Chapter 3
A box with a note arrived at Mobius’ apartment on Thursday. He hadn't ordered anything but it had his name on it so he brought it inside and opened it up as he dropped his keys in the bowl by the door and slipped his shoes off. It had been another long day at the cafe and while he did enjoy it, he was often tired and sore by the end of the day. Inside the box was clothing. Mobius lifted it out and pieced together that it was a suit made from some of the nicest fabric he'd ever seen. It must have cost a fortune. He dropped it back into the box and searched for the note that came with it that had fallen on the floor near the door when he came in.
“For the event tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you there.
Z.”
Mobius set the note on the counter and looked at the suit once again, feeling the silky material against his skin. Most of the suit was black but Mobius noticed a geometric hourglass pattern stitched in a thin gold thread over the suit jacket, giving it an extra pop of colour. It was so much nicer than the tuxedo he had saved up to rent a few weeks ago. He could hardly believe he'd be wearing such a thing.
Mobius read the note over again and found himself smiling. Zemo, of all people, was looking forward to seeing him. And they'd be going to an event of some kind together, one where they would get dressed up. Zemo always looked good, but Mobius couldn't help but try to imagine what Zemo would be wearing and if they would match. His daydreaming got away from him as he went about making supper and putting things away.
He almost didn't notice the buzz his phone made as a message came in. The flash of the screen caught his eye and he set down the spoon he was using to stir. Loki's name lit up the screen before it turned black again. Mobius's hand darted out quickly to pick up the phone. He pushed down the feeling of butterflies he had, trying to keep himself calm. He had to get a grip on himself or he would never be able to face either of them the next day.
“I'm sending my car to get you tomorrow. 8:00.”
Mobius smiled and set down his phone. Both Zemo and Loki were being so thoughtful, finding ways to ensure Mobius would be able to attend the evening with them. He was excited about it and a little nervous. Things had been moving forward with both of them and the relationships were starting to feel serious, yet Mobius still had no idea who he would choose if it came down to it.
Both of them had been so sweet thus far and had been very generous and Mobius wanted to do something for them as well. He wasn't sure what yet and he was more limited in what he could get for them than they were. What does someone like him get for people who can buy anything? With a sigh, Mobius wondered to himself for the thousandth time what they got out of the relationship with him. He assumed he must be entertaining in some way.
The next morning, Mobius still had nothing. He had hoped his dreams would help him come up with something but they were unhelpful. He'd tossed and turned most of the night, unable to find much rest while so excited and anxious. He knew that neither Loki nor Zemo were expecting anything but he did want to find something to show his appreciation anyway. As he got up, he looked around his cluttered apartment. He knew there wasn't anything here that they would want, so he would have to go out. He could walk down to the bodega for breakfast and maybe he would find something on his way.
The street was quiet as he made his way to the bodega. It was still pretty early and some of the shops were just opening for the day, the shopkeepers putting out signs and opening their doors to welcome people in. One woman, with her brown hair tied back with an intricate braid, was setting up a sandwich sign, trying to get it to balance properly and checking its stability, before she stood up straight and abruptly turned, nearly running into Mobius.
“Sorry!” She cried out as Mobius came to a sudden halt just in front of her.
“It's alright,” Mobius said, sidestepping her.
As he glanced at the sign she had set up, he realized that he had found his answer. He would get them flowers. It was such an obvious choice now that he saw it. He followed the woman into the shop and looked around, quickly recognizing that he was out of his depth. He knew coffee and what flavours and blends went together and could often figure out what people would like from a short conversation but he had no idea what kind of flowers Loki or Zemo would like.
“Welcome in. How can I help you?” the woman asked.
Mobius swallowed down his apprehension and approached the counter. The displays of different flower arrangements behind the woman were beautiful and impressive, full of vibrant pinks and purples and oranges of every shade. Each one looked absolutely gorgeous and well-balanced and thought out. He felt as though he was in good hands with her.
