"Can I sleep here tonight? With you?"
A crack of thunder sounded, and the floor trembled beneath his feet. A heavy downpour quickly followed the noise, and Mobius was infinitely glad that they’d found an abandoned building to spend the night. There were enough rooms for each unit member, and Mobius was grateful for the privacy. He went about setting up a small cot for himself and was preparing to try and get some rest when a quiet knock sounded at the door. He paused in confusion and then walked over and opened it. He was surprised to find Loki there, twisting his hands in front of him.
“What is it, Loki? Is everything alright,” he asked, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the others. Loki was silent for a moment and then nodded.
“May I,” he murmured and gestured inside the room. Mobius raised an eyebrow, bemused.
“Yeah, yeah, come on in,” he answered after a moment, stepping aside to let Loki pass. He looked down either side of the hall to see if anyone else was about and then shut the door behind him. He turned to find Loki standing at the window, anxiously looking out at the storm. Understanding started to bloom in his mind. “Thinking of your brother,” he asked. Loki looked over his shoulder briefly and then returned his gaze to the window without answering. Mobius slowly walked up to stand beside him and share the view. It was quite the storm- the heavy rain and mist making it nearly impossible to see apart from the intermittent jagged light branching across the sky. After one such flash followed by a thunderous crack, Loki spoke.
“Can I sleep here tonight? With you?” Mobius glanced over in surprise. Loki hadn’t looked away from the storm, but Mobius could see how tense he was, how he flinched almost imperceptibly after every boom.
“Yeah,” he answered quietly, hardly needing to consider his answer. “Of course.” Loki glanced over at him then, and something in Mobius’s chest clenched tight at the painfully vulnerable expression on his face. The realization struck him of how difficult it must have been for Loki to come to him and how distressing it must have been to be in his room by himself. Without thinking, he reached up and rubbed his back soothingly. Loki tensed for a brief moment before relaxing into his touch.
“Thank you,” he breathed. Mobius gave him a small smile. He then reached out a hand and tugged at Loki’s pack that dangled from his far shoulder. Loki let him take it, and he turned back to the room and looked over to where he’d set up his cot. He paused briefly, wondering where exactly to put Loki’s, and eventually settled on setting it up near the opposite wall. He knew Loki needed to have someone with him, but he probably still wanted his space. Once he finished, he stepped back to survey his work. Satisfied, he turned to find Loki watching him. He looked down at the cot, and his brow furrowed slightly before smoothing out again. He gave Mobius a strained smile and settled himself atop the blankets.
“Is that okay,” Mobius asked in concern.
“It’s perfect,” Loki answered quietly. “Thank you, Mobius.” Mobius smiled at him.
“Let me know if you need anything else, okay?” Loki nodded and pulled up his legs to lay down. Mobius went to his cot and settled in. “Goodnight, Loki,” he called out just barely loud enough to be heard over the storm.
It was a long while later, and he was nearly asleep when he heard a quiet “Goodnight” in return.
It felt like only a few minutes later that he was jolted awake by a particularly violent crack of thunder that sounded distressingly close. He checked his watch and realized it had been several hours since he’d fallen asleep. He sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly, scowling at the window. He was used to the pure silence of the TVA living quarters and wasn’t a fan of all the noise. A flash of movement in the corner of his eye made him jump, and he turned and squinted to make out the form of Loki curled up against the wall with his head buried in his knees.
“Hey,” he said, voice rough with sleep. Loki didn’t respond and almost seemed to shrink smaller. Mobius only gave it a moment’s consideration before he stood up and grabbed his blanket. Loki did look up then at the noise and said nothing as he watched Mobius walk over to him. Mobius wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and sat down on the cot beside Loki. Without a word, he held the blanket out. Loki stared for a long moment.
“Mobius,” he murmured uncertainly.
“C’mon,” he answered with a yawn. Loki bit his lip, hesitating. Mobius was about to drop the blanket when the god crawled over to curl up against his side. A fond feeling washed over him, and Mobius hummed in contentment, wrapping his arms and the blanket around Loki’s thin, trembling frame. Loki let out a shaky sigh and buried his face in Mobius’s neck. Mobius pretended he didn’t feel his tears.
They stayed that way for the rest of the night. The tears and trembling stopped eventually, and Loki’s body finally relaxed against his. Whenever Mobius would begin to doze, his arms started to release their hold on him, and Loki would press closer as though afraid he would disappear. Mobius did his best to hold him as tightly as he could.
When morning rolled around, the storm had finally passed. The two rose from the shared cot and stretched, wincing at the popping of joints. They packed up their things in comfortable silence and left to rejoin their unit and continue their mission.
They returned to the TVA that day, and Mobius went to his room, longing for the comfort and silence it provided him. He had just finished getting dressed for sleep when a soft knock came at the door. He smiled to himself, tugged the blanket off the bed as he passed, and went to let in his guest.