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1.
"Loki, I know our spirits aren't as strong as Asgard mead, but you really should have stopped after the fourth glass of punch!"
Mobius said softly, an indulgent smile on his lips, as he crouched down next to Loki who had his head over the toilet. "Not even a god is immune to hangovers."
Loki looked like he wanted to respond vehemently, obviously annoyed, but a new bout of nausea stopped him.
"I was hot and it was grape," he muttered as if that were reason enough.
Mobius shook his head, "You forgot the dose of Rum which was not negligible and that on top of that you drank it on an empty stomach, you-." Mobius paused because Loki was vomiting again. He thought that Loki had been punished enough so he stopped the lecture and looked at him with a worried look on his face and asked, "Do you want a glass of water?
Loki shook his head, "After please, to rinse my mouth." His heart sank again and he leaned over the toilet bowl again.
"It's okay Loki" Mobius murmured and gently passed a soothing hand in a circular fashion over Loki's shoulders.
Loki, surprised by the unexpected touch, froze for a moment, then relaxed again.
Since the debandade of the TVA and since they had reunited, Mobius and him had not had a single moment to sit and talk about their relationship. Loki wasn't sure where they stood, considering that their only slightly intimate physical contact had been that hug in front of the time door before they parted ways.
He had tried in vain to create opportunities but he had been unlucky so far. So for now, he was going to enjoy every fleeting moment like this one.
2.
"Come on Loki, take off your shirt or at least pull it up, I'll put some painkillers on you."
"You don't have to," Loki replied hesitantly, "I can put it on myself.
"Humor me." Mobius replied with his hands on his hips, "You might be super powerful, but you're not going to put the cream on your back yourself. Lie down on your stomach."
Loki had made a false move by grabbing some files from the top of a shelf and had probably pulled a muscle because since then he had a throbbing pain in his back. Of course Mobius had noticed this and after a detour to the infirmary, he had dragged Loki to a rest room at the TVA where there were a few beds.
Mobius warmed up the fresh balm in his hands and despite this Loki hissed at the contact of Mobius' hands on his skin. Mobius' touch was gentle and he massaged the balm gently into the aching muscles of Loki, who grunted in satisfaction.
Mobius chuckled softly, "Admit it, you did that on purpose so I would massage you."
Loki was happy to be on his stomach, so Mobius didn't see his slight blush. Suddenly, Mobius' hands on his back felt warmer against his bare skin.
He swallowed and whispered into the pillow, "Who knows?"
He felt the slight flinch in Mobius' hands on his back, but the man said nothing.
Loki didn't add anything more and just enjoyed the moment.
3.
"Loki! What's that yellow glue in your hair?!
Hunter B-15 chuckled in the corner of the room and stopped at Loki's murderous stare.
Loki replied sulkily, "'That's one of the weapons of the person we arrested. He had time to fire a round of that yellow goo before he was disarmed. And I was the one who got hit."
"Come sit here and let me look at the damage." Mobius pointed to a chair. Loki with a scowl on his face sat down with his arms crossed.
Mobius looked closely at Loki's hair and chuckled softly, "Well, he's got a pretty good aim."
"You think that's funny?!" snapped Loki.
Mobius smiled but didn't answer. He left and returned a few minutes later with some cotton and a small bottle.
"This is acetone, the best way to remove the glue without having to cut your gorgeous hair."
Loki was happy to turn his back on Mobius, because from the heat of his cheeks, they must have been scarlet from the praise.
Mobius began to clean Loki's hair, separating the strands one by one and passing the cotton to remove the glue residue. He hummed softly.
Loki, a little embarrassed at how much he was enjoying this, tried to put on a brave face and said softly, "You know, I can do this."
Mobius simply replied, "I know, but I like doing it."
Loki, surprised, remained silent for a long moment.
4.
"Hey Loki, so is this your first court session?"
Mobius stopped next to the man who was pacing nervously outside the courtroom.
Loki scratched the back of his head, "It's kind of weird knowing that a few months ago I was the one on trial and now I'm going to testify."
Mobius looked at him thoughtfully, concerned, "And how do you feel about that?"
"Like I told you, it's strange. And even stranger to be on the right side of the bar this time."
Mobius nodded and looked at him with a gleam in his eye that Loki could not determine.
The moment was interrupted when Loki was called to the stand.
He gave Mobius an apologetic smile and turned toward the door, but Mobius held him back by the sleeve, "Wait, wait, you can't go like that."
Loki turned around, puzzled.
Mobius came closer and raising his hands, he straightened Loki's collar and tightened his tie, winking at him.
He left a few moments his hands on the chest of Loki, just beside the lapels of his jacket of the TVA. Then he raised his head and whispered softly, "I am proud of you Loki Laufeyson. Go, put the real bad guys in jail."
He gently pushed him towards the courtroom door, Loki still in shock from Mobius' words, walked like a zombie.
Just before the door closed, he turned and seeing that Mobius was still following him with his eyes, he looked at him, nodded and gave a big smile. It was time to do his duty.
5.
As soon as he heard the detonation, Loki didn't think and threw himself on Mobius, protecting him with his body.
"Are you hurt?" he whispered. Loki couldn't see any wounds or bleeding, but he could hardly give Mobius a complete checkup.
Mobius squirmed underneath him, then seeing the concern in Loki's eyes, he whispered, "I'm fine."
Loki sighed in relief and then muttered, "Good thing Hunter B-15 told me where you were. What were you thinking, taking him on by yourself, without a back-up!"
