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The mission had gone… not as planned, to say the least.
It was supposed to be easy; go to the branching timeline, apprehend the destructive variant, and get a treat from the automat when they were done. Loki had been doing well with missions, his magic and mischief aiding everyone.
But this variant was different. He was full of rage, causing destruction and harm to others and the timeline. The hunters and agents were made aware that although this variant didn’t have powers, he had immense strength from a failed super soldier serum. Everyone, including Loki himself, thought it would be just fine. I mean, they were bringing a god with them.
And then they encountered him, the variant, and realized they were not entirely prepared for what was coming. What ensued was a long fight. As Loki had begun preparing an illusion to distract the variant, he was thrown. The god was lifted and thrown as if he was weightless, straight into the side of a chain link fence.
If you had asked Loki and Mobius what had happened next, neither could tell you, for different reasons. Loki out of disorientation, and Mobius out of panic. Mobius had immediately run over to where the god had landed on the ground, panic clouding his better judgment, not worrying about the same variant throwing him too. Loki was lying on his back, trying to get his breathing under control and blink away the dizziness from his eyes.
All Mobius could do for a moment was watch, kneeling next to the god’s head as the other hunters and agents apprehended the variant. The agent was unable to stop his anxious words from coming out, repeatedly asking Loki if he was okay and Loki responding by waving his hand and insisting he was just fine, voice being slightly hoarse. Mobius felt nauseous when he saw blood starting to spot Loki’s once white button-up shirt.
Mobius helped Loki to stand after a moment, going slow as to not rattle him. With his hand on Loki’s arm, he led them both through a time door to the TVA infirmary.
—
Thanks to being a literal god, Loki was relatively fine. He was scanned by a machine he still couldn’t name, despite watching instructional videos and reading the handbook, and a monotonous voice explained that he merely had a minor concussion and cuts, that he would be bruised and the force had knocked the wind out of him, but he would recover quickly.
Despite studying Loki’s life, Mobius was shocked but relieved to find out nothing serious had occurred. He let out a breath he didn’t know was holding as Loki took pain medication that was dispensed to him. They could go back home. They could go back home and rest.
“Let’s go home.” Mobius said gently, helping the god off of the infirmary cot. He opened up another time door, this time to the living room of the small apartment they shared. He could tell by the way Loki moved to the direction of the couch that he was going to just flop when Mobius stopped him. “Let’s just get you cleaned up real quick and then we can get you to bed, alright?” He suggested sternly, but with kindness.
Loki nodded, head still hurting due to his pain medication not kicking in yet. He was too tired and achy to argue with the agent, allowing himself to be led in the direction of the bathroom with a warm hand still holding onto his arm. Mobius sat him onto the closed toilet seat, then turning to let warm water run into the bathtub, putting just a bit of soap under the faucet.
Despite Loki’s biology, he loved warm baths.
As the tub was filling, Mobius helped Loki to undress. Well, it was Mobius undressing him as Loki sat still, allowing himself to let Mobius do it all. A purplish flush started to float into Loki’s cheeks when his tie was removed and Mobius had begun unbuttoning his shirt. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” He lightly joked, referring to the tapes of Loki he had spent his career watching. Loki just looked so tired, and Mobius was happy to help.
Every few seconds Mobius checked the water temperature and level, turning off the faucet when it was just right. He stopped undressing Loki when he was at his boxers, choosing instead to turn around and roll up the sleeves of his own shirt. They didn’t have to exchange a single word; the worked effortlessly together, even outside of work.
Mobius heard the telltale sound of Loki getting into the water and turned back around when he heard him mutter out a small “okay”. He had his knees pushed up to his chest, arms folded over and his cheek resting on top and his eyes closed. Despite the circumstances, Mobius couldn’t help but think about how majestic, almost angelic he looked with a light amount of steam rising from the tub.
He wordlessly reached into the cabinet under the sink, getting a fresh washcloth and a plastic cup. Mobius could tell Loki was tempted to lean back and drift off. It wouldn’t be the first time Loki had fallen asleep in the bath (the first time nearly gave Mobius a heart attack). The agent knew they had to do this relatively quickly, wanting the god to fall asleep clean and in a bed.
Mobius dipped the cloth into the water and began wiping Loki down with a gentle hand. Avoiding the cuts for a moment. He was grateful that they weren’t deep enough for stitches.
“Let me know if it’s too much, okay?” Mobius whispered. It had multiple meanings. In case he were to apply too much pressure to a forming bruise or a cut, in case the intimacy of the situation was too much and overwhelmed the other man. They’ve helped to patch each other up before, but this just felt different.
He watched Loki’s body relax as he began rubbing the cloth down his back. Mobius couldn’t help but think that Loki really was like a cat. He winced when the other man did as he carefully cleaned the cuts along his body, letting out whispers of “I know, I know, I’m sorry.”
Mobius rested the cloth on the lip of the tub, now picking up the plastic cup he had placed on the floor. He made sure his sleeves were still up to his elbows as he said “We gotta wash your hair, Lokes. You don’t want dirt on your pillow.” His voice never changed in tone and volume.
Loki groaned but tipped his head back, obeying a silent order, eyes still closed. Mobius knew it was out of exhaustion and light sensitivity, so he wanted this to go as quickly as possible. They both did.