“I have an event to go to tonight and I wanted to get my partners a gift - something to show my appreciation for everything they've done for me,” Mobius said.
The woman's eyes lit up and her smile grew wider.
“Did you have something in mind already? Or are you still looking for ideas?” she asked.
“I'm not sure yet. Maybe some kind of bouquet or something?” Mobius said, looking around. Flowers weren't his expertise and he was feeling very out of his depth.
“What kind of event are you going to?” the woman asked.
Mobius felt sheepish as he responded, “I'm actually not sure. But it's very fancy based on the suit I was given.”
“How exciting,” the woman beamed. She turned and began collecting different flowers. She looked over her shoulder at him. “And your partners? What are their names?”
“Lok-” Mobius began before stopping himself. Loki wasn't exactly a common name and he didn't want to draw too much attention. “Lokes and Zee.”
“Interesting names,” she commented.
Mobius blushed. Perhaps he should have come up with something less conspicuous but he was put on the spot and it was all he could think of.
“They're interesting guys,” he said.
The woman turned back around with several options of flowers, along with some greenery. She set them on the counter in front of him and began sorting them into different piles.
“Where did you meet Lokes and Zee?”
Mobius watched as she paired a few flowers together, examined them and changed her mind, setting one off to the side before picking up another.
“It was a different party. A friend had invited me to it and I happened to run into both of them there,” Mobius said, remembering that night.
“Love at first sight?” the woman asked, hesitantly picking up a red flower from the assortment.
“A bit, yeah. I'd heard of both of them but the first time my eyes met Lokes’, it was different. And then Zee came around…” Mobius trailed off.
The woman had stopped what she was doing, her gaze falling on him instead of her work. Mobius didn't notice at first though, transported as he was to that night. It had felt enchanting then and still it seemed there had to be some magic keeping both of them around. At some point, he figured, it was all going to come crashing down and his carriage would become a pumpkin again.
“I don't think I could choose between them. They're both wonderful and talented,” Mobius admitted, guiltily. Eventually he would have to choose.
“Then don't,” the woman said, simply.
“What?”
“Don't choose. They both know about each other, yes?” she asked. Mobius nodded. “If they haven't asked you to choose, then don't.”
It seemed so easy and obvious when she said it. Like he should have come up with it himself, but something had held him back. Would it really work with three of them together?
“I'm thinking boutonnieres,” she announced when he didn’t say anything, “What do you think?”
Mobius nodded his head. “Perfect.”
She showed him the ones she was thinking of for both “Lokes” and “Zee”. They settled on a red and yellow tulip for Loki and a yellow and maroon pansy for Zemo. Both would look nice together without being too match-y. The rest of the boutonniere would be filled out with baby's breath and foliage.
With everything decided and paid for, Mobius was free to get his breakfast while he waited. It thankfully wasn't too busy of a season yet for flowers so she was able to get them done fairly quickly. Once he'd had his breakfast and taken a walk to pass the time, he picked up the flowers he'd ordered, including an extra one the woman had thrown in for him for free. He looked over the soft orange flower, a tea rose she had said, and thanked her profusely.
---
A knock on the door startled Mobius. He looked at the clock but it wasn't eight yet. Loki's car shouldn't have arrived already and he wasn't expecting anyone else. He was just finishing getting dressed so he finished buttoning the last couple of buttons on his shirt as he headed for the door and opened it.
Zemo stood on the other side, looking stunning. His suit was black but the jacket was covered in gold embroidery in elegant swirls down the sleeves and across his shoulders and chest. The burgundy dress shirt he wore under it was unbuttoned to his abdomen, allowing his chest hair to peek out. Mobius' mouth went dry and he couldn't help but stare. He knew Zemo dressed well but after seeing him in much more casual clothes at the cafe, he'd sort of forgotten.
“Hello,” Zemo purred, “Don't you look divine.”
Zemo's eyes raked up and down Mobius' body causing a small shiver to go down Mobius' spine.
“Aren't you going to invite me in?” Zemo asked.
