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It took a while, but slowly, Loki grew from being Mobius’ consultant and assistant into being an analyst just like him. And this was going to be his first solo case - Paris, 1870. Slowly but steadily increasing levels of variance energy. If left unchecked, a branch could easily open. It wasn’t nearly as thrilling as the ones that he went on with Mobius, but it was his . After solving that, he would finally get his own desk and wouldn’t have to constantly steal chairs and cram at Mobius’ desk.
“Mobius!” he called when he finally found him in the archives, proudly showing him the folder. “Look.”
“What’s that?” Mobius asked.
“ That is my first official case,” Loki said, beaming.
“Ah right, congrats,” Mobius said. “So you’re not gonna need me anymore, huh?”
“What are you talking about, of course I’m gonna need you,” Loki said. “That’s why I’m here actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“I already had a read of the file,” Loki explained. “And I’ll have to go out there to find out what’s actually going on, so I was wondering if you’d want to come with me?”
“Isn’t this supposed to be your first solo thing?” Mobius asked.
“Of course, but I just…” Loki took a deep breath. “I wanted you there.”
Mobius raised an eyebrow. Loki could practically see the wheels turning in his brain. “Yeah, alright,” he finally said. “Where to?”
Loki pulled his own shiny new TemPad out of his pocket, putting in the destination and pressing the Timedoor button.
“So I guess you’re not telling me, huh,” Mobius sighed.
“After you,” Loki gestured towards the portal. Mobius rolled his eyes, but stepped in.
“Paris, 1870,” Loki said when he walked in as well. “New Year’s Eve.”
“Wow,” Mobius said. “Very… cold. Couldn’t we have prepared at least a little before coming here?”
Loki rolled his eyes and with a flick of his wrist, he conjured Mobius a coat. “I keep forgetting humans can’t handle a bit of cold.”
“It’s not that I can’t handle it, I just prefer not to,” Mobius said. “So where are we off to?”
“The Opera House,” Loki said, pointing towards a building at the end of the street. “Apparently there’s been some… issues that could lead to a new timeline branching.”
“Right,” Mobius chuckled.
“Why is that funny?” Loki asked.
“It’s not,” Mobius said. “Come on, let’s get this solved.”
They walked together down the street. It wasn’t too crowded, but there were people celebrating everywhere. The closer they got to the Opera, the louder the music. Soon they could see people in wonderfully intricate costumes and expensive looking masks flowing into the building.
“Do we go in? What’s the plan?” Mobius wondered.
“I suppose we’ll have to,” Loki said. “I didn’t realise there was going to be a celebration like this though.”
“We could just try to find the back door,” Mobius suggested.
“No,” Loki said. “If we’re gonna find the issue here, we have to go in through the main entrance.”
“How are we gonna- oh for goodness sake,” Mobius groaned when he saw Loki snap his fingers and everything around him shimmered green. “Really?”
“Well it is a masquerade,” Loki shrugged. “I don’t see a problem.”
“I look like a fool.”
“You should get your eyes checked out, that’s clearly a cowboy outfit.”
He was sporting the full cowboy getup, including chaps and a stetson. He crossed his arms on his chest, staring Loki down. Loki struggled to take him seriously though - not sure if it was the little vest or the hat, but the pouty face was just not doing it this time.
“I’m not sure what you consider inconspicuous, but this is not it.”
“It’s a masquerade ball!”
“In 19th century Paris!”
“You’re no fun,” Loki rolled his eyes and with another wave of his hand, he changed both his and Mobius’ clothes into something less in-your-face. Mobius’ was more or less a plain black and white tuxedo, with the jacket having a longer tail and the front of the shirt decorated with huge frills. Loki’s looked more like a military uniform, with gold braiding and a stand collar. His hair was pulled out of his face and tied into a bun.
“Happy now?” Loki asked.
“Masks,” Mobius said plainly.
“Ah, right,” Loki nodded and snapped his fingers one last time, their faces now partially covered with simple black masks.
“And invitations,” Mobius said. Loki dramatically reached into his pocket and with the same green shimmer as before, he pulled out a piece of folded up paper, complete with the Opera’s wax seal, then offered Mobius an arm to hold on to; “Shall we?”
He looked at him with confusion in his eyes, but shrugged and grabbed the offered arm. They headed towards the Opera House together. Mobius was worried the locals would stare at them, they were after all two men walking arm in arm, but much to his surprise, no one seemed to pay them any mind. The only person that seemed to have frozen momentarily was the man checking their invite, looking between them and the paper a few times before simply shrugging.
“ Bonne soirée ,” he said, gesturing for them to walk in. Loki flashed him a bright grin and led Mobius inside, looking around. The entire hall was covered in marble and gold - even the statues were golden, holding massive candleholders. There was a grand staircase in the middle that split into two halfway up, leading to corridors full of people dancing and celebrating.
“Do you even know what we’re looking for?”
