chapter 6
Loki stirred and stretched across the bed. She was perfectly warm tangled in the sheets and she smiled in content as her eyes opened. The light was blinding and a dull ache was already forming behind her eyes. Her head felt hazy and stuffed with cotton.
Loki sat up in the bed and the room swum before her.
“Hey, how’s your head?”
She blinked blearily up at Mobius, who was sitting on the end of the bed, pulling on a pair of black boots. Loki tried to order her swirling thoughts, sifting through her memories of the night before: of talking with Mobius and drinking champagne, of her singing on a stage, of dancing with the man in front of her and later getting into bed with him-
Of the words she whispered before she fell asleep.
Did he hear her?
She studied him, fighting the rising blush in her cheeks, but concluded that he wasn’t acting any differently. He mustn't have heard. She relaxed slightly, leaning against the headboard of the bed.
Loki suddenly realised that the sheets felt softer and the walls were a deep blue instead of white. There were no candles in the significantly smaller room and the furniture was chrome in place of oak.
“This isn’t the hotel.”
Mobius laughed.
“No, the hunters brought us back last night. This is my room.” He stood up and pulled on a green jacket over his clean shirt.
Loki collapsed back onto the bed, not quite ready to comprehend that she was in his room. In his bed.
She pulled the covers over her head to block out the light and groaned.
“My head is killing me.”
The sheets smelt like him, warm and comforting. She breathed it in.
“That happens when you drink half a bottle of champagne,” Mobius chuckled.
“Then why aren’t you in pain? You should be suffering too,” Loki muttered with a pout.
Mobius came to sit next to her on the bed, tugging the blanket down from her face.
“I can hold my alcohol. Besides, I drank a tiny bit less than you.”
Loki groaned again, massaging her temples.
“Here, drink some water, get something to eat, and you’ll feel better in no time,” Mobius said, gesturing to a glass beside the bed.
Loki smiled, it was a good feeling to have someone take care of her, even with such a small gesture. She took a sip of water and felt slightly better. The light was more bearable and the growing nausea subsided.
“I’ll walk you to the cafeteria.”
“You’re not staying to eat?” Asked Loki.
Her heart sank in her chest. She always looked forward to eating meals with Mobius and was greatly disappointed to have to miss one.
“Unfortunately, not. I’ll be gone for a while - there’s a situation that I have to sort out. I don’t know how long I’ll be, but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Mobius said with a sad smile.
“Situation?”
“I’m afraid I can’t say anymore than that,” Mobius said, “it’s top-secret.”
He tapped the side of his nose and stood up, humming to lift the mood - a tune that Loki thought sounded similar to ‘You are my sunshine’, but the key was slightly off, making it hard to tell. Mobius set a suitcase on the bench at the end of the bed and began to pull clothes from his wardrobe. He organised them carefully inside the case, careful to make each item as compact as possible.
Loki, feeling disheartened at the idea of Mobius being gone for far longer than just one meal, wriggled out of bed and joined the agent in packing his clothes. Her technique wasn’t as pristine, however, and ended up with Mobius removing the crumpled clothing and neatly folding them himself, but he didn’t mind.
He was savouring the moments they had together before he’d have to leave her. He wasn’t sure how she would be treated without him to watch out for her and found himself beginning to worry.
Mobius looked at Loki out of the corner of his eye, watching her bite her nails, a slight frown creasing her forehead, and couldn’t help feeling a wave of affection. It was an ache in his heart and realised that he didn’t want to leave her side for a minute, let alone several days.
“Do you really have to go?” Loki whispered, the words leaving her mouth before she could hold them back.
His breath caught and he stopped packing. Mobius turned to face her.
Loki looked at the ceiling, ears pink and fingers tapping her thighs. Mobius automatically took her hand and covered it with his. Hers were soft, the result of royalty, but with small calluses showing her experience with a dagger.
“I’ll be back before you know it, faster than you can say ‘salad’,” he said with a grin, a sad glint in his eyes.
Loki laughed, and Mobius decided that it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
He lifted her hand and went to press his lips to her palm, before realising his actions and swiftly dropping them.
She felt her hands go cold at the lack of contact and cleared her throat.
“Oh, I’ll be fine without you, it’s you I’m worried about,” she said in an authoritative voice. “How will you cope without me?”
Mobius ignored the snipe, “Aw, you worry about me? That’s cute.”
“Only because I could do with your help to destroy the space lizards,” she sniffed and looked to the side, “not because I’m attached or anything.”
Mobius smiled at this moment of rare vulnerability. Loki gave up trying to help pack and slumped onto the bed to wait, twisting her fingers as her knee bounced up and down.
Mobius made quick work of his belongings, and it wasn’t long until the pair were walking in a companionable silence to the cafeteria. The suitcase trailed behind them, the squeaking wheels a gloomy reminder of the parting that was soon to come.
Mobius stayed whilst Loki got her breakfast and accompanied her to their usual table in the far corner. He pulled the chair out for her, wincing as it scraped across the tile.
He stood awkwardly beside the table, one hand on his hip and the other scratching his neck. His mouth felt dry and he wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“I guess this is goodbye,” Loki offered, a sad smile on her face.
“I guess so.”
A moment of heavy silence passed as they held each other's gaze, before Mobius cleared his throat.
“Like I said, I’ll be back before you know it. Try not to miss me too much,” he said with a wink.
Loki rolled her eyes, chuckling quietly. Words filled her mouth but dissipated before she could say them aloud. None seemed adequate to explain how she felt without exposing herself completely.
It didn’t matter anyway.
Mobius left before she could say anything, afraid that another word would be too much to bear, that his resolve would weaken and he’d disregard his orders to leave.
Guilt was a weight in his gut as he walked away, for there was one thing that he had failed to mention.
He might not return at all.