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[icasm]

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[icasm]

Peeled grapes are not worth the hype, [ he announces haughtily, finding a loofa-type implement to pour body wash onto, and then pauses. ] Unless they're frozen, I suppose.

[ He smiles into Mobius' kiss, eyes soft as he searches the other man's face. ] I won't be getting your slippers; if they're any distance from the bed that was your fault in the first place. [ But, he's been asked a question, and he leans in for another kiss before answering it. ] I wouldn't mind either of those things.

[favoriteanalyst]

Yeah? [Because that's a low, low bar to clear, treating him with kindness and complimenting him.] Cuz it didn't seem like you were always keen on me being gentle.

[But there are different boundaries. Between sex and, well, not sex. Is he looking at this too closely too soon? Maybe. Maybe he could shut up and let Loki clean him up.]

I just wanna make sure I'm treating you right.

[icasm]

[ Is it? If Loki added 'don't turn away from me when I inevitably fuck up' would that put the possible lowness of the bar into some perspective?

He gives a one-shouldered shrug, gaze shifting from Mobius' face to his chest, where Loki begins spreading the soapy loofa against his skin. ] What gets me off and what has me feeling pampered are not the same thing, usually. Besides, I'm having difficulty imagining you treating me poorly, at this stage.

[ If one of them is going to mess it up, Loki can only imagine it would be him. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

[Mobius chews on his bottom lip a moment, letting his eyes slide shut as Loki attends to him. Hair playing can come last; he wants them both to luxuriate, or as well as they can. He rests his arms neatly, loosely, around Loki's neck and sighs low. The water's hot, his immediate carnal urges are satisfied, and he's got someone he cares about doing a little pampering of his own. It's good, this is good. So why is it tickling at the back of his head so badly? Why is Loki always a puzzle to solve even at the most inconvenient times?

Maybe because he said something about blurring their lines and getting all tangled up in Loki. Hm. Maybe Loki's not necessarily the one he needs to examine closer.]

I'm not always such a nice guy, you know.

[icasm]

[ Loki is very methodical in his cleaning, starting near Mobius' shoulders and working his way outward from there, up the arms around his neck, back down to swipe across his chest, his abdomen. He likes this closeness, the simplicity of it, even if Mobius' words have him rolling his eyes a little. ]

I know that. No one is all bad or all good; I told you that early on.

[ Besides which, he hasn't forgotten who put him in the time loop with Sif. ]

What is it you think you'll do?

[favoriteanalyst]

Something that'll break your heart. [He can't imagine doing it deliberately. Or--he at least can't imagine it doing it with that intent.] Something callous and cruel. I don't know, something that'll make you see I'm not so different from anyone else.

[icasm]

You say that as if I know nothing of cruelty and callousness. As if I won't possibly and likely do something myself to bring that out in you. [ Loki is not perfect; far from it. Nor does he consider himself fragile.

Most of the time, anyway.

His ministrations move down to Mobius' hips, his cock (which he's gentle with). ]

People hurt each other all the time.

[favoriteanalyst]

Yeah, they do. I don't want to do that to you. And I know I probably will.

[This kind of attention is nice, though. Relaxing. Loki might be used to more than a little pampering in his history, but Mobius has never exactly been a recipient of it much before. Almost feels like he could sleep standing up.]

All I'm saying is, in case you're worried you're gonna take some kind of misstep here, we're both going to stumble our way around this. Doesn't mean it'll end. [And maybe that's not a comfort, knowing they are each capable of destroying what they hold dear. But better than Loki quietly worrying himself away thinking he might be the only destructive power between the two of them.] We can both take a few hits while we figure this out.

[icasm]

[ Loki pauses, blinking at Mobius with a soft frown. One day it'll stop feeling so strange that the other man can pinpoint his concerns with such accuracy... or maybe it won't, and Loki will be surprised by it over and over again, who's to say? Either way, he feels some tightness in his chest loosening a bit, and he finds he doesn't know what, exactly, to say.

So instead of saying anything right away, he kisses Mobius on the nose and then drops into a kneel so he can clean the other man's legs. ]

You promise?

[favoriteanalyst]

[That nets a surprised little chuckle out of him, fingers gently threading through hair.] Yeah. Promise. [He is definitely not ready for a round two, but oh, Loki down low like that makes him wish he was.]

We're made of pretty solid stuff, you and I. It's gonna take a lot for anything either one of us jackasses does to break this.

[icasm]

Good, [ Loki intones, hands moving all the way down to Mobius' ankles as he looks up at the man from his position in the bottom of this shower. ] Because I would rather not break it.

[ He stands in one fluid motion, having to put a hand on Mobius' shoulder to keep himself from sliding on the slippery surface of the interior of the shower. ] You're important to me. This is important to me.

[favoriteanalyst]

Yeah? [He draws Loki in for another proper kiss, slow and warm for reasons besides water temperature. The man leaves him so breathless with so little effort.] Yeah. [Like he decided Loki's telling the truth in that moment.] That means...a lot to me. Cuz I never expected to--

[There's a word stuck right on the tip of his tongue, one he's not entirely sure he's in a place to say, not sure Loki's in one to hear it. It quirks the corner of his mouth as he seals the word behind his lips. His gaze breaks away after a prolonged moment, a half turn away. Ostensibly to grab the shampoo.]

Well, I mean, I sure didn't see all this coming. Maybe it was inevitable. But fate or free will, it's important. You are. To me.

[icasm]

[ Does Loki want to know what Mobius was going to say before he decided against it? Yes. Is he going to press, right now? Definitely not.

Maybe not ever. Whatever it is, Mobius can tell him when he feels it's time. As it is, he just watches Mobius' face, a smile lingering on his lips from that kiss. ]

Neither did I, [ he admits, ] but you know my feelings on the concept of fate. [ It ceases to be a comfort when one's life ceases to be comfortable, for one thing. ] A healthy exercising of free will is more in alignment with my own worldview.

