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It would have been an hour or two past midnight when Mobius shuffled out of his room and made his way into the kitchen, squinting in the darkness to locate the refrigerating unit, and retrieving from it a small bottle of water. As he let the door swing closed and turned around, he startled as the last shaft of light from the fridge briefly illuminated a shadowy figure standing by the stretch of windows at the rear of the chalet. Recovering quickly, Mobius was able to make out the silhouette against the glass panelling, and he placed the bottle on the table nearby before stepping out into the living area and approaching carefully, socked feet padding quietly upon the floorboards.
“Loki?” he murmured, engaging his gentlest voice, all too wary of jolting him despite all the noise he’d already made.
“Mm?”
Apparently he needn’t have worried. Loki was clearly deeply preoccupied, but not enough to be completely oblivious.
“Why are you up, kjære?” Mobius asked softly, “You should be sleeping.”
He felt his face colour slightly at the little slip, but Loki had called him that twice now over the past couple of days, and he’d been almost humiliatingly keen to return the endearment. Sleep-muddled and enshrouded in the tranquil peace of night, with a pensive Loki gazing out at the moonlit water of the bay as it gleamed and rippled entrancingly… he supposed it was as good a time as any, even if it had been unintentional.
Drawing up next to Loki, he covered his mild embarrassment by staring out at the ocean as well, tiny twinkling lights in the far distance indicating fishing boats out past the reef, awaiting and gathering the nighttime catch. He felt Loki’s eyes on him for a brief moment, but he otherwise gave no outward reaction, turning back towards the view.
“Can’t sleep right now,” Loki mumbled, as though he were loath to break the silence.
Mobius glanced at him, brow pinching slightly in concern.
“Why not? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just woke up from a dream and… and couldn’t fall back asleep.”
“Not a nightmare?” Mobius persisted, well aware he was probably being a complete nuisance with his persistent worrying, but unable to help himself. He still felt bad about leaving Loki alone when that storm had hit recently, and although Loki had shown marked improvement both physically and emotionally since then, Mobius found the protective urges no less difficult to quash.
Loki shook his head in reply.
“No. It was… just a normal dream. But ever since I awoke, I’ve found myself feeling unnaturally agitated.”
A vague hint of frustration coloured his words, and he sighed softly. Mobius lifted a hand to rub his back soothingly.
“Why?” he whispered.
“I- I’m not sure,” Loki shook his head again, in confusion this time, then looked down, shoulders slumping a little.
After several long moments of casting around for something useful to say, Mobius instead made a snap decision.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said.
“What, now?” Loki was incredulous, but nevertheless didn’t seem opposed to the idea. Mobius himself was now wide awake, and despite the unusual hour, he thought getting out for a while might do Loki some good.
“Yeah, why not? If nothing else, it might wear you out enough that you can sleep afterwards.”
Loki shrugged, not arguing.
“Go grab your shoes and something warm to throw on,” Mobius instructed, “I’ll meet you out front.”
There was a narrow trail through a nearby wooded area that Mobius had discovered some time ago, though he hadn’t allowed himself to wander the length of it until the previous afternoon; finally feeling confident enough to leave Loki alone at the chalet for longer than a few minutes (and of course first checking to ensure that no surprise storms were encroaching). The path circled around half the village and eventually led to the wide plaza of the marketplace, the length of which could be followed until one reached the paved walkway that led the remainder of the way down to the beach.
The initial section through the forest was a little tricky and uneven in places, and a bit too lengthy for anything he would have allowed Loki to attempt even as little as two or three days ago. He was certainly a Hel of a lot stronger more recently, but he was still prone to tiring very easily.
However, Mobius suspected he might be up to the challenge tonight.
“I haven’t done this at nighttime, obviously,” he told Loki as they set out, “But I’m assured by the locals that there aren’t any nocturnal predators or anything like that in these woods.”
“Really? How frightfully dull,” Loki joked with feigned disappointment, and Mobius smiled as they picked their way over some protruding tree roots.