“Right,” Mobius said, finally closing his mouth and moving aside to invite Zemo in.
Zemo was in his apartment. And was looking around. Mobius suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed. It was a small apartment and cluttered. There were piles of things that should have been put away on the table and kitchen counter, one pile in a corner on the floor in the living room. And he'd left his dirty dishes from lunch in the sink. And Zemo was seeing it all. Zemo was in his apartment.
Mobius quickly shoved some of the stuff from the counter into the cutlery drawer below while Zemo was turned away. It didn't belong but he'd find it later, for now it needed to be gone. Zemo was busy looking around the small apartment to notice Mobius' hasty tidying.
“I wasn't expecting you here,” Mobius stammered out as he closed the drawer.
“I wanted to make sure you got the suit I picked for you, which it seems you did,” Zemo hummed. “It looks good on you.”
He stepped closer to fix Mobius’ collar, effectively boxing Mobius in against the kitchen counter.
“You look good too,” Mobius said softly.
The feeling of Zemo’s fingers fixing his collar, then smoothing it out and dragging down the front of his chest made his breath hitch. The smell of Zemo's cologne was intoxicating and Mobius had to grip the counter behind him to keep himself together. If he leaned forward he would be able to close the small gap between them, he'd be able to taste those lips. Zemo's eyes gazed into his, studying him, watching the way Mobius reacted to his touch. Then his gaze flicked away, looking behind Mobius, and he stepped back.
Air flooded back into Mobius' lungs as the space between them increased. He kept hold of the counter behind him.
“You should finish getting ready. Don't want to be late,” Zemo said with a grin.
Mobius nodded. “Right. Yeah.”
Mobius left the room to finish getting ready. He fixed his hair, put on his own cologne, and finished putting on the rest of the suit Zemo sent, including the tie which had a similar subtle hourglass pattern as the suit jacket. He paused as he checked himself in the mirror. He looked good. The suit was surprisingly well-tailored to him and fit him well in all the right spots, even though he'd never done a fitting for it. It was nothing short of a miracle. He needed to thank Zemo for sending something so wonderful.
“My, Mobius, you look amazing,” Zemo said in a low voice as Mobius entered the kitchen again.
He was seated in one of the chairs at the kitchen table with his legs spread out leisurely in front of him. He looked out of place in his fancy clothes, yet comfortable, like he sat in Mobius' kitchen all the time. Mobius wished he did.
“Thank you,” Mobius said.
His heart felt like it was in his throat and his mouth went dry as a desert. To cover the way his face heated up, Mobius turned to the fridge to retrieve the boutonnieres, each one in its own little box labeled with the first initial of who it was for. Mobius took a deep breath and pulled open the box with the ‘Z’ written on top, before turning around and presenting it to Zemo.
“I, uh, wanted to show my appreciation for everything. So I got this for you,” Mobius said.
He almost didn't want to look. It was such a little thing, compared to the suit, the tips, everything, it was nothing.
“It's cheesy, I know,” Mobius trailed off, feeling sheepish about the whole idea.
Zemo stood up and stepped closer, reaching out. His hands overlapped Mobius', cradling the box.
“I love it,” Zemo responded.
Mobius carefully pinned the flowers to Zemo's lapel. He was pleased with how well they matched the burgundy of Zemo's shirt without even meaning to.
“You're an angel,” Zemo purred, holding Mobius in place.
He kissed Mobius gently, cradling his face. Mobius’ breath escaped him, his hands still on Zemo's lapel.
“My angel,” Zemo murmured again before pulling Mobius back in for another kiss. This one more heated.
Mobius' stomach did a flip at the words and his legs turned to jelly. His hands searched for something to cling to, to hold him up when they danced across Zemo’s bare chest, brushing against the exposed chest hair and eliciting a moan from Zemo. As if knowing he needed some extra support, Zemo's leg slipped between his. Mobius' other hand found Zemo's hip to grip to, pulling him in closer. That pushed Zemo to deepen the kiss, licking into Mobius' mouth, pressing against him until Mobius realized he'd been pushed back into the counter. Zemo's hands brushed through Mobius' hair, tugging lightly and sending small shivers down Mobius’ spine.
