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Safe at the TVA, safe in Mobius’ little apartment, Loki and Mobius tumbled into bed after a mission, kissing incessantly, pulling at each other’s clothes. Mobius reached to turn off the bedside lamp as Loki straddled on top of him, but Loki grabbed his hand, pushing it down into the pillows. Loki kissed him deeply before whispering “I want to see you.”
Mobius’ stomach flip-flopped as he exhaled, but didn’t stop Loki as he started unbuttoning his shirt, kissing down his neck and chest. Maybe he won’t notice, Mobius thought as he stared up at the ceiling and breathed heavily. He twisted one hand in Loki’s curls, but Loki still managed to maneuver Mobius out of his long-sleeved button-up.
Sitting up and still straddling Mobius, he discarded the shirt on the floor. Mobius grabbed onto Loki’s hips and Loki smiled as he tilted his head back and grinded against Mobius. But then Loki looked back down and grabbed Mobius’ wrists, putting them over Mobius’ head, putting some weight on his hand to press them into the pillows.
Mobius was more than fine with being dominated by Loki, but there was a different kind of vulnerability he was concerned with. Loki leaned down to kiss Mobius, but he must have been able to tell the energy had shifted somewhat, so after a moment he pulled back.
“Is everything okay, Darling?” Loki whispered.
“Of course,” Mobius answered, not wanting to ruin the moment.
Loki searched his partner’s eyes, and after a second, his gaze rolled up Mobius’ arms. On his left forearm, just visible in the warm lamplight, Loki could see a set of horizontal scars standing out from his otherwise pristine skin. Loki inhaled slightly as his heart clenched in pain. He knew scars like those well. He just never expected to see them on Mobius.
“Oh,” Loki said involuntarily and let go of Mobius’ hands. They had always been in the dark before, or fully clothed, he hadn’t thought anything of it…
“I’m sorry,” Loki said, unsure how to react, he looked down and couldn’t meet Mobius’ eyes. Mobius moved his arms back to Loki’s hips, as Loki unstraddled him, instead opting to sit on the bed crisscross. Mobius moved to sit up too, so they could both sit backs against the wall.
“What are you sorry for?” Mobius asked.
“I…” Loki started, running his fingers through his hair. “I guess you didn’t want me to see that?”
Mobius sighed. “It’s not that I was hiding it from you. I just… Didn’t want to upset you.”
This didn’t make any sense. Mobius. His Mobius. The guy who always had a smile and a silly remark. Who said he loved his life at the TVA. Always the optimist, seeing the best in others… Even now, he who was only caring about Loki’s feelings… He had hurt himself? No, it didn’t make sense. Only people who were alone and hated themselves did that. Loki’s heart hurt.
“What happened?” Loki asked softly, taking Mobius’ hand.
Mobius squeezed it and sighed. “Well, you know before I was an Analyst, I was a Hunter?”
“What?” Loki asked, confused. “No, I didn’t know this.” He couldn’t even imagine Mobius as a Hunter, in all that black armor? Taking the Variants prisoner? How much did he not know about Mobius?
Mobius chuckled a little bit. “Well, it’s true. It’s not uncommon for us to change roles over time, be promoted or whatnot…” Mobius hesitated for a moment but continued. “I was on a mission somewhere near the Black Sea to find a Variant who was gonna be responsible for 5,000 deaths. But when we got there… The Variant is an eight-year-old boy.”
Loki looked at Mobius and laced their fingers together tightly.
“He was just minding his own business, swimming with his brother, jumping off the dock. For whatever reason… I just couldn’t do it. As the Timeline started to branch, more Variants appeared, and it ended with some other Hunters dying. My partner had to step in and prune him.”
“Your partner?” Loki asked.
“Renslayer.”
“Ah,” that missing puzzle piece suddenly clicked.
“After we got back… I didn’t handle it so well. It wasn’t long before I got moved to the Analyst desk. Don’t get me wrong it was for the best but…” Mobius paused, eyes far off. “My head was fucked. I knew—well, I thought I knew—that I was created by the Timekeepers to do this job. So why did I fail? Why did others have to die for my mistake? My hesitation? And you can’t just quit working at the TVA… you just find ways to cope.”
Loki put his head on Mobius’ shoulder. “I’m sorry you went through that. It wasn’t your fault. He was a child…”
Mobius leaned his head against Loki’s.
“It’s okay Sweetheart. They say time heals all wounds. Luckily that’s true at the TVA too.”
Loki flipped over Mobius’ arm to expose the scars again. He ran his thumb over the delicate skin. If he had his magic he could heal the wounds for good. Instead, he planted a gentle kiss there.
It occurred to Loki had Mobius knew almost everything about his life, but he knew so little about Mobius. He desperately wanted to change that. “So you know that I… That’d I’ve been there too?”
Loki’s scars had healed hundreds of years ago, but growing up in Thor’s shadow with Odin as a father didn’t leave the little Loki unscathed, and not just from battle scars. The only thing that had pulled him out of those dark nights was the love of his mother.
“I know,” Mobius confirmed, in a whisper, moving to give him a sweet kiss on the temple. Loki closed his eyes.
“Sorry I kind of ruined our moment,” Mobius said.
“I don’t give a fuck about ‘the moment’,” Loki said with an eye roll. “I just care about you. And making sure you're okay.”
Mobius smiled and kissed him. “I’m okay.” Mobius said.
A few minutes later they both got in their pajamas and snuggled back up in bed. This time, Loki was the big spoon, wrapping up Mobius with all his love, promising himself he would keep this precious soul safe. He didn’t know that as they were falling asleep, Mobius was thinking the same thing.