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Loki glanced over at his friends from his spot at the bar, a warm smile spreading across his face as he watched them dash excitedly toward the dance floor. A catchy synth-pop song blared from the speakers, and when the chorus hit, they all started jumping up and down, singing along enthusiastically. Their voices were mismatched and painfully off-key, but Loki didn’t care. After everything they had been through, they deserved this moment of carefree joy, no matter how utterly dreadful their singing was.
Usually, he would join them without a second thought. However, the truth was that he was completely exhausted. Leaving the Tree had drained a significant amount of his energy, and suddenly being thrust into a multiversal war had worn him out to the point that his bones ached. So, he decided to observe from a distance instead.
He hadn’t been at the bar long before Mobius slid into the seat beside him and pulled out a credit card. He gave Loki a wink and said, “So, how about that drink?”
Loki hummed as he rested his arm casually on the bartop and propped his head on his hand. Locking eyes with Mobius, he gave him a coy smile. “It’s been a while since someone had the guts to flirt with me at a bar,” he said, taking pleasure in the sight of Mobius’ jaw dropping in surprise. “You’ll need to step up your game, though; I’m not that easy.”
“I’m not hitting on you,” Mobius stuttered, looking away to clear his throat. “We’re celebrating. Don’t we deserve a drink or three?”
Loki looked down at the card in his hand then back up to meet Mobius’ gaze, grinning as he noticed a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Oh, go on then,” he chuckled.
If he had known Mobius would be such a lightweight, he wouldn’t have agreed.
Getting Mobius back to his quarters at the TVA shouldn’t have been so challenging; all they needed to do was summon a Time Door and step through it. However, Mobius’ legs—and his mind—were failing him, forcing Loki to lift him in order to carry him through.
As Loki hoisted Mobius over his shoulder, he shook his head at how absurd the situation was. He never imagined he would see Mobius like this; he was always so put together, but he had to admit it was rather endearing.
Affectionately nicknamed the “clingy drunk” by B-15, Mobius had attached himself to Loki all evening; their arms linked together as Mobius rested his head on Loki’s shoulder, laughing uncontrollably at everything Loki said, as if each word was the funniest thing he had ever heard, which had done wonders for Loki’s ego. When he wasn’t glued to Loki’s side, he was enthusiastically clutching their friends, showering them with fervent declarations of love and repeatedly expressing how proud he was of them.
Loki felt a twinge of guilt for cutting their evening short, but he knew that despite Mobius squirming on his shoulder and insisting on having “just one more drink”, he would be grateful for it in the morning.
After saying goodbye to their friends, who sympathetically petted Mobius’ hair as he complained about being “kidnapped”, he reached into Mobius’ pants pocket to retrieve his TemPad and began to type in the coordinates that he had memorised by heart.
He stepped through the door into Mobius’ bedroom and gently placed him onto the bed.
Mobius threw his hands out and flopped onto his back, giggling as his head bounced against the mattress. “Thought you weren’t easy?”
Loki rolled his eyes. “I’m not. Don’t embarrass yourself, Mobius.”
“Y’always use such long words,” Mobius slurred as Loki exited his bedroom to fill a glass with water.
“‘Embarrass’ isn’t a long word; it’s something that you will be when you remember your behaviour in the morning.” He pulled Mobius to a sitting position and handed him the glass. “Drink this, please.”
“Yessir,” Mobius replied, bringing the drink to his lips and throwing his head back to down it like a shot.
In a panic, Loki quickly cupped the back of Mobius’ head, his fingers tangling in the soft strands of hair as he guided it to tilt back upright, fearing he might choke.
“Slow down,” he said gently. Mobius complied, taking careful sips until he finished, giving Loki a charming smile as he lowered the glass, his eyes bright despite his obvious exhaustion.
As Loki looked at him, a drop of water trickled down Mobius’ chin, stirring something deep and protective within him—a tender, warm feeling that made his heart flutter with unbridled affection. He had to fight back the urge to lean in closer and—
He blinked a couple of times, trying to steady himself as he removed his hand from the hair at the back of Mobius’ head, offering a mumbled apology.
Unaware of Loki’s gaze, Mobius playfully wiped his face with a “whoops-a-daisy” before returning the glass, the brush of their fingers sending a spark coursing through Loki’s entire body. Then, with a heavy thud, Mobius fell back onto the bed.
Mobius looked up at him with a sleepy smile on his face, and his heart felt like it might burst. He really had to pull himself together.
