mobius had quite literally been avoiding sleep for a particular reason, one that loki was not aware of. he wasn't sure what the demigod thought would happen when the time eventually came, they couldn't keep avoiding it forever, even if they both wanted to. it wasn't something they had spoken about, and mobius was dreading it. he had no idea what to do, he couldn't do what he was supposed to, that would undoubtedly undo all of the progress they had made.
for starters, variants usually weren't kept around for this long (it'd only been a day and a half, but they were usually pruned by this point) so it wasn't something they had to discuss before. variants were kept within the basement cells on the very rare occasions they were still present, somewhere mobius had never been, though he heard terrible things about. it was no secret loki wasn't a stranger to cells, which meant he clearly had trauma regarding that type of thing, he'd been abandoned in prison cells by his own family before.
and mobius refused to do it to him.
but loki started falling asleep halfway draped over the table, drooling all over their reports. mobius was exhausted himself, but he could force himself to down another cup of coffee if it meant avoiding a situation he had no idea how to handle. he wouldn't face the problem until he had to, and in his mind he wouldn't have to until loki absolutely needed to sleep, or until the demigod admitted to needing sleep, since he knew that would take longer than the first.
"mobs.. i'm really tired."
mobs? the nickname along with the admit to needing something so human, told mobius that loki needed a bed. his sleepy little voice and the way he had his chin resting in his palm with his elbow propped up onto the desk made everything in mobius melt. he could barely keep his eyes open, and mobius knew he would've looked the same had he not started swallowing energy pills.
mobius felt something tug at his heart stings at the fact loki had felt comfortable enough with him to tell him he was tired. the sleepy look on his face along with seeing his eyes kept falling shut every few seconds for almost a minute before he fought to open them again, made what mobius would have to do very clear. he refused to throw him in a cell, he wouldn't ruin the small amount of trust that loki was starting to have him in. mobius couldn't have looked at the sight of loki in that moment, and told him he had to be locked inside of a cold, dark cell if he wanted to sleep.
"i know, bud. i am too. you wanna go to bed?"
with his chin still in his hand and his eyes halfway shut, loki nods his head more than once at the question. mobius couldn't fight the little grin that tugs onto his mouth, and he pushes his chair backwards to stand to his feet. loki doesn't react when he does this, though his eyes does follow the agent to watch him round the table. loki had no idea where the bed that mobius suggested going to was, but he was far too exhausted to care, or ask.
"c'mon, loke. it's not far."
it was a little far, but he wouldn't tell him that. loki nods his head once as he forces himself up out of the chair with the littlest amount of strength that he had left. mobius stays close to the demigod the whole quiet journey to his apartment, just in case he would stumble due to his exhausted state. mobius knew he'd be in big trouble if anyone found out he was taking a variant back to his apartment, but he couldn't bring himself to care. loki was starting to trust him, and that was far more important than anything else.
when they reach the door to his apartment, loki yawns as he stands beside the agent who stuck the key into the lock. the demigod raised both his hands to rub at his eyes, and mobius glances at him just in time to watch him do it, and he couldn't resist the fond little smile that tugged on the corner of his mouth at the sight.
"where are we?" loki says after he had finished yawning, again, once the two had crossed the threshold to the apartment. mobius closes and locks the door behind them, then moves to the table in the kitchen to put the keys down on top of it.
"my apartment. you can take the bed," mobius tries to answer fast and switch the subject. he hoped maybe loki thought this was normal, and of course he would go back to mobius's apartment because where else would he go to sleep? hopefully he figured it was normal protocol since he knew variants couldn't wander around the tva without their handler.
but of course, loki was far too smart to think any of that.
