He paused and then nodded.
“We don’t take books off the bedtime display, baby. The bookmark might get lost, and then we wouldn’t be able to read it!”
He showed her that it hadn’t fallen out. He had been awfully careful.
“Mobius,” she sighed. “I don’t think we have time. We’ll read at bedtime, I promise.” She hesitated for a second. “You know what?”
Mobius bristled with anticipation, he started to smile.
“Since you were so good at not losing the bookmark, could you put it back for me?”
She had already refocused onto spreading a pretty tablecloth across one of the tables.
She had no time for him at all. He got it. He saw how it was.
Mobius walked away with the book.
He would take it to someone who actually cared.
He sat down by Loki. Loki, who had been working on an activity book with a crayon, but seemed to be staring at the wall, probably pondering if he should make some artwork on it with both caregivers busy.
“Loki?!” Mobius asked. He was trying to sound excited; mask that fear of rejection. What if no one wanted to spend time with him?! What if no one wanted to read??
Loki jumped slightly. “Hm?” he asked quietly.
“You read? Please?”
Loki set down his crayon and nodded.
He was such a good big brother, Mobius grinned. He settled down in Loki’s lap and handed the older little the book.
Loki opened it and began to read: “T-he army of… G-l-in-da t-- THE goo-d-- good loo-k-ed” -- very slowly and very stiltedly, sounding out each word -- “vuhry… I-mp-au-sin-g.”
“Um…” Mobius interrupted. He took the book back and snapped it closed. “It's okay…”
Loki didn’t read very much like mama did. He wasn’t good at it at all.
“Mobius,” Thor said loudly. “If you’d like Loki to read, there are easier books on your shelf. He can read those. Right, brother?”
“I can,” Loki agreed. He pushed Mobius off his lap, not aggressively, and climbed up the back of the couch so he could see Thor still working in the kitchen. “You know why?” he asked. He didn’t bother to wait for an answer. “I’m a big kid!”
The back garden’s door slid open and one familiar face looked in cautiously. Bucky Barnes had arrived with his caregiver.
“Here here!” Thor added before running over to answer it and welcome his guests.
The party was starting already?
With Bucky younger than normal, and Loki older, they almost matched. At least, they would if it wasn’t for Bucky’s prosthetic arm and Loki’s bright green party dress.
“You’re quite early,” Thor mentioned as he retrieved two beers from the fridge. “We hadn’t expected guests for another hour.”
The tall, blonde caregiver shrugged. “Yeah, well, I like to swing by early to help out. I figured it had been a while and with a new baby--”
“Um,” Mobius said quietly.
Loki interjected for him. “Mobius’ not a baby!”
“With two littles,” the caregiver corrected himself, “an extra pair of hands might be appreciated.”
“Then consider it appreciated,” Thor added, tossing him a can. “Shall we head out back?” He picked Mobius up, stowing the drink can under his arm.
Mobius didn’t mind at first, at least until he noticed Loki gathering up his coloring book. He kicked to get down.
“Mobius,” Loki said in a very patient, voice. “Mummy and Thor need to watch you, kay? We’re going outside.” He patted Mobius’ arm.
“Book!” Mobius protested.
“It’ll be there when you get back.” Thor assured him.
The three boys were put outside but instead of having free roam, like Mobius wanted, he was immediately picked back up by Loki and held by the older little, who struggled with his weight, stumbling awkwardly and continuously having to readjust his hand placement.
Soon, more and more of the town started to arrive, lots of littles Mobius and Loki knew from daycare, and lots of caregivers and grownups he had never seen before. He wasn’t the littlest and wasn’t excluded from games by any means, even being designated the role of “gatherer” for their little primitive tribe game that was currently being made, but he couldn’t help but not want to do that right now.
Loki was making “clay” , dumping a cup of water onto an exposed pile of mud and trying to work it into a snake, only to find the dirt slipping through his hands and Scott, Bucky, and Natasha all had their own jobs. Peter was the only one who didn’t. He was too little and stayed with his aunt instead, watching from a nearby garden chair as she talked with the other grownups.
Mobius, despite the fact that he wasn’t a baby, decided to follow that example. He found Sylvie and clung to her arm. She hadn’t been talking to anyone in particular, just wandering around and mingling with a plate in one hand of snacks and a drink in the other.
“Hello lovey,” she said to him, “Not playing with your friends today?”
Mobius shook his head and hugged her arm deeper. “Read? Please?” he pleaded.
“Mobius.” She sat down and set her drink and food to the side so he could climb up onto her lap. “You know I can’t do that right now. We’re going to read it in just a few hours at bedtime, I promise. Now, can we get you something to eat? There’s lots of food over here. It’ll be a nice little plate of num-nums for you, and maybe we can make one for Loki too. What do you think?”