“Right, well, I’ll be on my way then,” He said, taking a step backwards before turning on his heel to run away.
“Wait, Loki,” Mobius called out.
Loki hesitated, glancing back at him. Mobius then patted the empty space beside him on the bed invitingly.
“Stay.”
“I couldn’t possibly—”
“Ah, ah, ah! Shhh, shhh,” Mobius interrupted firmly, holding a finger up against his lips. “I know you love to, but stop talking.”
With a sigh, Loki did as he was told and closed his mouth, standing there in silence as Mobius looked at him with large, forlorn puppy eyes. Gods save him.
“Please stay. It’s cold tonight,” Mobius pleaded, his voice taking on a whiny tone that made Loki’s heart swell. “I really don’t wanna be alone. Please, please, pleaseeee.”
He paused for a moment, his mind racing with uncertainty as he considered his options. Technically, he didn’t have a room set up at the TVA yet, and he knew he would have nowhere to go once he left Mobius. But was it appropriate for him to sleep here, in Mobius’ room… in his bed? When he was feeling so…
“Mobius,” he started, his voice barely above a whisper, “I don’t know if I—”
“Please,” Mobius whispered. “I was so lonely when you left. You were just… gone. Don’t leave me again…”
Mobius’ admission shattered him. They hadn’t had a chance to talk yet about what it was like while he was away. It had been hard for him to leave everyone behind, but seeing Mobius’ eyes beginning to fill with tears made him realise just how difficult it must have been for him.
The thought of leaving Mobius crying alone in his room made his chest hurt. What kind of friend would he be to leave him in such a state of distress? He would feel much better at Mobius’ side, even if it did mean putting himself in a potentially emotionally compromising position.
“Okay, if you insist,” he said gently, slipping off his shoes. “Do you have something I can wear to sleep in?”
Mobius grinned and pointed to a chest of drawers on the far side of the room and let his arm hang off the side of his bed. “Bottom drawer.”
Loki grimaced as he pulled out TVA-branded pyjamas and tossed a pair at Mobius before heading to his bathroom. “Get changed. I’ll join you in a moment.”
Once he closed the door behind him, he finally let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He could handle this. His heart definitely wasn’t racing more at the prospect of sharing a bed with Mobius than it was at being thrust into a multiversal war.
It would be fine.
“Will you stop doing that?” He said, yanking the duvet so that it was covering at least half of his body.
“What?” Mobius rolled over, securing the duvet firmly beneath his body to prevent Loki from stealing it.
“That!” Loki exclaimed, “You’re stealing all of the duvet.”
“It’s mine,” Mobius retorted, scrunching his face petulantly. “My bed. My rules.”
“Oh, grow up and let me cover myself.”
“No, you grow up.”
Loki clenched his fists and bit his lip in frustration. “You’re being impossible, Mobius,” he complained, trying to tug the duvet away with little success. Mobius laughed, and he groaned. “This is preposterous; I’ll get cold!”
“Thought you didn’t get cold? Y’know, with you being Jotunn and all,” Mobius said, and Loki could hear the smile in his voice. The bastard. How dare he bring up his heritage to try and win an argument?
Loki huffed, giving the sheets another defiant pull. “Just because I’m a Jotunn doesn’t mean I enjoy being cold, you insufferable human.” He glared at Mobius, but the amusement in his eyes made it difficult to remain annoyed.
Mobius shrugged and wrestled the duvet away from Loki again with a laugh.
“Fine,” Loki grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself, “If I freeze to death, I’m coming back to haunt you.”
“Ghost Loki?” Mobius pondered, “Hmm? Never seen that variant before.”
Loki said nothing, hoping that if he stayed as still as possible, Mobius would shut up and leave him alone.
Why in the Nine Realms did he agree to this? Damn his stupid heart for fluttering when Mobius asked him to stay, and damn Mobius for looking at him like that when he asked. Damn everything.
“Aww, giving up so easily?” Mobius sing-songed, jabbing Loki in the arm much harder than he probably intended. “Thought you were stronger than that.”
Loki scowled. “Do not taunt me, Mobius. I may be tired and easily irritated, but I am still a god, and you, well… you are drunk. You stand no chance against me.”
“Easily irritated. Yeah. Easily…” Mobius hiccupped quietly as he rolled closer to Loki, pulling his share of the duvet around his body tighter. His face now rested against Loki’s shoulder, and he began to giggle. “Y’re always easily irritated.”