This world that had now been their home for more than two months boasted two large moons, currently adjacent to each other in the sky, and both nearing fullness. The resultant luminosity meant that their way was lit well enough to see relatively safely without a flashlight, for which Mobius was grateful, as it would have rather ruined the general ambience.
They wandered through the woods in comfortable silence, Mobius content to let Loki stew on whatever may have been bothering him. He glanced behind every now and then to ensure that he was keeping up okay, and Loki’s partially-shadowed face never gave the impression he was particularly troubled. In fact, he appeared to be quite taken by their surroundings, and Mobius realised with a pang that apart from relaxing at the beach and the occasional drink or meal in the village, Loki hadn’t really been away from their chalet at all. His unfortunate physical limitations had demanded a necessity for him to remain close to somewhere he could rest comfortably.
“Mobius?” Loki called all of a sudden, and he looked over his shoulder to find him a fair way back along the track, crouched down low. A flare of mild panic had him instantly jogging to his side.
“What is it, are you okay?”
Loki looked up at him with a puzzled frown, then realisation dawned as it apparently occurred to him how it must have looked and sounded.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Yes, I’m alright,” he assured, genuinely apologetic. “I just found something… well, pretty cool. Take a look.”
Huffing a small breath of relief, Mobius knelt down on the cold, damp earth next to him, and noticed what Loki had spotted. It was a patch of some kind of floral ground cover that was crawling with small beetles, each one glowing brightly, a variety of colours represented throughout the numerous wriggling carapaces.
“Bioluminescence,” Mobius said with a hint of awe, “But much more striking than any I’ve ever seen.”
“Seen a lot of it, have you?” Loki smiled at him.
He frequently took great delight in teasing Mobius about his insular life at the TVA, despite Mobius’ insistence that in hundreds of years of missions, he’d seen and experienced plenty, as a matter of fact.
“More than you, I’ll bet,” he griped good-naturedly, watching as Loki carefully reached out a hand to scoop a virescent beetle onto his fingertips.
A second one, golden-orange, decided to come along for the ride as well, and they watched as the two tiny creatures crawled all over Loki’s hand in exploration. Then, as they met in the middle of his palm, they unfurled their wings as one and fluttered off together into the night.
Pushing themselves back to their feet, Loki and Mobius carried on along the trail, the occasional rustling of scurrying rodents or the gentle call of a hunting bird following them through the semi-darkness.
A soft trickling became audible directly ahead of them, and a few moments later Mobius was brought up short by a shallow but wide brook that unexpectedly crossed their path. He held out an arm to halt Loki.
“Okay, this wasn’t here yesterday,” he said with a laugh.
“Must be from the deluge of rain overnight,” Loki guessed. “No matter…”
He eased past Mobius and leaped across it gracefully in one fluid movement, then turned back to him with an eyebrow raised expectantly.
Mobius put his hands on his hips, mock exasperation masking his joy at the unmistakable evidence of Loki’s spark igniting once more.
“Yeah, you’re very clever, with all your athletic skill and incredibly long legs,” he drawled with a smirk, “But unfortunately I don’t trust myself to get across there without suffering the rest of our excursion with squelchy shoes.”
Loki snorted, then cast his eyes around looking for something to help. A little further upstream there was a rock sitting within the brook just above the waterline, and he beckoned Mobius over to it, holding out a hand to help him step across.
They didn’t bother to let go, once he was back by Loki’s side, twining their fingers casually as they continued strolling through the forest, and down towards the village.
Around an hour later, they finally wandered out from the treeline and into the outskirts of the tiny, sleepy town. It had taken a lot longer than the last time Mobius had walked the trail alone; the extra care required by night and Loki’s encroaching fatigue both contributing to the slower pace. Noticing his footsteps flagging a little, Mobius insisted Loki needed a rest, and they took a table outside a tiny all-night cafe. Unusual for such a small population, but many of the villagers worked night shift in accordance with the local agricultural and fishery practices, so there was always a slow but steady stream of customers for the humble eatery.
