My Best Friend
The moment Loki returns from growing Yggdrasil into a tree that can survive and flourish on its own, the first person he looks for is, unsurprisingly, Mobius M. Mobius. He says this to him as they hold each other tightly in the middle of the street, ignoring passers-by, the groceries Mobius had bought for himself littering the sidewalk.
"I don't think I've ever known a longing like that. I missed you. I missed the pretty crook of your nose and your pretty fair hair and staring at your smile and making you laugh aloud and- I wasn't aware I could desire to be with anyone as much as I've wanted to be with you once more. The rest will come later. Will you... Spend the day with me? If... If you aren't too busy?"
And Mobius tries his best to ignore it. To ignore the way Loki seems almost shy as he actually asks for his company instead of demanding things, his voice so soft it's almost a whisper. As if he's ever been able to refuse him. He tries to push aside the way Loki finishes speaking, gazes at him for a long moment, then holds him tight again, closely enough that he feels like he's actually being crushed and loves it much more than he should. As he chases the words Loki just caused to float about his mind away unsuccessfully with a mental broom, he repeats a mantra he adopted a long time ago to deal with this... Unspoken thing within himself when it comes to the mystifying Asgardian.
He's my best friend.
They spend the day together just as Loki wants. They talk for hours, laugh and cry together, eat a wonderfully exorbitant amount of junk food together. But the entire time, Loki won't let go of him. If he's not holding his hand, he's clinging to his entire arm. If he's not wiping at his lip with his thumb, he's fixing his hair over and over, his eyes aglow like a warm bonfire in the middle of winter.
He's my best friend.
The next day, Mobius wakes up to find the god has an arm around him. Loki is shirtless and already up, grinning softly at him. The ex-agent can hardly breathe as the Asgardian arcs his back to stretch, then leans close with a dangerous glint in his eyes that makes it even harder for Mobius to get his breathing steady.
"Tell me, Mobius... Did you dream of me?"
He's my best friend.
Getting the group to agree to come over is a breeze. B-15 now leads the TVA, Ouroboros and Casey now live together working on their comic book and Sylvie is exploring the galaxy with no real plan in mind. They all agree instantly which Mobius knows he should be happy about. He really should. Yet, he thinks about the fact that Sylvie and Loki were once together and wishes it could be just the god and him for a little bit longer. But it's fine. It's all fine.
He's my best friend.
While they stock up for the mini-party, they pass by a pet store and Loki asks him if he wants any of the animals inside. When Mobius asks him why he's curious, he only shrugs and says, "I thought you'd like one to fuss over at home but I'm happy to be the only creature you are hopelessly devoted for the time being".
He winks too, as if it couldn't get any worse. But who cares, right? Mobius definitely doesn't. He definitely doesn't have to turn away to try and conceal the fact that he's so flustered he can feel the heat under his skin and it's spreading everywhere.
He's my best friend.
Everyone arrives some time in the evening. There's music, chatter and laughter. Mobius hasn't experienced this much noise since the going-away party when he chose, like many others, to leave the TVA behind. Sylvie brings some strong Asgardian mead from a different timeline to celebrate and she and Loki won't stop sharing it between themselves when the burn of it becomes too harsh for the rest of their throats. Loki laughs at something she says and she ruffles his hair, muttering "good to have you back" before she stumbles into his chest with a huge bear hug. Loki grins against her cheek, patting her head as she shockingly burst into tears in his arms. And Mobius... Mobius is fine with it. They might get back together tonight but it's alright, it might end badly again but who is he to interfere with Loki's first shot at happiness in so long?
He's my best friend.
The god had been ready to sacrifice himself for them all. He shut that door behind him and looked Mobius in the eyes in a way that struck the man with a certainty that he was prepared to lose his life if it meant saving infinite lives across infinite universes. A choice so many wouldn't take. That was how much Loki cared about humanity. That was what he was willing to risk. Yet, he'd survived. He'd found a way to come back to them, too. If there was anything he deserved, it was another chance at love with whoever he chose so why... Why the hell is Mobius struggling not to explode as the powerful gods grin at each other?
He's my best friend.
He stumbles out of the party, his throat burning with words and emotions he can't place, his eyes a lake he refuses to cry. And then the door opens and slams shut. Loki blinks twice, breathing shallow, crying just as hard as his variant had inside. Mobius wonders just how strong the alcohol has to be to cause both deities to weep as he takes a step forward to comfort his friend.