"is there not a little jail you're supposed to put me in?" the demigod questions, and he doesn't sound like he's teasing. he was genuinely asking, maybe even a little confused, as he tilted his head to the side and watched mobius as he moved throughout the apartment. and for the first time, mobius wants to curse how smart loki was. he doesn't want to make this a big deal, because truly it wasn't. he wanted loki to trust him, and tossing him in a cell when loki knew mobius knew of his past, would surely ruin it.
and he had just resembled too much of a lost, sleepy puppy to even consider locking him inside an empty cell all alone. mobius wasn't even sure if they had beds in them. nonetheless, mobius cared about him, and he didn't want that to scare loki off if he found out.
"no, there's not. variants that aren't of flight risk can get apartments to themselves... but you're not one of them, so you're stuck with me, bud."
that was bullshit, and mobius was so grateful that loki was so tired, that was the only reason he surprisingly seemed to buy it. the demigod nods his head, his hands coming back up to dig the backs of his hands into his eyes again. mobius knew had loki been in the right state of mind he would've questioned how he could be of flight risk when he had no magic, and had already tried to escape and he couldn't. but that was a conversation for morning.
"go to bed, loke. i'll come get you in the morning."
loki nods his head again, and goes down the only hallway that led to the bedroom.
mobius may not have slept all that well on the couch that night, but loki was exhausted, and he didn't ask to be stuck at the tva. so a warm bed to sleep a few hours in was the least mobius could give him.
when mobius goes into his bedroom the following morning to wake loki up, he had to stop and stare the sight he was met with. all curled up in his bed with the comforter tucked up to his chin was the god of mischief he had watched cause so much chaos and destruction throughout the last few years. his messy curls sprawled out across the pillows, and he looked more at ease than mobius had ever seen him, he felt horrible for having to disturb him.
figuring he may as well not be brutal with it, mobius quietly approached the bed he had slept in every night in excluding the previous one, then once he noticed loki was laying more towards the side of the bed closest to the wall, mobius carefully sat on the empty space next to him. mobius wasn't sure how to wake him, he didn't want to jolt loki awake, he was afraid he'd go into attack mode out of instinct if he did.
"loke? hey, bud. it's just me, it's time to wake up," mobius kept his voice soft and steady as he gently shook his shoulder that was covered by the soft white duvet. loki doesn't stir, nor make any signs of hearing him at all, and mobius breathes out a steady sigh.
"loki.. buddy. you gotta wake up for me,"
mobius wasn't sure where the 'for me' came from, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on it for too long. the agent tries to gently shake him again as he spoke, and this time loki's eyebrows knitted together in his sleep as he started to stir a little. mobius watched as he moved in the bed, his nose scrunching up a bit as he did so. to his surprise, loki let's out a sleepy whine that was filled with disapproval at mobius's attempts to wake him.
"i know, i know you're still tired, bud. but you gotta get up, okay? i'll take you for breakfast before we do anything else," mobius tries to bribe the demigod with food in hopes of that getting him to wake up. loki moves towards his voice, and keeps stirring closer to the agent until his nose hits the side of mobius's thigh, and to his surprise loki raises his head to drop it onto his leg, his eyes never opening.
mobius felt his heart squeeze a little in his chest at the action, and he had to dig his fingers into the bedsheets to stop himself from combing them through loki's hair. he looked so content, and more peaceful than mobius had ever seen him. he hated having to disturb him any further, if it was up to him he would've let him sleep in his bed for as long as he wanted, mobius couldn't imagine how long it must've been since he slept that good — or slept at all.
mobius didn't want to force loki out of his bed, but he was sure if ravonna found out he had spent the night in his apartment she would make sure he ended up in the cells, and mobius would've much rather disturbed his sleep than loki be forced into the cells.
"loki, i'm sorry, but you need to get up. right now." mobius makes his voice as stern as it can get when it came to loki. he moves a little before his eyes fluttered open, the back of his head now laying on top of mobius's thigh to look up at the agent, his tired eyes and sleepy expression staring up at him.
