The prince and the agent

Pictures

Pat on the shoulder derails Mobius' train of thought. Startled, he quickly turns around to see who is behind him.

"Don't worry, Moby, it's just me," says Loki, smiling widely.

"Interesting choice of words for you, Lokes."

The fallen Asgardian prince, also known as backstabbing god of mischief, doesn't show he actually understands that reference.

"Anyway. It's lunch time. Are you coming?"

Mobius looks again at his desk covered in reports and documents he currently is working on.

"I'm afraid I can't. You can go alone," the agent proposes, but seeing his boyfriend frowning, he quickly adds: "We will go together to dinner later, I promise."

"I'm looking forward to it." Loki leans closer to see what the other man is working on. "This looks tough and boring. Do you want coffee from the cafeteria?"

"Actually yes. I would appreciate a small black one."

"One small black coffee for dinner later... That sounds like a fair deal."

Mobius watches as Loki leaves the room. He will never say out loud that seeing his boyfriend in a good mood makes him happy too. This sounds obvious, but in the case of someone with a lot of emotional baggage, those little moments are worth cherishing.

*

Soon Mobius is again deep in thought about papers in front of him, reading and writing.

After stacking some documents to join them, he can't find the stapler around his workplace. With a sigh he concludes that it must have been Loki who borrowed it without asking. He isn't angry about that as they often are just taking things from each other's desks without telling and if the other needs it, they just take it back. That's just one of the pros of being an office couple.

Loki's cubicle is right next to Mobius'. It's quite tidy but cramped with neatly stacked documents. The agent notices his stapler stuck between two of those piles. To pull it out, he needs to use both hands. In the process he accidentally touches another pile with his elbow. He manages to quickly stop the stack from collapsing, except for a small TVA-branded notebook on the top that lands semi open on the floor.

Mobius quickly picks it up. He wants to check if pages have any wrinkles, but instead gets interested in the notebook's contents after noticing the pencil drawing of Loki and Thor. Two brothers are fighting together with an army of monsters. With combined powers of magic and Mjornir they are winning against countless foes around them. Both of them are happy because they are victorious... or perhaps because they are together on the same side.

Sad smile forms on Mobius' face before turning the page only to discover another sketch.

"Who is puny now?!" the hulking variant of Loki asks floored actual Hulk. Next drawing is of the mug the prince keeps his writing utensils in. Aside from pictures of glory and simple sketches of random things, the sketchbook contains small cartoons and comic strips about Miss Minutes' adventures, or more precisely, misadventures. Among them is also the torn out drawing of a fish dedicated to Casey.

There were few occasions before when Mobius caught Loki slacking on the job. He never saw what his boyfriend was scribbling, because after noticing him approaching, Loki would quickly close the notebook. The agent has to admit that the prince isn't lacking imagination or skills. In his research he found out that as a kid, Loki excelled in the arts, but growing up he found magic and reading more interesting.

"Truly, Asgard has lost a great talent," Mobius says to himself while turning another page.

The next drawing makes him blush. This one shows him and Loki riding on a jet ski together. Feeling like he found something he really shouldn't have, quickly turns the page only to discover a pic that makes him even more embarrassed.

That's a realistic portrait of him sleeping on his desk, eyes closed, mouth half-open. Mobius recalls something like this happening a few weeks ago. It was Loki who woke him up. Did he take a picture of him and use that as a reference or drew straight up like an actual artist before cutting short the nap? What really shocked Mobius is not the fact he was used involuntarily as a model, but rather how much effort Loki put into this particular drawing. He used pencils, pens and even sharpies to highlight every strand of hair, fabric of clothes and wrinkle on the face and hands.

Realising he has seen enough, the agent slowly closes the sketchbook and puts it back where it was. He hopes his boyfriend won't notice it was touched. He returns to his cubicle with the stapler.

*

It takes him a while to refocus on the job after discovering Loki's little secret. Just as he is back in the flow of paperwork, a cup lands on a free space between documents on the desk.

"Here is your coffee," says the prince. "I suggest you drink it as fast as possible without burning your tongue."

Confused Mobius looks at Loki and notices slight disappointment on his face. Did he find out about the sketchbook?

"Thank you... What happened?" the agent asks.

"I met Ravonna on my way back here. She wants me and you in her office as soon as possible. There is a new mission for us."

"Oh." Mobius hopes Loki doesn't hear relief in his voice. "Then it's best we gp npw."

He drinks his coffee while walking towards judge Renslayer's office. Loki walks next to him, still looking disappointed.

"Hey. What's going on, Lokes?"

The answer is short and yet explains a lot.

"The dinner."

"Not cancelled," Mobius reassures his boyfriend. "We can go to dinner straight after the mission."

Loki's face instantly brightens as he nods his head.

"So, Moby, where do you think she wants us to go?"

The agent sips his coffee.

"Probably another fast approaching disaster to investigate. I hope there will be a mall or other supermarket. My collection of movies needs expanding"

"And I want to read something new." Small smirk appears on Loki's face. "We could also salvage some candies."

And better art supplies for you, says Mobius to himself. He really doesn't want this talent to go to waste.