“Anything anachronistic, I suppose. And just generally out of place.”
“Okay,” Mobius said. “Any strategies? Where do you wanna start?”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to raise any suspicion by snooping around,” Loki said. Mobius nodded, a tiny proud smile on his lips - he taught him well. It was, however, short lived, as Loki extended out his hand and said: “So, may I have this dance?”
“I-I don’t know about Asgard, Loki, but here it’s usually a man and a woman dancing,” Mobius said.
“Can you think of anything less suspicious than dancing?” Loki asked with a raised brow. “We can move around the room freely and see pretty much everywhere.”
“I really don’t know, Loki, I haven’t danced in ages-”
“I’ll lead,” Loki said. “Trust me.”
Mobius tried his hardest to find an alternative, but gave up and sighed; “Alright then.”
Even beneath the mask, Loki could see Mobius’ face turning pink. He gave him an encouraging smile as he grabbed his right hand and wrapped his arm around his waist. Mobius gasped a little on the contact, his hand trembling in Loki’s.
“Are you alright? Still cold?” Loki asked.
“N-no, I, uh, like I said, I haven’t danced in a while,” Mobius said.
“Just relax,” Loki said. “I’ve got you.”
“Okay,” Mobius said. “Okay.”
“Just follow my lead and I’ll look around for the culprit.”
“It’s not like I could see anything anyway,” Mobius mumbled. Loki looked down at him, chuckling slightly. He wasn’t that much taller than him, but the difference was significant enough that Mobius could barely look over his shoulder. “Are you wearing heels? I never realised you were this much taller than me.”
“I am, yeah,” Loki said.
“Why?”
“So I can see better over the crowd.”
“You’re already taller than everyone here, you’re just showing off.”
“No I’m not!”
“Okay, you’re not, whatever, just… let’s get this over with.”
Loki took a breath to argue, but changed his mind last second. They began dancing, spinning around the Opera foyer. At first, Loki was trying his best to actually look for the problem he was sent there for in the first place, but as Mobius kept accidentally stepping on his feet, he kept getting distracted.
“If you really want to stop, we can just walk around,” he suggested. “I thought this would be the most natural way to look around, but if you hate it, I won’t force you.”
“No, I don’t hate it,” Mobius said. “I’m just really out of practice is all.”
“You’re stressing too much about it,” Loki said. “Take a breath, forget about the people around and the mission. Relax your shoulders and just feel the music.”
Mobius inhaled sharply, but tried to actually unclench his muscles. But the second he tried to take another step, his foot caught Loki’s, making him hiss in slight pain.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“Is absolutely alright,” Loki said. “Just look at me.”
“I am looking at you.”
“No, into my eyes.”
Mobius finally brought himself to look up, finding Loki smiling at him reassuringly. There was a spark in his eyes, drawing him to them. He couldn’t help but smile as well, finally feeling himself let go of the tension and allowing Loki to lead the dance. While he focused solely on Loki’s presence, he could feel himself easing into the movement, flowing naturally with the music. As they swirled through the room, another pair bumped into them, forcing them closer together.
“ Pardon ,” they said, taking a few steps away.
“ Ne t’en fais pas, ” Loki said. “You alright?” he asked Mobius, who was now face planted to his chest.
“All good,” he mumbled, face flushed red. But he didn’t step away, so Loki adjusted his hand position slightly and they kept dancing, now basically flush against each other. They couldn’t really look at each other like that anymore, so Loki resolved to look around again.
“There!” he suddenly gasped. “That has to be our person!”
He began leading them towards the staircase, but Mobius stopped him. “Wait. Don’t go after them.”
“What?”
Mobius sighed. “You don’t have to follow them.”
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t… it’s not a real mission.”
Loki stopped dancing and frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
“The first case they give you as an analyst is a test,” he said. “Just to see how you would act in the field.”
“But that’s-”
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you, you’re technically not meant to find out at all, but everyone eventually does. But I just…” Mobius took a deep breath. “I thought we could maybe stay a little longer?”
Loki’s face softened at Mobius’ words. “You really want that?”
“I mean, when do we get to just have a good time?” he asked. “I’ll help you with the report later so no one finds out.”
Loki chuckled. “Alright then. Let’s stay.”
They danced through the night, drinking champagne and laughing at the some of the over the top masks people were sporting.
“This is fascinating,” Loki said. “I’ve never actually celebrated the arrival of a new year.”
“Me neither,” Mobius said. “The TVA doesn’t do new years. Or any years at all.”
“Quite strange, an organisation that’s all about time not celebrating it.”
“I mean, it exists outside of the timeline, it wouldn’t really make sense.”
“I know that,” Loki said. “And yet, one would think that time related holidays would be a thing.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Mobius said. “But how would you want that to work? ‘Cause time doesn’t work over there.”