"'m still tired," loki mumbles out, his half asleep, raspy voice sounding nothing like mobius had ever heard. he has to stop himself from giving into it, he has to physically force himself to look away from the demigod who had his head practically in mobius's lap. though that doesn't last long, and his eyes drifted back onto loki when he felt him stir again, this time to only get more comfortable, and mobius would've scolded him if he wasn't so adoring to look at.
"loke, i said no. you're gonna get us both into trouble if ravonna finds out-"
mobius stops when he remembers he had told loki a lie the previous night, and he hadn't had any idea he wasn't allowed to be there. he closes his eyes as loki opens his, and he's unaware of the sleepy, smug little grin that spreads across loki's face at the realization. he turns over onto his back again to look up at the agent.
"i knew i wasn't supposed to be in here. so why did you bring me?" loki questions him, his head tilting to the side like a confused puppy, and mobius wanted to curse. no wonder anyone outside of his family rarely told him no, he wasn't exactly easy to not give into when he looked the way that he did without even trying. the agent tilts his head down to meet his gaze, and he debates on telling the truth, or rather if there was even a point in trying to lie to the god of mischief.
"the cells are being repainted so that wasn't an option," mobius jokes. it wasn't a real attempt at a lie, and loki laughs at him, which causes his grin to grow.
"oh, right. i'm sure the tva cares very deeply about their color schemes for their variant prisons,"
"oh, they do. you'd be surprised, really."
loki laughs again, and mobius gave into the urge to brush away the little curls that had fallen in front of his face, and he tucks them behind his ear. loki grins up at him, and the agent already knows a smug comment is coming from him, so all he can do is smile fondly and wait for it.
"you like me." loki says, speaking as if he were stating a fact, and mobius thinks that maybe he was. the agent purses his lips into a thin line, tilting his head in a questioning way as he flickers his eyes upwards as if he were debating, and loki continues to grin up at him as he watches him.
"mmh, i don't know if like is the right word... maybe tolerate-"
"mobs,"
"maybe even dislike.."
"mobius,"
"perhaps i was just doing charity work since you are an orphan..."
"mobius!" loki playfully scolds him as he reaches back to swat his arm. his mouth opened in slight shock at his words despite the visible amused grin still present on his face. mobius chuckled, his eyes glancing downwards to look at him as he stroked a hand over his forehead, then trailed it down his temple to brush it over his messy hair.
"i didn't want to put you in one of the variant cells. i haven't seen them, but i've heard bad things about them. either they're super hot or really cold, there's no in between. i'm not sure if there's even a bed inside, and you were so tired.. i just didn't have the heart to do that to you, especially knowing you have a history with that sort of thing. i just wanted you where i knew you were safe. and besides, the least i could give you is a warm bed to sleep in. you've been a really big help since you got here."
mobius hadn't realized but he his hand had cupped the side of loki's face as he spoke, as well as the pad of his thumb stroking over the delicate skin covering his cheekbone, all while the demigod continued staring up at him with his head resting on his thigh. when mobius glances down at him, loki flashes him a content little smile.
"i like your bed,"
"well, then we should get up now so you can come back to it tonight."
|
loki never even saw the basement the cells were in, for a while, and only the two of them knew this. the others believed he slept in there each and every night, because they had no reason to think otherwise. the two were very careful with entering and exiting mobius's apartment, it meant working around odd hours where the hallways weren't crowded, but it was worth it.
three nights into their arrangement, loki refused to let mobius continue sleeping on the couch. it was obvious mobius wasn't getting enough sleep, and he demanded they shared the bed. mobius argued he didn't care about his own sleeping schedule as long as loki was able to sleep, to which loki said was ridiculous, and as usual, the demigod ended up winning the argument.
a week into sharing a bed every night they had fell into a steady and comfortable relationship when it came to sleeping. loki loved to dig his head into mobius's chest during the night, and the agent wouldn't ever pass up a chance to comb his fingers through loki's hair, so it was a win win. it had turned out to be a good decision for the both of them, loki couldn't remember the last time he slept through the night, and mobius could sleep peacefully knowing loki was safe, and out of harms way from anyone else at the tva.
that was until they got caught.