Mobius didn’t like the sound of that very much at all. As much as he hated to do it, he started to cry-- it was his last resort after all. He was hungry by now, although he hated to admit it, because he didn’t want to eat or to be here, he just wanted to read his book!
He was loud, he knew it, and people were starting to look, which only made things worse.
“That’s it,” Sylvie said calmly. She didn’t sound angry. “You need dinner.” She called for Loki who came running instantly, and was absolutely covered in mud from head to toe.
She stared at him and then grabbed a napkin and wiped off his hands. “I’m making plates. What do you want?” she asked.
The two boys sat down in the grass as the other littles’ caregivers made them their own plates.
Loki began to speak after swallowing a bite. “It’s sad you couldn’t be read to,” he mentioned. “But do you know what I like?”
Mobius shook his head.
“Watch Thor,” he whispered. A smile was glinting its way through on him.
Thor looked normal enough at first. He was talking to four adults that Mobius had never met before.
That’s when Thor started to rock his chair, picking up the front legs just a bit, and then a little bit more.
The caregiver laughed a lot, and loudly-- louder than anyone else and started to spill his drink as if he were a little.
“Thor, tell us about that fish again,” one of the adults said. She had a sneaky smile to match Loki’s and a long braid of long hair.
“YES!” Loki yelled. “The fishy!”
Thor chuckled, almost like he knew what they were doing and took a deep breath to steady himself. “Many many years ago, when I was a young man, I met with Tyr, from high school and we went out on a little row boat to go fishing on a lake. Granted, neither of us had been fishing since our fathers took us as boys…”
Mobius always loved a good story, and so did Loki. They listened intently, and soon, Mobius began to forget that there was a second story he had wanted to hear. This one seemed, for a moment, better.
“We were ready to put our boat in for the day, to row in. The fog was getting thick and I knew mother and father… and Loki, would expect me home soon. But right then, I felt a tug at the line-- More than a tug-- It almost pulled me overboard! And we wrestled as I reeled in the line. The rod nearly snapped! But as I brought it up, it was an eel! As wide as Loki”-- Loki giggled-- “and twice as tall as me! A monster! A behemoth!”
He held his hands up to really illustrate how big the serpent was, and as he did, he tipped his chair back more and more until, with an underwhelming thud, he fell back onto the grass.
Things went quiet.
Mobius began to crawl forward.
What if Thor was hurt?
Thor started to laugh. He giggled like a child or a little.
“Thor! You ridiculous oaf!” Sylvie joked. She came to help him up as his friends laughed.
Mobius grinned. The adults, for the first time, felt like him. Maybe parties weren’t so bad if the adults acted like littles, too. It would be okay if mumma couldn’t actually read his story to him.
“Thor! Thor up?” he asked. Mobius wasn’t really one to run around in big games, but if Thor would pick him up and tell him stories, and talk silly, then maybe he could enjoy this.
Thor obliged and allowed the toddler to nestle by his chest as he spoke to the other grownups and Loki stayed close, making flower crowns out of the residual dandelions in the grass.
Sylvie had spent a while cleaning up that evening. The adults had been washing dishes and putting away chairs and everyone had left.
Mobius had done what he could to help, and Loki had at least done what he had been asked, but in the end, there was only so much the two littles… and Thor, who was still acting goofy, could accomplish without making even more work for the grown-ups.
Sylvie, about halfway through cleanup, when there were still dishes in the sink and chairs outside, collapsed onto the couch with a sigh.
“Mumma okay?” Mobius asked.
“I’m okay,” she smiled, welcoming him into her lap, “just tired. Aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” he said.
She picked up the book next to her that Mobius had left when the party began.
“Look at that, our bedtime book still isn’t on its display,” she hummed.
Mobius paused and stiffened up, grabbing her sleeve. Maybe she wouldn’t read tonight if it wasn’t put back properly…
“Oh well,” she said. “I guess we’ll just need to read down here before we head to bed, won’t we?”
Mobius snuggled into her arms.
“WAIT!” Loki yelled. He dove onto the couch next to them, with his face right at Mobius’ knees to watch Sylvie read.
“Silly boy,” she said, “you’ve heard this one before.”
“It’s good though,” he whined.
“It is,” she conceded. “And I think, since you both were so helpful today, maybe we’ll read an extra, if you can keep your eyes open that long.”
“I can!” Loki said.
Mobius nodded in agreement.
“Then it’s settled.” She took a deep breath and began to read. “The--”
“Wait!” Thor interjected.
He sat down on the floor, as room on the couch had been obviously limited, cushioning himself with pillows and bringing Loki down onto his lap. “Now we’re ready.”
Sylvie cleared her throat once more. “The army of Glenda the Good looked very grand and imposing when it assembled at daybreak before the palace gates.”
Mobius realized then that this moment, this life, this family-- being cuddled and held and read to after tiring days --was the life that he had dreamed of having. Now he had it, he couldn’t possibly wish for anything more. He wanted things to stay like this forever.