“Very good question, I have to admit,” Loki said. “I’ll have to think about that one for a while.”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t want an excuse to have a celebration in the office,” Mobius said. “But I really can’t imagine it working. We don’t even do dates.”
“You and I should have a date,” Loki muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Mobius looked at him, baffled. Surely he didn’t just say what he thought he said. But the blush creeping up his cheeks suggested that he heard him right, and so did the sudden refusal to look him in the eyes.
“Hey, midnight is approaching, you wanna go watch the fireworks?” Mobius asked after a few seconds of silence. “I’ve been here before, I know how to get to the roof.”
Loki finally looked at him again and smiled. “Lead the way then.”
Mobius dropped his palm from Loki’s shoulder, but kept the hold on their joined hands, only adjusting the position so that their fingers were now entwined. Just so we don’t lose each other, he told himself. He led him through the crowded room, up the stairs and through the complex corridors of the theatre. Taking a few side doors to much more crammed passageways and tightly wound spiral staircases, they ended up on the roof. Snow was gently floating from the clouds above, settling in their hair. Mobius walked Loki to the middle of the roof and looked around the city. He knew it was too early to look for the fireworks, but he wanted to admire the beauty of Paris. It was strange seeing it without the Eiffel Tower, its absence rendering the city nearly unrecognisable. Loki stood right in front of him, but instead of enjoying the view, he was looking at him wistfully. Mobius, inevitably, could feel his gaze deep in his soul, and looked up curiously.
“What?” he asked.
Loki just smiled. “It’s a nice tradition, isn’t it?”
From the inside, they could hear a faint countdown. It was nearing midnight. Dix! Neuf! Huit!
“What, waiting for fireworks?”
Sept! Six! Cinq!
“Yeah.”
Quatre! Trois!
“I can think of a better one.”
Deux! Un!
“Can you?”
Bonne année!
As the clock struck twelve, and as the first firework rocket made its way to the dark sky, Mobius stood on his tiptoes and reached for Loki’s collar, tugging him downwards to him. Somewhere deep down, he knew that it was a terrible idea and it probably meant nothing but trouble for later, but in that moment, his heart was louder, and it was yelling at him to just flippin’ do it. He hesitated for just a moment, giving Loki a chance to back off. But he didn’t, so the space between them vanished in a searing kiss. Loki leaned into the touch, regretting the high heels as he had to bend over slightly. He ran his fingers through Mobius’ hair as he returned the kiss, pulling him that little bit closer by wrapping his arm around his waist. Their masks were getting in the way slightly, pressing into their skin uncomfortably, but they couldn’t care less.
“I have to agree,” Loki whispered when they parted, gasping for air, their lips still ghosting over each other. “This is a much better tradition.”
“Loki, I-”
“Shut up,” he said, kissing him again with a starving need. He felt like he could drown in the heat of the moment, in the closeness, in the intimacy, and he would gladly give up all air if it meant the trick could last longer. Despite the freezing cold around them, there was fire burning in their souls keeping them impossibly warm.
“Slow down,” Mobius choked out as one of Loki’s hands found its way to his bottom. And with those words, the hunger in Loki’s eyes turned into regret and pain.
“I-I’m sorry,” he said, letting go of Mobius and taking a step back. “I went too far.”
“No, Loki, don’t-”
But Loki wasn’t listening. He was pacing around in circles, hands in his hair. “I screwed this up, didn’t I? Of course I did! Typical. For Valhalla’s sake-”
Mobius gently grabbed his hand, interrupting the rambling, and brought it up to his face, kissing it tenderly. “You didn’t screw anything up, okay? I just wanted to savour it.”
“You’re not… appalled?”
“I’m the one who brought the tradition up, remember? I wanted this. I’ve wanted this- wanted you for ages.”
Loki let out a shaky breath, relaxing his tensed up muscles. He reached out his free hand for Mobius to grab as well, stepping closer to him.
“Can I try again?” Loki asked softly, voice full of hope.
“Please do,” Mobius said with a smile. Much slower this time, Loki leaned in, cupping Mobius’ face in his hands and kissing him gently. Mobius returned the kiss with just as much love, running his fingers through Loki’s hair. He felt him smile against his lips, and he couldn’t help but form a smile of his own. There was noise all around them, but neither of them were sure if it was the fireworks or their deafening heartbeats. When they parted again, they rested their foreheads against one another with their eyes closed.
“We’re missing the show,” Mobius whispered.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen fireworks before,” Loki said. “But this…”
“Please don’t say this is a one time thing,” Mobius interrupted, backing away slightly to look at him. “God, please don’t say that.”
“I’m not,” Loki shook his head. “I don’t want it to be a one time thing. I want… I want to be with you. If you want me.”
“Never wanted anything more,” Mobius said softly. Loki pulled him into a hug, resting his head on top of his. Mobius returned the embrace, and they stood there for a while, holding each other close. After a moment, as the fireworks calmed down, the music from inside the theatre came through to them again.
“May I have this dance?”