He never wanted the kiss to stop. He wanted to stay like that, panting and grinding against Zemo. As much as he wanted to continue, however, they had somewhere to be and were reminded of that fact by a notification chiming on Mobius' phone. He ignored it at first, not wanting the moment to end, but when the phone began ringing the spell was broken. He reached for the phone.
“Hello?” Mobius answered.
“Hello Mobius,” Loki responded provocatively. “Are you ready? I'm downstairs.”
Zemo was still very much in his space, running his hands along Mobius' body, trailing kisses across his neck. The friction from his leg between Mobius' was distracting and dangerous. He needed to focus on the phone call.
“I'm almost ready. I'll be down in just a minute,” Mobius sputtered out.
“I can come up if you still need some time,” Loki helpfully suggested.
“No, no, that won't be necessary. Thank you. I'll see you in a minute,” Mobius said.
He hung up the phone and Zemo gave him a knowing smirk.
“Who was that?” Zemo asked.
“You know exactly who that was,” Mobius answered, “You're a bad influence.”
Zemo hummed. “A devil on an angel's shoulder, perhaps. Yes.”
He stepped away, giving Mobius his freedom back. Mobius immediately began fixing his disheveled clothes and hair. Zemo somehow still looked perfect and watched him with a big grin plastered on his face.
“I thought I saw more than one of those boxes. Was there a flower for yourself?” Zemo asked.
Mobius nodded and picked out the one with his initial on it. Zemo took it from his hands and carefully pinned it to his lapel, making sure not to crush any of the petals. When he was finished, Zemo looked back up at Mobius with a smile and Mobius thought Zemo was going to kiss him again but he pulled away.
“We should go before Loki calls again. Wouldn't want your carriage turning into a pumpkin,” Zemo chuckled.
When they left the apartment building, Loki was waiting for them. He was leaning against the limousine that was parked out front and Mobius' jaw nearly dropped when he saw him. He was dressed all in black again but his suit jacket was covered in large black jewels that reflected light in every direction. Loki's eyes lit up momentarily at their approach but his expression changed to one of suspicion after he scanned over Mobius' disheveled appearance and saw Zemo following behind.
“I'm only here for Mobius,” Loki called stiffly to Zemo.
“Come now. There's plenty of room for all of us in there,” Zemo replied.
Mobius kept quiet, unsure if he should step in.
“You can find your own way. I'm sure Oeznik is parked around here somewhere and he can drive you,” Loki said.
He pushed off from the limo and strode over to straighten Mobius' tie and fix his hair. He was so close and the way Mobius could swear Loki was looking at his lips made Mobius want to lean in right then and there. He hadn't realized how mussed up his appearance was until Loki was running fingers through his hair to fix it. Zemo and Loki might have exchanged some more words but Mobius wasn't paying attention to anything but how much he wanted to feel Loki's lips on his again.
And then Zemo was grasping Mobius’ hand and kissing his knuckles and telling him he'd see him soon. Mobius blushed, not knowing how to feel. Both Zemo and Loki made his heart flutter and he didn't want to choose. He was disappointed to see Zemo go, even if they would see each other soon enough wherever it was they were going. But he was also eager for a few moments of alone time with Loki.
He slid into the car next to Loki and got settled in as the limo pulled away from the curb. His leg was bouncing with all of his nervous energy. He didn't know what to talk about all of a sudden, worried he'd say something stupid or start rambling. Loki noticed his nervous energy and put a hand on his knee to calm the bouncing.
“I noticed you brought something with you, Mobius. Would you show it to me?” Loki asked. His voice was velvety sweet.
Mobius nodded and opened the box he held in his hands, showing it to Loki. Loki took the flower out of the box to admire it in the low light of the limo.
