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Mobius is one of the strangest mortals Loki has ever met.
He's simultaneously the most snarky individual he's had the pleasure of meeting (barring, perhaps, Tony Stark) and also somehow the most patient anyone has ever been with Loki.
He smells faintly of saltwater and cigarette smoke, despite having never smoked a day in his life.
He knows far too many things about Loki for comfort, and yet Loki finds that he's more comfortable around the man than he has any right to be. Mobius puts him at ease, and the feeling of his hand on Loki's shoulder tugs far too many heartstrings.
Shortly after he'd told the man that he'd never had candy before, (a small and unintentional lie, as Alfheim had various confectionary treats he had enjoyed as a child, none of them resembling Kablooie in the slightest) he'd bought Loki a pack of M&Ms out of a vending machine stationed outside the courtroom. He'd shoved the bag in his pocket at the time, and Mobius had warned him, "Those'll melt if you leave 'em in there too long." (They didn't. His Jotunn nature is good for something, at least.)
He's infatuated with jet skis, a Midgardian invention which Loki can now recite a number of facts about due to Mobius's ramblings about them.
He can be cruel when he needs to, but he is an exceedingly emotional man. He's not built for the power he has. He works hard to hide it.
And Loki, despite himself, is hopelessly in love with him.
He isn't sure what to do with the feeling, at first. It scares him, to be in love. It's a weakness, a vulnerability. And while it seems like those are popping up a dime a dozen these days, being in love is a new one. He thought he'd experienced it in the past, short-lived dalliances with boys in Asgard (Fandral being a memorable example), but nothing had been like this.
And the worst part?
Loki caught a glimpse of tousled grey hair around the corner, rushing towards it. When he rounds the corner he drinks in the sight of Mobius's face, missing the lack of recognition in his eyes in his relief.
"We made a terrible mistake."
He didn't realize it until he'd lost him.
B-15's eyes flicked between the two of them when the elevator doors opened. "Mobius. Loki." She greeted both of them, as she did often now. It was odd to find one without the other these days.
Mobius gave her a mock salute. She didn't react, and he sighed, dropping his hand. "Alright, lay it on me, what's going on?"
She adjusted her tie, putting a hand on her hip where her pruning stick used to be. She looked overworked, but everyone did nowadays. You don't rebuild an institution from the ground up easily. "Casey requested your help. Both of you. Apparently he's been trying to repair a Tempad and something's been messing him up." She turned away from the elevator and began to walk away. The two of them rushed out of the elevator to catch up. "I would've just sent him to Ouroboros, but he's busy."
"That's all? Easy." Mobius murmured, a smile playing on his lips. He bumped shoulders with Loki as they walked behind B-15, and Loki grinned back.
Loki isn't scared that Mobius won't like him back.
"You're the god of mischief, right?" Mobius asks him rhetorically, and Loki tilts his head, smiling at him over the pie that he was pretending to enjoy for Mobius's sake.
(Well, maybe he is. Just a little bit.)
"You're the problem." X-5 tells him, and he can see Mobius shift on his feet in his peripheral, clearly wanting to deny, wanting to comfort - but not wanting to interrupt whatever fragile machinations he's sure Loki's attempting.
Loki is scared that Mobius will never like him back, but he's far more scared that one day, he will.
Because inevitably, he will hurt him.
Loki walks away. It isn't the first time he's done it. But he walks away all the same. He'll bring the man a slice of pie, later, while they're waiting for the world to end. He's never been skilled at apologies.