With still careful movements, Mobius began to wet and wash Loki’s hair, hands so steady that water didn’t get on his face. He tried to ignore the way the god’s body relaxed even more under his touch as he ran his fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp along the way. The way small little relaxed sighs fell from Loki’s lips, not unlike purrs. It made him smile, to see Loki this relaxed as he rinsed his hair.
Loki tipped his head back up, and with the washcloth in his other hand, Mobius tilted the god’s face towards him. He opened his eyes at the movement and looked softly at the agent. Said agent tried to ignore the stare, distracting himself by wiping the dirt from his skin.
“Not a scratch on that pretty face of yours,” Mobius whispered, “lucky you.” He made a microscopic pause when that purple flush entered the god’s face once more with the knowledge that it likely wasn’t from the warmth of the water. Loki’s big blue-green eyes looked into his, the gaze going straight to his soul.
All at once, the true intimacy of the situation draped over Mobius like a flannel blanket. They were so close, hand still holding Loki’s face. He knew that if he had moved his hand, Loki wouldn’t move, but it’s like they had magnets connecting them together.
Neither of them knew how long they were in that position. Time had felt frozen, even more so than it normally did in the TVA. Mobius could feel the residual heat from the bath water and the only sound echoing in the small bathroom came from water droplets falling from the ends of Loki’s hair.
Still, the logical voice in Mobius’s head that had been quiet since they had gotten home made it’s presence known. If he was going to make a move, now was not the time. Loki was still (mildly) concussed, they were both very tired, and his brain flashed the image of Loki’s once white button up on the floor nearby. It had tears, and was tinted brown from dirt with spots of blood.
It reminded him of the situation that happened on the field.
The agent cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the god’s, instead looking towards the towel rack. “We’re gonna dry you off, dress your wounds, and get you to bed, okay?” He explained, more to himself than the man in the bathtub. Carefully, he grabbed a large towel from the rack and looked back at Loki. “Can you stand on your own?” He asked. Loki was silent for a moment before nodding and gripping the side of the tub.
Mobius turned away again but held the towel behind him in Loki’s reach. He heard the god climb out of the water and felt the towel gently get taken out of his hand. He turned back around when he heard the telltale sound of the other man sitting on the closed toilet lid again.
Loki was sitting with the towel around his waist with water drops going down his body. Mobius could tell with every passing moment that the other man needed sleep. He took a smaller towel and his first aid kit and knelt beside the god again. If circumstances were different, he’d make a joke about kneeling before him.
Mobius started patting Loki dry, starting from his legs and moving up, catching stray drops of water as they slid down his skin. He silently admired how smooth that skin was, how toned he was, how beautiful he was. Extra care was taken with the god’s hair, drying it without adding tangles. Loki was melting under the touch.
“Have the pain meds kicked in yet?” He asked, partially to break the silence, partially out of concern. Mobius heard a small “mhm” as he got what he needed from the first aid kit.
“Good.” The agent replied, using his fingers to apply ointment to the deeper gashes on the god’s body. He once again whispered out apologies when he felt Loki flinch under his fingers. With gentle hands, Mobius placed various sized bandages over where he put ointment. The irrational part of his brain wanted to kiss the bandages after applying each one, kiss him better.
Once all of the wounds were dressed, he rushed to get Loki pajamas, mentally kicking himself for not doing it sooner. He came back with a large heather grey shirt that was soft from being worn often, flannel pants, and a clean pair of underwear.
Mobius turned around once again to let Loki dress himself. He jumped slightly when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders a minute or two later, pulling him close to another warm body.
Mobius turned to hug Loki properly, putting his own arms around the taller man’s waist. He silently prayed Loki couldn’t hear his heart speeding up when he felt a face nuzzle his neck.
“Thank you.” Loki whispered into the skin there. Mobius could feel his shirt becoming slightly damp from his wet hair, but he didn’t mind one bit. “You know you don’t have to thank me, Lokes.” He responded softly. They both just stood there for a minute with their arms wrapped around each other.
“Let’s get you to bed.” Mobius broke away from the hug but kept his arm around Loki’s waist. He led him to the bedroom and onto the bed he had offered the god when he first moved in. He grabbed himself a pair of pajamas and prepared himself to sleep on the couch again.
“Can you stay, please?” He heard Loki whisper. Mobius looked over to him, a bit surprised. He couldn’t hold back his small smile. “Since you asked so nicely, I will. Let me get changed first, get yourself comfortable, I won’t be too long.”
He changed his clothes and did a quick cleanup of the bathroom, putting everything in its place. Mobius decided it would be wise to get a glass of water to keep on the nightstand in case Loki needed it later, so he stopped at the kitchen before going back to the bedroom.
He wasn’t surprised when he came back and Loki was fast asleep, lying on his side with the comforter pulled up past his shoulders. With a smile, Mobius placed the glass of water on the nightstand and turned the lamp off, knowing Loki slept best with minimal light. He carefully slid into bed to not disturb the sleeping god.
When he had settled on his back and pulled the covers onto himself, he was ready to sleep, realizing his own exhaustion. His eyes were closed for only a minute when an arm draped over his stomach and a head began to rest on his shoulder. Eyes still closed, Mobius placed a kiss on the top of Loki’s head and began to drift off himself.