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Loki shifted on the sofa uncomfortably as he tried his best not to think about the mission they’d been on today.
Beside him, Mobius flicked through the latest issue of his jet ski magazine. He tried to focus on the warmth radiating off Mobius’ arm and the way that the sound of the pages made him feel tingly and relaxed.
On the way back to Mobius’ apartment, he’d burst into tears. He wasn’t sure why exactly—honestly, he was probably just tired. It definitely had nothing to do with the young boy that they’d helped get back to his father earlier, nor with the way that the boy’s father cried as he picked his son up, wrapping him in his arms protectively.
Truthfully, it felt like a punch to the gut. He never had that kind of relationship with Odin. He felt left out suddenly, like he was a young child all over again, watching Thor get all of their father's attention while he sat on the sidelines.
Mobius had jumped into action and ushered Loki into his apartment as quickly as he could. He fussed around for a short while, pouring him a glass of water and putting a box of tissues down on the coffee table in front of them.
He took a tissue out of the box and gently placed it in Loki’s hand. “Just in case.” He said, giving him his signature Mobius smile—the one that was so fond and so warm that it melted Loki’s heart.
He looked down at the tissue in his hand and ran his thumb across it, focusing on the soft texture against his skin. To Loki, the tissue represented more than just a sweet gesture; it was Mobius letting him know that he was safe to express his emotions if he so wished. He held on to the tissue tighter, thankful that he had such a considerate friend.
He sniffled to himself as quietly as he could and wiped a few stray tears away, allowing himself to mourn the childhood he never had but always wanted.
Mobius turned a page slightly too aggressively, and the sharp sound of the paper whipping made him jump.
“Loki?”
He turned his head sharply and watched as Mobius readjusted himself on the sofa so that he was looking at Loki face-on.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on in that big brain of yours?” He smiled, placing his hand on top of Loki’s shaking hand.
He wasn’t ready to speak yet, and he knew Mobius would never force him to open up, but he was feeling rather vulnerable, so he resorted to something that had worked perfectly fine for him his entire life: defensiveness.
“If you tell anyone about my show of emotions earlier today, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Mobius interrupted, raising his eyebrow in a challenge.
He felt the fight leave his body as he made eye contact with Mobius. There was no point in lying to him. Instead, he pretended to look thoughtful, mulling over what he would or wouldn’t do to Mobius. Of course, he wouldn’t actually do anything—never to Mobius.
“That's for me to know and for you to hopefully never find out.” He smirked.
“Everyone has seen you cry before, Loki. You do it quite a lot, actually.”
“I do not!” He scoffed.
Mobius squeezed his hand and laughed. The sound of it was so delightful that he forgot to be offended further.
“Okay, okay, your secret is safe with me—cross my heart and hope to die.” Mobius moved his finger over his heart in a cross-motion, and Loki caught his hand in his.
He fixed him with a steely gaze. “No dying.”
“It’s an idiom, Loki,” Mobius said.
“No.” He replied firmly, “No dying.”
“Okay, Loki, no dying.” He twisted their joined hands around so that their fingers were linked and smiled. “Pinky promise?”
“I beg your pardon.”
“Pinky promise,” Mobius repeated, tilting his head towards their hands as if that were supposed to make Loki understand what he meant. He began to move closer so he could touch their thumbs together. “Shall we seal it with a kiss?”
Loki looked down at their joined hands and noted their proximity. “Oh. Now I understand.”
He twisted their hands closer together, and Mobius grinned at him.
“Hey! Now you got it.”
Loki closed the distance between them and kissed Mobius gently. His lips were softer than he imagined, and his moustache tickled his upper lip. He couldn’t believe that this was the way that Mobius would ask for their first kiss, but he wasn’t complaining.
He moved his hand up to touch Mobius' face, wanting to deepen the kiss, but as he did so, he realised that Mobius wasn’t kissing him back. Mortified, he pulled away, eyes wide in horror. Was this not what Mobius wanted? He did say kiss, didn’t he?
Mobius stared back at him, mouth agape, eyes blinking rapidly, and a light flush spread across his cheeks.
Oh, he’d messed up. Again.
“Mobius, I’m so sorry, I–” He began, ready to apologise profusely for overstepping, but Mobius pulled their hands close to his chest and shushed him.
"I didn’t–”
“Hang on, Loki. Gimme a sec.” He breathed out.
Loki waited as patiently as he could; his head spun. He was horrified at himself for misunderstanding Mobius, and he silently prayed for a time door to open up below him and transport him to some unknown planet where he’d never have to see anyone again.
The grip Mobius had on his hand relaxed.
“Mobius, I–”
Mobius leant forward and wrapped his arms around Loki. Pulling him in close for a hug.
“You kissed me.” He said as he buried his head in Loki’s neck.
It was Loki’s turn to freeze. What was happening?
“Yes, about that, I'm-”
Mobius interrupted him by squeezing him tighter and repeating, “You kissed me.” Loki could feel him shake with laughter against him.
“Mobius, not that this isn’t lovely, but I’m very confused right now.”
Mobius unwrapped his arms from Loki’s body and brought his hands up to cup his face, squishing his cheeks between them in excitement.
“You kissed me!” He laughed louder now, and Loki breathed out a sigh between his pursed lips.
“Yes, you keep saying that, but you won’t let me finish what I–”
Mobius just rolled his eyes and leaned in. He gasped as Mobius’ soft lips were back on his. His hands were cradling his face gently, and his heart began to beat quickly in the way it only knew how to when it came to Mobius.
Before he could deepen the kiss, Mobius pulled away. The smile that he gave Loki was dazzling, and his heart stopped all over again. If Mobius kept this up, he’d have to take an embarrassing trip to the infirmary.
Mobius licked his lips and looked at Loki so fondly. “I’ve wanted to do that for ages.” He said, letting his hands fall back into Loki’s lap.
“As did I.”
He smiled so hard that his cheeks hurt, and he took Mobius’ hand in his, lacing their fingers together tightly. He never wanted to let go.
“Although I have to say, this was an interesting way to go about asking me.”
Mobius threw his head back in laughter. “Did you seriously think that was how I’d ask you to kiss me?”
He flinched and avoided looking into Mobius’ eyes. “Absolutely not!”
Mobius giggled. “You did, didn’t you?” He pulled him in for a one-armed hug, seemingly not wanting to let go of Loki’s hand either.
“I hardly think this is amusing, Mobius.” He could feel his face heat up, embarrassed to be read so well.
“Oh, but it is.”