Chapter 32: Just a Talk
Once Mobius had gotten Loki to calm down with a long shower, lots of physcial contact and closeness a lot of murmured reassurances, but finally exhaustion took over and Loki had dozed off. In rare form these days using a drop of Seidr to block out the nightmares he knew would be relentless.
He slept through Kevin coming home later that evening and dinner. He didn't wake until the next morning when Mobius's alarm went off, but he didn't move. Not even as he felt the arms wrapped around him tighten their hold just a little. "I'm not going to let them take you."
Loki let out a sigh and closed his eyes in quiet resignation. "I don't think you have a choice." He said quietly. "I don't want to live without you, which is what I will have to do. Maybe if I just let them come for me..."
The arms around him tightened a little more. "No. Loki you can't believe they don't just want to talk."
Loki shook his head. "I don't." He whispered. "But honestly..." Loki felt a couple tears slip from his eyes. "I was supposed to be dead ages ago you know? But this funny little silver haired folksy dope of a Midgardian gave me a chance. Norns knows what he saw in me, but..." He finally turned and reached up cup Mobius's cheek. Green eyes locking onto ocean blues with a sad, but satisfied smile. "You did. And these last twelve years I have had wiith you. Raising the boys...I don't think I was ever this happy. Ever. And I have you to thank. For all of it. I would have liked to have longer with you, but this was far more than I ever thought I would have."
Mobius stared at Loki with heartbroken blue eyes. "You can't leave me." He said faintly. "I...I can't be without you Loki. You still have to see Kevin graduate Highschool. Sean college. There's going to be weddings to plan. You really think I can handle planning a party by myself? I could hardly make sense of all the work you did for our wedding. And that was small!"
Loki leaned in and captured Mobius's lips and didn't relinquish them until they were both dizzy for lack of oxygen and sucking in air a little to greedily. "I won't leave you." He couldn't promise that, but he would do everything he could to stay.
Mobius finally got up to get dressed and Loki took a deep breath before he dug deep and found some long forgotten resolve to pull himself together so he could make breakfast. After all he still didn't want to worry Kevin.
***
Kevin was in the living room playing some videogames. A plate of apple slices and peanut butter next to him half gone that he picked at between completeing missions in his game.
Loki was seated in his reading nook though he was a little to wound up to focus on reading anything. He was just staring out the window. Waiting for the inevitable knock on the door. Kevin looked over from his game for a just a moment curiously, but Loki was already pushing himself up. "I'll get it."
Kevin nodded before he returned to his games.
Loki slipped on his glamour before he pulled open the door and affected a look of surprise as he stepped out onto the porch and shut the door behind him. "Can I help you?"
Tony flashed a smile that he probably thought was charming. "Hi. Lyle right? Lyle Mobius?"
Loki nodded as he crossed his arms loosely in front of his chest. "Why are you my doorstep in mid morning Mr. Stark?"
Tony blinked. Huh. That smile usually worked. "I was just hoping to talk."
Loki gave him a confused head tilt. "Talk?" He chuckled a little. "Mr. Stark no offense, but I don't see why someone such as yourself even knows who I am. I think you might have the wrong person. Or the wrong house." He said as he reached for the door knob.
"Loki." Stark said in a lowered voice, but his hands were still tucked in his pockets. "I just want to talk. You can imagine I might have some questions. Given you're supposed to be dead."
Loki's hand left the doorknob and he looked around. "Talking. Is that what you still call it?" He said under his breath and tried to contain the shaking in his hands.
Tony raised his hands. "It's just me. I really do just want to talk. And...I kind of owe. That guy in the park had an eye Morgan. Said as such in his interviews. You protected my little girl even if you didn't know it or do so knowingly. That's definitely someone I just want to have a conversation with."
Loki stared at him long and hard before he looked around again. Wondering where exactly people might be hidden. He looked back to Stark. "My son is home right now. I can't give you my full attention." He also wasn't sure this was something he would be able to do without Mobius at his side. If Stark did truly just want to talk he wouldn't do so without anything less than the comfort of his arms around him. "If you come back later this evening, we will talk then."
"I'll be here." Tony said with absolutely no argument and backed off the steps. "Just me. I won't tell the others."
Loki watched him go. Climbing into some sort of an expensive looking sports car, but at least he had the decency to watch his speed in the neighborhood.
As soon as he was gone he stepped back into the house and fell back against the door. A hand over his chest as he took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. That had gone a little better than he had expected it to.
"Loki can I have another apple?"
Loki shut his eyes for a moment before he swallowed down his panic. "Of course dear. I'll cut one up for you." He said as he as he went to the kitchen and made quick work of slicing up the apple.
"Thanks!" Kevin cheered as the apple slices were down on the plate he was using.
"You're welcome." He said as he settled down on the couch. "So what is the story of this game exactly?" He didn't pay to close attention to Kevin's ramblings, but it was distraction enough for what would be coming tonight. Just talking he reminded himself.
Loki laid on the couch for a little while and just let Kevin enjoy his time on the videogames. He had gotten outside more than enough lately that he was okay with letting him do so for the day.
Around five o clock he did finally push himself up and looked to Kevin. "Let's go make dinner."