Leaving Loki at the table, chin propped in one hand and the weight of exhaustion around his eyes, Mobius went to order them each a hot drink to stave off the cold of the night. His Royal Weariness perked up a little when they were served almost immediately, the proprietress delivering two large disposable cups, an intoxicating aroma a giveaway of the decadence within. Goriichu had been a favourite of Loki’s since they’d arrived here. A creamy, frothy concoction that had a rich vanilla-like flavour, Mobius could immediately tell that Loki adored it by the way he lingered over every mouthful, eyes closing occasionally in pleasure in a way that made Mobius weak. Tonight was no exception, and he tried valiantly not to stare too often.
When they were halfway done, they faintly heard jovial chatter coming from the bay, and decided to stroll down to the beach to investigate, taking their cups and settling on a low bench seat overlooking the sand. It appeared the fishing boats they could see from their back windows earlier were finished for the night. A chill breeze whipped around the two of them, and with a shudder they leaned into each other for warmth… or the illusion of it, at least. The bright lanterns on the ends of the fishing boats gradually bobbed nearer, the fishermen calling out to each other across the water as they returned to shore, voices teasing and laughing. Mobius smiled at their easy camaraderie, slipping an arm around Loki to pull him closer. Loki drained the last of his goriichu and rested his head on Mobius’ shoulder in contentment, just like he had two nights ago on the porch.
They watched with mild interest as the fishermen leapt from their vessels into the shallow water with soft splashes, dragging the small boats onto the sand and securing them to sturdy posts. Once that was done, each fisherman slung a heavy basket over their shoulder, hauling them over to a large shed up near the road, where the catch was to be processed and packaged in time for the morning markets.
“Kind of makes me feel a little bad, sitting here lazily as they struggle to drag in the fish that we’re probably going to be enjoying later today,” Loki mused.
“Oh really? Do I detect a hint of empathy, Loki?” Mobius said with pronounced scepticism, smiling into his curls.
Loki paused, feigning thoughtfulness.
“Uhh… not really, no,” he admitted, and Mobius huffed in amusement, “I mean, they do seem happy enough.”
There was a distinct cheekiness in his tone, the smirk playing about his lips obvious without needing to be seen.
“Well, happy enough for mere peasants I suppose, Your Highness,” Mobius replied.
He turned a little further to kiss the top of Loki’s head, and was fleetingly startled by his own instinctive yet brazen action. Loki responded favourably however, reaching up to grasp the hand that was hanging loosely over his shoulder, then pressing it to his cheek for a moment.
This casual affection that had very recently developed between them evoked feelings both heady and addictive, and the small part of Mobius’ mind that wasn’t inexorably caught up in the exhilarating sensations idly wondered whether Loki felt similarly.
Sitting unmoving became too cold after a while, even cuddled up together, so they disposed of their empty cups and began gradually wandering home via the beach, walking hand-in-hand on the firmer wet sand to make it less taxing for Loki. As they got further along to where the reef narrowed to almost nothing, the swell naturally increased, and small waves coasted back and forth across the powdery sand. A suggestion of sunlight was beginning to stain the horizon, and realising they’d be home soon, Mobius stopped to turn and face Loki, letting go of his hand and instead rubbing his arm soothingly.
“Have you worked out why you couldn’t sleep, yet?” he prodded gently.
Loki hesitated in consideration, taking a few moments to answer.
“Somewhat, I think? I actually suspect it was the very fact that I couldn’t go back to sleep that was initially to blame.”
“How so?” Mobius tilted his head curiously.
“When I woke up, in the middle of the night… for the first time since- since I came back, I didn’t feel tired. I felt… well, good . But instead of being happy or satisfied, it made me-” he gusted a heavy sigh in mild frustration. “I don’t know. Disappointed. Saddened. And that troubled me greatly, as I’m not sure I understand why.”
He looked down the length of the beach reflectively, and Mobius gazed at him in thought. Casting his mind back, he lingered over the lasting impressions of countless moments of blissful, serene peace they had thus far experienced during their time here. Even tonight, heedful of the degree to which Loki had enjoyed their impromptu outing, Mobius noted how he’d taken in everything from luminous beetles to boisterous fishermen with a latent sense of wonder, despite the inherently simplistic nature of these various diversions. How he’d been relaxed and carefree, regardless of his initial unrest and gradual enervation.