"You... You left me, why... You can't do that. Y-you're not allowed, Mobius because I- I need you. Haven't you realised by now that I need you?"
Mobius blinks twice as Loki crashes into his arms. He sighs as the pretty being sniffles and wipes his tear-streamed face with his palms, shaking his head softly as he cradles the God's head between his hands.
"Don't cry, Loki... I'd do anything to make you happy. This is meant to be a celebration. This whole party, it's yours to enjoy. It's our way of saying that we adore you. That we're in awe of you. That we can't believe we lost you and that we will never let you go again."
Loki gazes at him. Under the moonlight, his eyes seem to glimmer like something out of a fairytale. Mobius is at a loss for words, his heart thudding in his chest when he finally realises he's much too close to the god. He forces himself to let go and turns away from the man, wrapping his arms around himself to force his trembling body to go still.
He's my best friend.
Loki taps his shoulder. Mobius has barely turned to warily risk a glance at him when he's picked up, pressed against the wall and kissed to a stupor. Loki's hands are everywhere and his eyes burn into him as he loosens Mobius' tie, the same one he's helped him fix so many times before-
He's my best friend.
The god presses against him even harder, nudging his lips apart with the expert skill of someone who knows how. Mobius places his hands on Loki's shoulders, certain he's meant to push the man away until he tastes a hint of key lime pie on his tongue. The sudden burst of flavour on his tongue has him shutting his mind and the overthinking off for once as he drags him closer instead.
He's my best friend.
Loki hums and melts against his mouth, grasping at his thighs to pull him even closer. In response, Mobius can't help but search for an anchor to hold onto because none of this feels real anymore. In a stroke of luck, he grasps Loki's hair and gives it a harsh tug as he struggles to ground himself, only ruined further when the god's hiss of pain quickly becomes a hum of pure pleasure. The pressure between them is building, the air around them charged with electricity and heating up by the minute.
Quite suddenly, Mobius freezes in place. He pushes Loki back, so hard and abrupt that the god stumbles, then presses himself against the wall, filled with confusion and terror.
He's my best friend.
"What- how- that wasn't- th-that couldn't have-"
He's my best friend.
His heart contracts painfully in his chest as he gazes at Loki with that irresistible silky dark hair as much of a mess as his lips are, panting recklessly and still much too close. Shutting his eyes to try and get the image out of his mind only heightens the raw feeling of being in Loki's presence, only makes the sounds he's still making from the pure heat of what had just happened even more delicious. Mobius feels gutted as he tries to make sense of it all, tries to bring a logic to the madness that only the god of chaos could amplify to such an extent. Finally, he looks Loki in the eyes again and whispers, "why...? I need to know why. Please, Loki."
"Oh. Well. If it wasn't already glaringly obvious, I'm in love with you, you idiot."
He's my...
He...
Oh.
Oh.
It takes more than a few seconds for it to sink into Mobius' head. By then, Loki has stormed inside and is hurrying to the bathroom so no one can see him cry. Ouroboros and Casey are asleep side by side on the floor when Mobius steps into his little home. Sylvie is singing loudly in Asgardian with an arm wrapped around the only person who's sober. B-15 blinks twice, trapped in place and arches her brows at Mobius but he doesn't help, knows he doesn't have time, terrified he's ruined everything already. Terrified Loki has run off to a part of the multiverse where he can't easily be found, all because he's spent so much of their time together determined to preserve their friendship and not lose him that an actual chance at a relationship never even crossed his mind.
He opens the door. His best friend is pressed against the wall, trying to make himself look small as he desperately avoids his gaze. Before Loki can apologise or swear it will never happen again, Mobius is kissing it all better. Again and again until everything makes sense once more. Because
Oh gods, I'm in love with my best friend. I have to get him to lie down, the alcohol is still in his system, how much of this will he remember, how much of this actually meant something? Everything. Remember everything. Mean everything you said to me because I... I can't wait to tell you when you're sober. I won't hide it anymore, I can't stand it, it's been so, so long. Loki Odinson...
"Good morning. You went a bit hard last night. Not to be presumptuous but I do wonder what you taste like without alcohol on your tongue. Also... Just so you know... I love you too. I know we're best friends but... So... Umm... Is that okay?"
As you can imagine, it doesn't take even a split second for Loki to jump at him, no hesitation, to cover his face with innocent little kisses before he rushes to brush his teeth so they can resume their new favourite activity from where they left off last night.