[favoriteanalyst]

Oh, I know very well your feelings on fate. Mostly that it can go fuck itself. Kinda like the idea, too. This, us, that sure wasn't written in the books. We made this happen.

[The only people in the timeline, in the TVA, with free will--]

Turn your unreasonably tall ass around; I'm gonna get all up in that hair and massage your scalp and leave you feeling like a new man. You're definitely gonna have to use a hair dryer though like the rest of us pathetic mortals. No magicking it dry and styled.

[An annoyance, maybe, but it's also going to mean cuddling up can include combing out those pretty locks.]

[icasm]

Hairdryers are rather loud [ Loki complains preemptively because...they are, especially for something meant to be used so close to one's ears. But he does turn as instructed, titling his face into the spray from the shower and using the loofah still in his hand to soap up the front of his body. ]

I'm glad we made this happen. [ He's glad they chose one another like this. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

[He won't make any smart comments, because sometimes it's better to let Loki whine. And anyway, he's got his own little job to do. Working the lather into Loki's hair, all the way from root to tip. He's industrial about it at first, just making sure to do the job right.

And then he indulges. Fingertips rubbing along temples, stroking down to the nape of Loki's neck. The gentle run of nails along scalp, and pulling through any tangles found along the way.

From here, he can see some of the results of their work. Red lines of scratches down Loki's back. The remnant of a bite along his neck. At the right angle, he can spy the edges of several bruises left on a thigh. Not to mention a well-ridden ass.]

We're definitely doing this again.

[icasm]

[ There's a series of pleased sighs from the man in front of him, who has forgone continuing the work of cleaning himself in favor of just... reveling in this experience of being cared for by someone who actually cares for him. It's nice in a way things have not been nice for him in a long time, and the part of his brain that insists that all good things end well before they're due wants to memorize it. ]

When? [ He asks, because he's curious as to just what sort of pattern Mobius plans on falling into, here. He knows it won't be immediately; most humans aren't quite built that way, and that's fine.

Loki also wants to ask what they'll do if someone finds out, but. Maybe not at this exact moment. Maybe he doesn't want to ruin it. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

[That pulls a curious sound out of Mobius. Not the kind of question he was expecting.] Whenever? [Hm, no, that is probably not the best answer.] Obviously not, y'know. When there's a job to do. But when we're both up for it. I wasn't exactly planning on jotting you down in a schedule book, Loki. Put you on top of my to-do list.

[He's gentle when he angles Loki just so under the spray, just as thorough in washing the lather out as putting it in in the first place.] Besides, looks like you could use a little bit to recover.

[icasm]

[ He closes his eyes when Mobius moves him, humming his consideration as he shuffles Mobius' answer in his mind. Whenever there's not a job to do. Whenever they both are up for it. That sounds all well and good. Does he want to be scheduled in? He wrinkles his nose as he'd opened his mouth to say something and gotten water in it for his trouble.

Bleh.

He tilts his chin down. He supposes needing time to recover is both more or less normal and probably connected with being unable to use his magic here. He supposes needing time to recover is not a terrible thing.

There's a shrug. ] Alright.

[favoriteanalyst]

[It's much harder to read Loki staring at his back, even the shrug of his shoulders. Would Mobius like to do this again right now, definitely, absolutely, he would like to be doing this all of the time in fact. He lets a hand roam lower, traces a finger along one of the marks left behind.]

We'll make time. [The irony of the statement is, of course, not lost on him.] I can always make time for you.

[icasm]

[ Loki turns his head just enough to see the general shape of his friend in his peripheral vision. ] I feel very needy, in this moment, [ he tells him quietly. He doesn't want Mobius to think that he's not appreciative of the time they do spend together, and it's not like Loki is close to anyone else here, besides Hunter B-15. The bulk of his time spent around others is spent around Mobius, actually.

Which is a comfort, now that he thinks about it. ] I'm sure it will pass.

[favoriteanalyst]

[He coaxes Loki the rest of the way around so as to kiss him again. Normally, Mobius might not want to feed into something like neediness from Loki. But it's hardly inappropriate at this moment. Want him to feel needed. Wants him to feel loved. Soothe away the worries.]

I'm here. [Not that he's planning on be anywhere else for a while.] You just tell me what you need.

[icasm]

[ The kiss is nice. Easy to get lost in, to quiet whatever unruly noises are currently trying to overwhelm him in his head.

Telling Mobius what he needs? Is harder. He's used to articulating the things he wants, not determining which things are necessary. ]

I don't want to be alone, [ is what he settles on. Not that he thought there was much of a risk of that tonight, but. Another shrug. ] What happens if we're caught?

[favoriteanalyst]

Then we deal with it. We'll figure it out when we get there. [A thought, then. Because Loki doesn't want to be alone, knows Loki never wants to be alone ever again.] You don't want to feel like you're hiding. You don't want to hide this, huh?

[Which is sweet, actually. And Mobius might like to be more forthcoming, too, but it's not that simple. Nothing's ever that simple.]

This isn't a good idea. It's a great idea. It's the best idea either of us ever had, and I'm not just saying that because a post-coital glow or whatever you want to call it. You and me, this could be really something special. But I think we need to figure out what that something is first. Okay?

[icasm]

I am, historically, very bad at hiding. [ He likes to be showy and seen, but more importantly this... whatever it is, between him and Mobius, matters, much like whatever is between himself and Sylvie matters, and Loki has never been good at hiding what matters. He can change how he looks at it, or weave illusions about it, but hiding? Not so much.

He hears Mobius' request for what it is though. Time to figure out what they're doing, together, before anyone else gets involved. So he nods. ] Okay.