“Am not,” Loki argued. He stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath, trying hard to stay calm. At this rate, they’d barely manage a few hours of sleep before needing to prepare for the day. “Now please give me some of the duvet,” he all but begged.
“Why?” Mobius remarked with a chuckle.
Loki sighed and rolled over, unintentionally pushing Mobius’ face away from his shoulder. Now they were staring at one another, with Mobius’ eyes fluttering as he teetered between sleep and wakefulness, still wearing a shit-eating grin. How could someone be so irritating just as they were about to doze off? And beautiful, his mind added unhelpfully.
“Uh, you asked me to sleep here—begged me, actually.”
Mobius smiled gently and managed to free one hand from his duvet cocoon. “Couldn’t let you go again,” he murmured, giving Loki’s cheek a light pat and snuggling into his side. He wrapped his free arm around Loki’s waist and pulled him closer, unintentionally tugging on the last bit of duvet covering Loki in the process.
“Whoops,” Mobius laughed, his voice low and breath brushing against Loki’s neck. “Dn’t worry; I can keep y’warm.”
“Fine,” he said, adjusting his position as gently as possible to avoid disturbing Mobius, who was blissfully drifting off against him. “I’m only agreeing because I’d really like to get some sleep,” he lied; he was actually quite happy to be in this position. The warmth radiating from Mobius felt like a soft blanket, wrapping around him and providing a comfort he had never experienced before. If only he could sleep like this every night…
Just as he was about to finally drift off, Mobius spoke up, saying something that made Loki’s entire body feel like it was electrocuted.
“I love you, too, y’know,” he murmured against his chest, the words almost drowned out by the quiet of the room. Loki froze, his breath momentarily caught in his throat. Mobius shifted closer, wrapping his arms tighter around him before draping his leg over Loki’s, sending a shiver racing down his spine and pinning him in place. “Proud of you. So proud... Very, very proud,” he continued, his voice slurring slightly.
Loki remained silent, his head spinning as he tried to process Mobius’ words. He couldn't recall the last time someone expressed their love for him, and he certainly couldn’t remember anyone saying it with such outward affection. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back tears.
“I didn’t say it at the bar,” Mobius added with a yawn, snuggling closer into Loki’s chest. “Told everyone but you… I forgot. ‘M sorry.”
“That’s… quite alright,” Loki responded gently, his voice tight with emotion as he wrapped a tentative arm around him. Mobius let out a happy sigh as he was drawn in closer, and Loki finally realised that the duvet wasn’t needed, not when Mobius was holding him so tight.
“Mobius?” he called softly, breaking the comfortable silence that enveloped them.
The only response he received was the gentle rhythm of Mobius' breath, punctuated by a soft snore. He took a breath in and ran his hand across Mobius’ cheek with a smile, trying not to laugh as Mobius’ eyebrows furrowed slightly before nuzzling against his touch. He was so aware of Loki, even in his sleep.
What he loved most about Mobius was how deeply in tune he was with him. Mobius took the time to understand him, treated him as an equal, and despite Loki’s best efforts to sabotage things, he trusted him. Until now, he had never felt deserving of such kindness. But as he looked down at Mobius peacefully sleeping in his arms, he finally felt worthy—worthy of love.
Oh.
Love.
He loved Mobius.
Emotions were a complicated thing for Loki. Growing up, he was often scolded for feeling too deeply, which led him to bury his emotions beneath layers of indifference. All his life, he had been putting on an act, trying to determine if the parts he played would meet others’ expectations of him. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, it was never enough. He was never enough. So, in frustration, he lashed out, allowing his emotions to explode, pushing people away in a misguided attempt at self-preservation. After all, if he rejected them first, they could never reject him.
But then he met Mobius—a man almost as stubborn as he was, who was completely unfazed by Loki's attempts to keep him at arm’s length and scare him off. Mobius had slipped into every shadowed corner of Loki’s mind, tearing down the walls he had meticulously built over centuries in mere seconds. He made Loki feel safe and seen, recognising something in him that he had never seen in himself: the ability to change for the better.
Emotions may have been complicated, but with Mobius, it was as if, for the first time, he could let down his guard and simply be himself.
Of course, he loved him. How could he not?
Still unable to express those three words out loud, he lowered his lips to the crown of Mobius’ head, placing a gentle kiss in his hair. He knew that, in time, he would find the courage to share his feelings. But for now, as he closed his eyes, wrapped in Mobius’ embrace, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. After all, they had all the time in the world ahead of them, together.