Chapter 1
Mobius looked around nervously. He didn't know what he was doing here. He clearly didn't belong. His friend Verity had invited him to the party she was hosting. It had been a while since he’d been out to anything since he had been working long hours. This was a little much though. Everyone here was dazzling and he was pretty sure he saw at least a couple of famous people. Verity had connections Mobius couldn't dream of and here he was in the tux he had to budget his tips to rent.
Verity had welcomed him to the party a while ago and then left him to “mingle”. Mobius should be good at mingling. He made small talk all day at work in the coffee shop, chatting with people about what kind of work they did, how their day was going, all sorts of things. But did that translate here? Mobius wasn't sure. He sipped from the drink he'd been nursing and stayed firmly on the sidelines of the party.
“Well hello,” a voice practically purred beside him, “I don't believe I've seen you at one of these parties before.”
Mobius turned to answer but was struck dumb. Loki Laufeyson, pop icon, was standing in front of him. Talking to him. Loki's music played in the coffee shop and Mobius enjoyed it when it came on. He should have recognized the voice immediately but he couldn't have imagined a world where Loki was talking to him. But he was and he was expecting an answer.
“Oh, uh, normally I don't attend,” Mobius managed to get out. He tore his gaze away from Loki’s eyes only to be caught up in the rest of him. He was in an all black suit which normally Mobius would have thought was a bit much but on Loki it looked good. “But maybe I could be persuaded to come back more often.”
Was he really flirting right now? With Loki of all people? There was no way Loki would be into him. But then Loki smirked and Mobius felt his face warm up as those beautiful eyes scanned him up and down.
“I'm Loki. What may I have the pleasure of calling you?”
“Mobius.”
Loki's eyes lit up. “Mobius,” he said, trying it out for himself in that sultry voice of his.
Mobius had to take a drink to keep his nerves from frying completely. He took a large gulp that finished off the glass and looked around for somewhere to put it. He didn't see a place for empty glasses so he simply held it.
“Your drink is empty. We must get you a new one,” Loki said.
Loki gingerly took Mobius’ empty glass from him, their fingers brushing. With a tip of his head, he began leading Mobius through the crowd with expert precision. He moved so gracefully and swiftly that a couple of times Mobius had to stop himself from grabbing hold of Loki’s hand to keep up. He managed, barely.
“I'll have the cabernet and another scotch for my partner,” Loki ordered, trading Mobius’ old glass for a new one.
With fresh drinks in hand, Loki followed Mobius a short distance away through the crowd until they found a pocket of their own.
“Tell me about yourself, Mobius,” Loki urged.
“What do you want to know?” Mobius asked.
“For starters, where have you been hiding yourself all this time?” Loki asked.
Mobius had to take another sip of his drink to calm himself. Loki was so tall in real life. And attractive. It was only heightened more with him leaning over Mobius, twisting a stray lock of Mobius’ hair around his finger.
‘I've been busy working,” Mobius admitted.
“Haven't we all, but that hasn't stopped me from making my appearances,” Loki pressed.
He leaned even closer, his hair brushing against Mobius’ face. It was as soft as it looked. Mobius leaned away for another sip before coming back. He was feeling shaky on his feet, perhaps the alcohol or maybe it was the intoxicating company. He placed a hand on Loki’s waist to steady himself before recognizing how inappropriate that was. But Loki didn't seem to mind, in fact his smile grew wider and if anything he leaned into the touch.
“Unfortunately, I've usually had to work early in the morning. Normally I'm in bed by now, actually. But for once I don't have to get up early and Verity insisted…” Mobius trailed off.
“What do you do that you must be whisked away before midnight?” Loki asked.
This was where it would all end. His carriage would turn back into a pumpkin and he'd be back to normal, no longer able to even entertain the idea of someone like Loki being into him.
“I'm a barista,” Mobius admitted, taking another drink to brace himself.
“Is that so? I was just in the market for a new coffee shop. I think my day would improve if I began it with something sweet,” Loki said.
“I can definitely help you there,” Mobius said.
“Oh, I'm sure you could,” Loki agreed.
Somehow, Mobius didn't think he was talking about coffee. He lifted his drink to his lips only to find it was empty again.
“I'll get you another,” Loki offered, taking the glass from Mobius.
“If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get me drunk,” Mobius quipped.
“Maybe I am,” Loki purred. He stepped back. “Stay here, I'll be right back.”
Mobius nodded and watched Loki go. He let out a breath as he leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed. He needed a moment to cool his head. What was he doing? Was he really thinking about pursuing something with Loki? Even if Loki seemed pretty open to it, Mobius was nobody.
“Mind if I join you?” someone asked.