"tell me, mobius.. do you have any idea why the variant cell is empty when we do indeed have a variant living within the tva?" ravonna calls the agent into her office to question him one afternoon. mobius goes stiff in his seat across from her, and he immediately tried to think of something, anything to get them out of this, or more particularly get loki out of this, considering he would be the one put in the cell at night.
"no. i have no idea.” mobius shrugs a shoulder as he mentally curses himself. he would've thought spending so much time with the god of mischief would've at least improved his ability to lie. clearly not buying it, ravonna furrows her eyebrows at the man, shooting him a questioning look as the room fell silent.
"mobius.. you're the only one that's ever with him. you know he is not going to be here for much longer, you're making a mistake by getting attached to him."
mobius could feel his facial expression fall at her words, followed by his jaw tightening. he knew she would say this, he knew it was only a matter of time before the truth was said to him. he refused to acknowledge the fact that she was right, and they would eventually get rid of loki. mobius wasn't sure what he would do when that time came, either plead ravonna to let him stay, or go with him. mobius knew he was in far too deep to let them take loki from him.
"i don't know what you're talking about. i don't see him after i go to my apartment for the night, he probably sleeps in the library or something-"
"no, he doesn't. because variants can't be wandering around without their handlers, and i know that hasn't been happening because someone surely would've caught him if he was out and about during the night.. he's been in your apartment, hasn't he?"
mobius didn't know what to do. she knew the truth, no lie would make sense.
"mobius.. that is not acceptable. if he wasn't a variant this wouldn't be any of my business, you know i wouldn't be telling you who you can and can't have in your apartment if he wasn't-"
"he's been good! he hasn't done anything wrong. he's helped us out so much! he doesn’t bother anyone by sleeping in my apartment for a few hours-“
"that is not the point. you know that's not the point. even if this was allowed, what happens when he's not of use to us anymore? and we do what needs to be done, but now you're attached to him. you're not gonna let us prune him if you're just worried about him getting a good nights sleep — i hope to god that's all that's been happening,"
"oh, give me a break, ravonna. i haven't touched him, and it's none of your business even if i did-"
"if he wasn't a variant, then yes. but since he is, he will be staying where he belongs from now on. and since i can't even trust that you'll just do the right thing, a guard will be at your office for him by ten every night."
|
"i'm sorry, i'm so, so sorry, loke." mobius apologizes with full sincerity after he gives the demigod the devastating news. the two were seated next to each other in the library, papers, files and books all scattered around the table in front of them. loki doesn't say anything, he dips his head back down to continue starting at the report in his hands, and he stays silent. mobius could feel his heart breaking, and he was sure they'd both cry when that night came, mobius didn't even want to think about it.
"please don't be mad at me. i tried everything i could, i told her how good you've been, i tried to fight for this. i don't want to do this to you, i like having you with me all the time."
"it's okay, mobs. really, it's fine. it isn't your fault." loki reassures the man sitting beside him, and he glances up from the file in his hands to give him a clearly forced half smile, before returning his attention back onto the words scattering the paper. mobius continues to frown at him for a few more moments, though he eventually gives up on having an actual conversation with him, and goes back to their research as well.
ten o'clock comes far too soon, and for once in both of their lives they wanted to continue onwards with the research and the paperwork, at least they would've been allowed to stay next to each other. when the guard dares to place a hand on loki's shoulder, mobius shoots him a heavy glare, and the demigod chuckles a little at him.
"i'll be fine, mobs. it's okay, i promise this isn't a big deal."
it wasn't okay, and it was a big deal. but loki knew how much mobius was worried about him, and he was desperate to try to ease his worries. though the agent gives him a skeptical expression which tells him his attempt didn't work that well. loki wanted to do nothing else than go to bed with him, it was really such an innocent thing they were doing, and yet loki wasn't even allowed to have that.
when loki pushes his chair backwards to stand to his feet, and mobius copies his actions, he quickly turns to face him.