"I didn't realize he had a gun," Mobius grumbled.
"Yeah, well you just stay still, Hunter B-15 is coming in with a squad and they'll take over."
They waited on the edge, not daring to move so as not to be spotted by the killer, chest to chest, both gasping for breath.
When Hunter B-15's voice finally assured them that everything was clear, Loki realized their situation. He became aware of every place where his body was in contact with Mobius's, their hearts pounding, their breaths coming in. Mobius coughed and gave Loki a gentle push so they could stand up.
When Loki helped Mobius to his feet, he couldn't help but notice the pinkish glow on Mobius' cheeks and held his hand in his own a little longer than necessary.
+1
"Loki!" Hunter B-15 ran up to him, breathless, "you have to come, right now. It's Mobius!"
Loki's heart leapt in his chest and he followed Hunter B-15 as she opened a time door in front of them.
"He left on a routine mission, but when he reported back to us over the intercom, we suddenly heard an explosion and Mobius wasn't responding. Casey was able to determine his coordinates. The door will take us directly there."
Loki didn't respond and gritted his teeth. They walked through the door, and luckily Casey's coordinates were accurate, because they saw MOBIUS right away, in the middle of an old, crumbling building. Checking that there was no immediate danger, they walked forward, and then Loki couldn't hold back and rushed to Mobius' prostrate body on the ground.
"Mobius!"
When he heard Loki's voice, Mobius raised his head and gave a weak smile, "Loki."
Loki scrambled to the ground beside Mobius and now saw his face twisted in pain.
"Mobius, what happened? Were you attacked?"
Mobius shook his head, gritting his teeth from the pain, "No, there was a pipe that exploded and with the blast I was thrown out and I think I broke my leg. I can't get up."
Loki, with a worried face, looked at the leg that had an unusual angle and nodded. "Yes I think it's broken. Mobius, do you think you could stand it if I carried you and took you straight to the TVA infirmary?"
In truth, Loki had been so afraid of losing him, he didn't want to leave him, even for a second.
Mobius nodded, "As long as I get something for the pain soon."
"Okay." Loki helped him unfold his leg a bit then took him in his arms, he saw from Mobius' expression and his jerky breathing that he was in pain and whispered softly, "I promise I'll make it quick."
Loki lifted him up and headed for the timedoor, on the other side a stretcher was already waiting for them thanks to Hunter B-15 who had taken the lead.
As Loki placed him on the stretcher, Mobius' eyes rolled back and he fainted.
"Mobius!" cried Loki in panic.
The doctor assessing the matter calmed him down by saying in a soothing tone, "Don't worry, from what I know of the situation, he fainted from pain, it's not an uncommon thing. We'll take him in for an examination, but you can follow us."
Loki waited for some time, worried in the waiting room when a nurse said to him in a soft voice, "Mr. Laufeyson, your friend is fine, we have transferred him to a room, he is sleeping now, but you can visit him. If you would follow me."
Loki followed her into the room where Mobius was and forgot all about it once he had his friend in front of him. He sighed with relief when he saw his relaxed expression. Mobius was pale, with a few bruises on his face and arms resting on the sheets, and his leg was held together by a splint.
Loki barely heard the nurse close the door as she left.
He pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed and put his hand right next to Mobius', resisting for a moment to take it in his.
But the urge was stronger and he gently took Mobius' hand, intertwining their fingers.
He moved his hand forward and gently pushed back a small gray lock of hair that had fallen on Mobius' forehead. On the forehead of the man he loved.
Because he had thought he had lost him for a moment, he finally dared to admit to himself what he really felt. He was now impatient that the man woke up, because now that he was conscious of his feelings, he wanted at all costs to tell him.
But as the adrenaline wore off, he felt a heavy weight fall on his shoulders and he yawned deeply.
"Just a few seconds..." he said to himself as he rested his head next to their entwined hands.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was awakened by fingers in his hair and a whisper, "Loki..."
He opened his eyes to meet Mobius' bewildered ones. He hastened to reassure him.
"It's all right. You're in the hospital, you fainted and you have a broken leg, but everything else is benign."
Loki straightened up and took Mobius' hand back in his, "Mobius, you're not hurt badly, but it was close."
Loki swallowed, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.
Mobius' eyes were fixed on their entwined fingers and replied in a somewhat shrunken voice, "I'm fine."
Loki retorted in exasperation, "Yes, you're fine, but earlier I thought I'd lost you." Loki leaned in until he was only inches from Mobius' face. He looked him straight in the eye and said, "Almost losing you made me realize how much I... Mobius, do you have any idea how much you mean to me? I..."
He saw Mobius' eyes light up with understanding and a soft smile adorning his face. This is what defeated Loki and he could not resist the impulse and pressed his lips on Mobius'. Gently because he was aware of his condition. Mobius made a small sound of surprise that turned into a slight moan as he lifted his hand and buried his hand in Loki's hair to bring him closer and kiss him more deeply. When Loki pulled himself up a bit so they could catch their breath, Mobius murmured with a slightly mocking smile, "It took you long enough."
Loki, a little offended, retorted, "What? Me? But you could have said something too."
Mobius' expression became serious again and smiling, he shook his head, "No, for the first time you are completely free to make your own choices, so I wanted it to come from you, without you feeling any obligation, any pressure."
Mobius as selfless as ever, his lover now. Loki took his lips again in a soft, long kiss. They would have time for big speeches and confessions. For now, they enjoyed their new closeness, happy to have found each other.
For all time. Always