And then he realised.
Loki was happy.
It was all he could do to rein in his emotions as the epiphany struck him right in the heart, the elation almost painful in its intensity.
He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking.
“You don’t want to leave,” he suggested at length, his voice carefully controlled. “You like it here.”
“I don’t want to leave, no,” Loki concurred. “Although it’s- it’s not the place itself, as beautiful as it is. Don’t get me wrong, Mobius, I’ve adored our time here, apart from my pervasive weakness,” he added with a hint of disdain. “But it’s not like I want to stay here forever. I am keen to go back to the TVA,” he clarified, “I miss everyone, and you know me; I need to be occupied, to be- to be working, achieving something. But… it- it’s just…” he heaved another sigh, obviously struggling to articulate exactly what he was feeling.
Mobius took in everything that Loki had divulged, and combined it with his earlier insight. It sounded understandably perplexing for Loki, but at an advantage, Mobius was able to break it all down; to make sense of it.
And the conclusion nearly made him blush.
“Loki…” he began, pausing for a moment to gather himself, “Are you saying that- that you like being here with me? Like this, I mean… alone together?”
Loki’s brow creased for a moment or two as he considered Mobius’ words. Then, eyes alight with realisation, he broke into an uncharacteristically shy smile.
“Yes. Yes, that’s exactly it. I- I want more of this,” he said, his hand making an elegant gesture that implied the two of them as one, “I like this. I don’t want this to end.”
Mobius stared at him for a moment, then felt something like euphoria soar within as an irrepressibly fond smile spread across his own face. He shook his head, chuckling softly.
“You’re absolutely adorable, d’you know that?”
“I beg your pardon?” Loki was caught in confusion, but a corner of his mouth still lifted at the affectionate assertion.
Mobius reached out and took both of his hands, lifting them gently to hold aloft in the space between them.
“I like this too,” he told Loki earnestly, running a thumb over the back of one hand, “I love this.”
I love you , his mind helpfully supplied, but he knew they weren’t quite ready for that, not just yet.
“And who said anything about it ending?” he continued. “When we go back, we- we can do whatever you like, within reason. We can work together… like, as proper partners. If you want. We can probably even take vacations like this sometimes. I mean, I’ve had offers for several lofty promotions, and you've been deservedly elevated above all rankings — ever, in the history of the TVA, in fact — so who’s to tell us we can’t have a bit of R&R, every now and then?”
His grin was infectious; Loki returning it bashfully.
“And… and there’s plenty of ways we can spend time together at the TVA too,” he reminded him, “I mean, from all your centuries of time looping, you probably know about more interesting and awesome shit hidden away there than I do.”
Loki’s smile faded a little at the mention of those infinitely arduous years, and Mobius felt a little guilty for the unintentional reminder. Nevertheless, Loki inclined his head with a nod, conceding the point.
“As long as I’m with you, Mobius,” he said with gravity, voice wavering a very little, “It sounds wonderful.”
“Yeah… it does,” Mobius agreed softly, his gaze intensifying as he took in Loki’s beautifully expressive eyes. Shining earnestly, they revealed a startling glimpse of his profound love… implicit, as yet, but ripe with promises for the future.
A freak wave chose that moment to charge further up the beach than any before it, their shoes instantly sodden with freezing water. Nearby, a large seabird that had been up early and foraging for food in the wet sand screeched indignantly, then took off with no regard for their close proximity, almost clipping the pair with its impressively large wing.
Staggering in reaction to the double-surprise, they fell against each other, instinctively reaching out to steady themselves and laughing at their misfortune as their eyes met once more. But when neither of them looked away, Mobius felt the mood change… deepen. Loki’s brief amusement receded as something raw and ardent took its place, and Mobius was suddenly very aware of the way their hands remained on shoulders and waists; Loki’s breath subtly quickening, his own pulse thundering.
If this was a silly Midgardian movie, he thought wildly, this would be where we kiss.
And right on cue, Loki leaned in, his eyes closing, and the first pink rays of the rising sun chased the darkness from the sky.