"no, no, stay here. you don't have to come with me, mobs. i'll be fine," the demigod stops the agent from following behind him and the guard. mobius frowns, giving him a confused expression as his eyebrows knitted together.
"what? no, i want to walk you there-"
"mobius, really. it's fine. go to bed, you look half dead." loki tries to joke with the agent, though mobius stares at him with anything but a humorous expression, clearly he was clueless as to how he even attempted to make a joke in that situation. loki raises his eyebrows, trying his hardest to give the agent 'i got this under control' look, but he doesn't think he gets it judging by the way he continued to push.
"loke, i'm walking with you-"
"no, mobs, you're not. go to bed, i will be fine." loki says the last seven words in a sterner tone than the others. he was trying his hardest to give the agent a clue as to what he had planned without actually speaking it due to the guard standing nearby, and he made a mental note to tease him about it later for not catching on. but of course, mobius just thinks he's being difficult.
"alright, fine. i'll come get you first thing in the morning, okay? the earliest she'll let me," mobius says to the demigod, his eyes filled with guilt and worry. loki wanted to roll his eyes at it, it wasn't his fault, it irritated him that he thought everything concerning himself was his fault. loki nods his head, a little grin stretching onto the corner of his mouth, and mobius just thinks he's putting on a fake front to make the situation easier.
though it's not easy, not to mobius who has no idea as to what the demigod had planned. he thinks he's leaving loki with some stranger to lock him in a cold cell for the night, and mobius felt like the worlds biggest monster. the guilt and the worry was already starting to eat him alive, even with loki still standing in front of him.
"alright, let's go."
mobius watches the guard lead loki towards the elevators, completely oblivious to the plan loki had already made up.
|
completely prepared to not sleep a wink that night, mobius breathes out a heavy sigh as he entered his apartment. he sets his keys down on the kitchen table, then rubs a hand down his face. he knew it was ridiculous, loki wasn't a child, or someone that couldn't take care of themselves, but he felt like had betrayed him by allowing them to take him to the cell, despite mobius having no control over it.
mobius tried to keep assuring himself loki would be okay, he'd go get him first thing in the morning, he'd let him get everything they had for breakfast, and he'd let him nap against the table halfway through the day. he knew the demigod wouldn't be getting any sleep either, they'd both be groggy and exhausted the following day.
"it's taking you a very long time to notice i'm here-"
"jesus christ! what the hell?! how the hell are you here?!" mobius exclaims once he hears a familiar voice within his apartment. he turns to see loki sitting on the couch, arms folded over his chest with a smug little grin on his face.
"easy. i put a fake me in the cell-"
"your magic doesn't work here?"
"weak spot in the basement," loki tells him, and mobius laughed at his smug expression, clearly so pleased with himself. the agent slipped his tie off, followed by his jacket, before he walked over to the demigod sitting on his couch. mobius stands in front of him as he had a realization, and loki titled his head back a bit to look up at him. loki had found a spot in the tva where he could have usage to his magic, he could've so easily escaped back to his own timeline, or anywhere else in the universe.
he could have escaped to any place in the world, and he chose mobius's apartment.
"you could've left," mobius states, his fingers twitching by his side with an urge to touch him, as loki continued looking up at him. the demigod grinned a little, before he forced out a fake yawn, which had mobius grinning, too.
"i could have.. though i am far too tired for a marvelous escape plan,"
"oh, okay. yeah, sure thing, buddy. you sure it's not just because you like me?" mobius mocks his words from the first thing he had spent in his apartment. loki grins, then lifts his arms to gently push at mobius's chest to create a gap between them, to which the agent laughed at.
"oh heavens no.”
"yeah, alright. c'mon, bedtime."
loki was grateful for the comforting hand in his hair the whole night, and for once mobius was thankful the demigod never followed the rules.