Kevin looked over to him before he looked back to the screen, then back to Loki. "I'm almost done with this mission, then I can save."
"Alright, finish your mission then meet me in the kitchen. Don't forget your plate."
"I won't." Kevin said as he as he turned back to the screen.
Loki took himself to the kitchen and looked what they had on hand. He would have to go grocery shopping soon. He found some stuff to make pizza for dinner. They had some toppings that he could use and the dough was easy to make from scratch.
Kevin joined him in the kitchen not to much later and set his plate in the sink before his eyes lit up as he saw what they would be working with. "Pizza?"
Loki smiled. "I thought it sounded good. It was either this or spaghetti."
Kevin shook his head. "Pizza is so much better."
As they set to work on the dough. Loki with one batch and Kevin with the other Loki tried not to think about the fact that this could be the last time he got to do any of this.
"Scool is going to be starting in a couple weeks." Loki said after a couple minutes. Hoping some conversation would distract him.
"I know. I'm kind of excited really. I want to try and get into AP English."
"AP?" Loki asked curiously.
"Advanced Placement. They're on the difficulty of college classes and you get college credits for completing them. I want to get a headstart on my English credits."
"That would look good on a college application. So you seem pretty serious about this Journalism career. Do you think it's what you have settled on?"
Kevin took a couple minutes to really think about that before he nodded. "I really think I have, but I want to start getting into photography to. I've been looking at different cameras recently and I have one that I think I want to get. I've been saving up my allowance for about two years for it."
Loki smiled at that. "I've seen some of the pitcures you take on your phone. You would be good at it. What kind of things do you want to photograph?"
Kevin shrugged. "Not sure yet. I really wouldn't mind traveling. Doing a couple articles for Nat Geo or something. I think it would be good to bring awareness to some of the troubles in the world."
"I think that sounds like a wonderful goal."
Kevin beamed. "I thought so."
They worked in a comfortable silence for a little bit before he sighed. "The reason I brought up school is because we should start getting your sleep schedule back on track. Your bedtime for this school year gets moved up to ten. Just as Sean's did, but just for tonight, I need you tucked in bed by nine o clock."
Kevin pulled a small face that. "Really?"
"Just for tonight. Alright?"
Kevin opened his mouth to argue, but then he decided to think better of it and just nodded. "Just for tonight. Can I still stay up and play on my switch for a little while?"
"That would be fine." Loki compromised before they both looked over as the front door opened and Mobius stepped in. Looking around before he relief found him as his eyes settled on Loki in the kitchen. He took off his shoes by the door and set his keys in the bowl and joined them in the kitchen. "Hey champ how was your day?" He said as he ruffled Kevin's hair a little.
Kevin smiled as he held up the ball of dough he was kneading. "It was great. I helped Loki with some house chores and then I played some videogames and we're making pizza for dinner!"
Mobius smiled, but Loki could see the worry behind it. "Kevin, I need to talk with your father alone for a couple minutes." He said as he set his kneaded ball of dough on the counter. He split his doughball in two as he had made his bigger. "Do you think you can get mine split in half and start stretching them?"
"I can do that. Not a problem."
Loki bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before he locked eyes with Mobius and nodded towards the stairs.
They both went up to their room and Loki sat on the bed while Mobius just out of his work clothes and into something a little more comfortable. "So...you're still here..."
"I am, but...he does want to talk. I told him to come back tonight because one I don't think I can do it without you and two I'm not letting Kevin get even the slightest wind that he's here. I don't need him invading on my personal life more than he already has." He said as he wrapped his arms around himself just a little.
"Oh don't you even worry sweetheart. I'll be there. I still have a timestick buried deep in the closet. We could hit him with the setting that slows down time for a couple seconds." He said with a scowl. "Certainly deserves it for just dropping in and giving my husband the worst panic attack he's had in a while."
Loki couldn't help the laugh that escaped him at the thought of Tony being hit with that setting. He would be so confused. "I didn't know you kept one."
Mobius shrugged. "Hey, it's a good last resort for self defense and safer than a gun in my opinion. It would allow someone to be subdued instead of killed."
Loki frowned. "If someone is in my home they are trespassing and I will show them why they do not infringe on a God's property."
Mobius laughed at that before he came over and sat down next to him. "Yes, but that usually causes a mess."
"Oh they are plenty of ways to send a message without causing a mess trust me." Loki said before he sighed and curled up against Mobius for a couple minutes. Just drew some strength from him. "But I don't think the time stick, tempting as it is, will be a good idea tonight. If there's some chance I can walk away from this without losing you and the boys...without losing my life, then I would like for it to stay that way."
Mobius wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly. "I won't let them take you."
"You will. If it comes down to that you can't fight them Mobius, the boys still need you. At the very least they need you. You cannot leave them with no one."
Mobius sighed before he looked over to the door. "We should head back down to help Kevin. Otherwise he might worry."
Loki nodded and reluctantly pulled away from Mobius, but once he was up he was quick to latch himself to Mobius's arm as they made their way back downstairs.
Kevin was downstairs in the kitchen. All three dough balls had been stretched and he was dancing around using a wooden spoon as a microphone to some sort of upbeat pop song.