Work Text:
Sylvie’s outburst made Mobius sick to his stomach. All he could do was stand there. Considering he knew so much about Loki themselves- Sylvie was nothing short of who Loki used to be. He swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat as she walked off, staring at the dark haired deity who’d watched the entire thing happen and his heart twisted uncomfortably as they followed Sylvie.
He didn’t understand it much. Why did it bother him that Loki hadn’t spoken? Surely there was a reason, right? His chest felt extremely tight. Breathing felt like it was a battle so he slowly brought his hand to the side of his neck, rubbing twice- then three times, pressing his palm against it before he repeated the motion until he felt grounded. Mobius’ eyes opened reluctantly. What he hadn’t expected was Loki standing in front of him, eyes pitiful as they traced over Mobius’ features.
“Oh. Loki, I didn’t realize—”
“It’s alright, Mobius. Are you… okay?”
Mobius forced a smile on his face, then a chuckle as he pat Loki’s shoulder.
“I’m fine. Nothing I’m not used to already. You Loki’s are harsh sometimes. I mean, you wanted to take my head right off when you first got here. Remember that? Feels like ages ago.”
Loki smiled down at Mobius, gently taking his tie in between their fingers and twisting it to the side before they leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of Mobius’ temple. They knew that Mobius was probably hiding every single ounce of emotion he was feeling in that moment just like he’d been taught to by the TVA.
They then placed their hand on the small of Mobius’ back, rubbing circles comfortingly.
“How about that slice of pie?”
Mobius’ face lit up for a moment, his demeanor changed into something that Loki thought was the equivalent of when you offer to give a dog a treat. It made them chuckle softly.
“I mean.. We don’t have to, Loki. Sylvie was-”
“ Sylvie isn’t here right now. She cannot dictate when you have your pie. You’re a grown man, yes?”
Mobius grinned and made his way to the pie room, Loki following close behind with a satisfied hum. Everyone had their own ways of coping with certain situations, Loki was used to it with Thor who seemingly chugged gallons of mead and joked until he couldn’t anymore. It just took them a while to understand that.
Mobius sat down at one of the many tables, Loki walking over to the wall of pies and pulling one out of its casing, returning to the table and setting it down in front of Mobius, sitting across from him as usual. Mobius muttered a ‘thank you’ and took a bite of it. Nothing brought the same joy it had before when he and Loki sat at this table before. Mobius chewed slowly, then hesitantly brought his gaze to meet Loki’s, who seemed to be keeping a close eye.
“Hm?”
Mobius swallowed the piece of pie in his mouth, eyes darting around Loki’s face before he cleared his throat and sat back in the chair, tapping his fork against the plate.
“You followed her after that… whatever that was . Why did you?”
That question was unexpected. Loki’s eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion before they put their hand out over the table and shook their head.
“Oh, dear. You’re reading that incredibly wrong. I had just explained to her you were trying to look for something light in such a moment as desperate and dark as this. She.. didn’t take it the best. But..”
“Does she ever?” Mobius scoffed.
Then he realized what he said, holding the fork in between his fingers, staring down at his plate while the side of his hand covered his mouth. The silence was short. At least fifteen seconds before Loki laughed and Mobius’ laugh tangled into it halfway like a melody.
Loki smiled at him, a genuine smile as they also leaned back in their chair.
“I appreciate you sticking up for me, though. You didn’t have to,” Mobius murmured, putting another piece of pie in his mouth, keeping his lips clasped around the spork as he glanced at the mischief god, his heart pounding against his chest.
That was… odd. Loki was still smiling, looking at Mobius with adoration in the pools of his emerald hues.
His fingers fidgeted with the spork, cheeks flushing a soft red as he turned his head a bit, then poked at the pie.
“Why didn’t you grab yourself one?”
Loki looked between the wall of pies and Mobius, then pointed at themselves and let out a meek laugh in answer.
“Gods, uh.. That pie isn’t as delicious for me as it is for you.”
Mobius only flushed a deeper shade of red out of embarrassment.
“Loki! And here I was the entire time thinking you liked it. You mischievous scamp.”
“I didn’t want to say anything. You seemed happy to be sharing your source of comfort with me. My words would’ve only plagued it,” Loki replied with a smile still gracing their features.
They leaned forward against the table, Mobius rubbing the nape of his neck as nervously muttered something along the lines of apologies and a string of questions like What do Asgardians eat anyways? And Well are you going to tell me what you do like?
Mobius rambled on, and Loki listened. They would have listened for ages had the TVA not been on the verge of a meltdown- so eventually when the pie was done, the pair stood.
“Mobius,” Loki started, but they were quickly cut off by another rumble through the walls. Mobius looked up at the deity, who looked on edge.
“Hey,” Mobius laid a hand against Loki’s arm, gripping it enough to hold Loki down to the present moment. Loki looked down, their lips slightly parted.
“You’ll be alright,” Mobius said, knowing that in that moment, Loki’s mind was probably running wild thinking of the fact that this all could’ve been well avoided. But actions had consequences and it was their job to fix it. Or at least attempt to.
Loki took Mobius’ hand with their own, their head lowered as if ashamed of the next words that came out of their mouth.
“If we don’t survive this… I just want you to know-”
Mobius tugged Loki down by the tie into a kiss. It was full of words unspoken, the spark traveling through Loki’s veins as they held Mobius’ hand with a bit of a tighter grip than before. Mobius pulled back shortly after.
“I know,” he whispered, as if the words would shatter leaving his mouth. Loki didn’t notice the tears welling inside of Mobius’ eyes. How the reality of this entire fiasco was finally creating a home in the crevasse of the man’s heart. Loki was at a loss for words due to the kiss. It was something completely unexpected. And the fact Mobius knew? He .. knew.
Mobius wasn’t stupid. He was quite a smart individual and Loki had realized this over the time they’d spent at the TVA with him. They knew full well that Mobius was not easy to trick and that was because Mobius had extensive knowledge to keep himself safe. Loki was an extra security. He accepted Loki, flaws and all. He trusted them when nobody else did. That was what Loki needed their entire life. Acceptance, understanding and most importantly love.
“C’mon. They’re probably waiting for us.”
Mobius pulled Loki out the pie room which would soon become a place forever lost in Loki’s mind. A reminder of what they had found here when they were sure all was lost and they had nothing. With one final look around the walls, they joined Mobius and the others where everything was sealed.
I’d rather die alongside you than die alone again and again and again…