Mobius shrugged but didn't open his eyes. “I won't stop you.”
“I do enjoy these parties but sometimes I need a bit of a break from everyone,” the man said. “Are you taking a break from the party too?”
“Something like that,” Mobius said.
He opened his eyes to look for Loki. The pop idol was waiting on drinks and chatting up the bartender. Mobius felt something ugly rise in him before he squashed it down. There was no reason Loki couldn't flirt with anyone he wanted. It's not as if they were together.
Mobius glanced over at the man who had joined him. He was pretty handsome as well but Mobius couldn't place him. He'd come in a bold suit that was mostly black with thick silver zig-zagged stripes cascading down it. It reminded Mobius of ripples in a dark pool. The man was looking back at him, giving him a once-over as well.
“Your suit is really nice. Very different,” Mobius commented.
“Thank you, I enjoy fashion and finding new things,” the man said, “You pull that tuxedo off well, though a classic will always be in style.”
The man reached over to touch the fabric of Mobius’ tuxedo. Mobius felt self-conscious, he knew the tux wasn't the best but renting it was all he could afford on his budget. He just hoped it wasn't too obvious how out of his depths he was. There was something else though, the man's touch lingered too long, like he was feeling more than just the fabric.
“Here you are, Mobius,” Loki said, handing a new glass of scotch to him. He sent a truly terrifying glare in the other man's direction. “What do you want, Zemo?”
Mobius looked at the man again. Everything clicked into place. The suit, the fashion, this was Helmut Zemo. He was a pretty famous model. Mobius had never followed Zemo's career, modeling and fashion had never been his thing, but he had heard enough about it from Verity to know about Zemo.
“I was just having a conversation with Mobius,” Zemo said. His hand was still resting comfortably on Mobius’ lapel.
“Yes, I can clearly see you were just chatting,” Loki gritted out. “But I'm sure you were just leaving, right?”
Zemo grinned. “Yes, of course. Mobius, there are some hors d'ouvres that you simply must try. I insist. I promise I'll bring him right back.”
Zemo's hand rested on the small of Mobius’ back and guided him away before he could put up an argument. The heat of the party, the liquor, the attention he was being given made his thoughts move like molasses. He could use some food to help soak up the alcohol, and Zemo did promise to bring him back.
The hors d'ouvres that Zemo promised were as delicious as he said. He hand fed them to Mobius, which felt silly but Mobius was willing to go along with it. When he'd tried each one, Zemo paused.
“You've got something, just there,” he said.
Zemo wiped the corner of Mobius’ lip with his thumb, wiping off some crumbs. He stopped on Mobius’ bottom lip, pausing there for a moment before withdrawing. Mobius let out an awkward laugh, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth.
“You shouldn't hide such a lovely smile,” Zemo said.
Mobius’ cheeks flushed. “Thanks.”
“I think you've stolen him away for long enough,” Loki said.
Loki's arm snaked it's way around Mobius’ waist and began leading him away. Zemo didn't miss a beat, looping his arm behind Mobius and trying to lead him in a different direction. Mobius was already a little unsteady on his feet and made even more so by the two of them pulling him around.
“I wasn't done with him,” Zemo argued.
“He needs another drink. His is empty,” Loki retorted.
Mobius lost his footing and stumbled but luckily with both Loki and Zemo manhandling him, he didn't go far.
“I think it might be time for me to call it a night,” Mobius said.
“Why don't you sit down?” Zemo suggested, pulling out a nearby chair.
Mobius nodded and they both helped him into the seat. A glass of water appeared before him which he drank down. The cool liquid helped clear his head a little. Both Loki and Zemo stood beside him, rubbing light, little circles into his neck and shoulder. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes to enjoy the relaxing touch and within a minute was nearly asleep. It was getting pretty late for him, normally he'd be in bed by now. He didn't want the night to end, to have his carriage turn back into a pumpkin.
“I'll have my driver take you home,” Loki suggested.
“Okay,” agreed Mobius, “Will I see either of you again?”
“You certainly will if you come to more parties,” Zemo said.
They both helped Mobius to his feet and guided him to the door, their hands on his lower back again. With them both going in the same direction, it was a very steadying force and Mobius let himself be whisked away.
“I told you I was in the market for a new coffee shop,” Loki said.
A smile grew on Mobius’ face that he wasn't able to wipe off. As he sat in the back of Loki’s car he thought about how much fun he'd had. He didn't think he was going to enjoy Verity's party as much as he did. When he arrived home and got ready for bed, he was thinking about Loki and Zemo. He likely wouldn't see them again unless he went to another party. And maybe that was for the best. They were from an entirely different world than him.
But as he crawled into bed, he couldn't help but hope that Loki would make good on what he said.