“This is lovely. You know you didn't have to get anything for us, right?” Loki asked.
Mobius took the boutonniere from Loki to help him pin it to his lapel. It wasn't lost on him how Zemo was included in Loki's statement. Us.
“I know I didn't. But I wanted to do something to say thank you for everything you've both done,” Mobius answered.
Loki was leaning right into him, his eyes were focused on Mobius' lips before flicking back up to his eyes. He was so beautiful and looked absolutely dazzling as every street lamp caused light to bounce in every direction from Loki’s suit jacket, making him light up and sparkle. The smell of his cologne floated through the air and made Mobius want to follow it back to the source. Loki had turned toward him and pressed into him, his hand was resting on Mobius' knee, and his lips were right there, begging to be kissed.
“I didn't know how else to say it,” Mobius continued, filling the silence.
“Then don't say anything. Just let me show you how much I like your gift,” Loki said.
His hand slowly brushed up Mobius' thigh and Mobius sucked in a breath, nodding. His eyes glinted in the low light of the limo and Mobius caught sight of a cheeky grin. His hand went higher as his lips crashed into Mobius'. Loki's kisses were hungry and assertive, his touches becoming more insistent with every moment, and Mobius was happy to drink it all in like a man dying of thirst.
Loki's kisses came with nips, his teeth tugging on Mobius' bottom lip and dragging across his skin. Mobius' hands came up and rested on the small of Loki’s back as he crawled into Mobius' lap.
“You really are glorious, Mobius,” Loki murmured into his ear while grinding down on him. “I'm glad the fates brought us together.”
Mobius let out a moan as Loki nipped at his earlobe and then trailed down Mobius' neck until he was just above the collar. Mobius gasped and squirmed under Loki's ministrations. Loki nipping and sucking on his neck while his hands stroked over his chest, his thighs, his growing bulge - Mobius was losing control fast. He bucked up into Loki, his mind blank except the one word that escaped his lips.
“Loki…”
And then the limo came to a halt and Loki pulled away, fixing his clothes and hair back into place.
“I do like the sound of my name on your lips,” Loki said with a wink before he opened the door and stepped out, leaving Mobius speechless.
Mobius didn't have a chance to respond as he made his way out onto the sidewalk but he could feel the way his cheeks turned red. He looked around as the cool night air him. Zemo had clearly been able to find his own way there since he was emerging from a car of his own and making his way over to them. From where they were standing, Mobius could see that this was a much larger event than he'd initially thought. There were paparazzi lined up along a red carpet leading to the entrance of the building. The night was filled with the flashes of cameras and the sounds of questions being shouted and the clicks of pictures being taken. He was out of his element and suddenly unsure what to do.
“You don't have to go through all that, but we do. You're going to go in through that entrance over there,” Zemo pointed out.
Mobius craned his neck to see where Zemo was pointing and noticed a side door where it looked like service staff were entering and exiting. It didn't seem like he was supposed to go there but if Loki and Zemo said it was okay… he glanced over at the zoo that was the red carpet and decided it was better to go through the side door.
When he looked back to Zemo and Loki, Zemo was staring at his neck. Mobius lifted his hand to his neck to figure out what he was staring at and realized how tender it felt. Zemo's attention shifted to Loki, who seemed very pleased with himself.
“We'll see you inside soon enough,” Loki said, “Just have to deal with the circus first.”
Loki left, heading for the red carpet, and dragged Zemo along with him. Mobius watched them go before making his way toward the service entrance, hands in his pockets. He took another glance at them before he got to the door. They were both being mobbed by reporters who were snapping photos and shouting questions at them. They seemed to be playing up the rivalry they had, though maybe it wasn't for show after Zemo saw the hickey that must have formed on Mobius' neck.
Maybe he would eventually have to choose. He saw how jealous Loki and Zemo had gotten tonight. They'd been competitive the entire time, though neither of them had actually told him to choose. Loki's words earlier had made him think otherwise. But did he listen to their words or their actions?