Y'all, bless my sweet little heart. Back when I knew nothing about marvel, my then boyfriend and I got into an argument about who would win in a fight: Thor vs the Rock. I was team Rock and I kept getting very frustrated during our argument. I basically channeled that same energy into the beginning of this chapter 😂 

Also, I'm very sorry about the delay. I've had writer's block and school, and the past two weekends I was busy seeing Shang Chi in theaters (IT'S SO GOOD!) and camping. 

Trigger Warning: mentions of abuse 

Word Count: 2,782

 "For the last time, Thor, bringing back the dinosaurs would be a terrible idea!" Bruce exclaimed. 

  Thor set his watering can at his feet, raising a finger for emphasis. "But you haven't heard all of the facts!" 

  Bruce crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. 

  "I love them." 

  The scientist sighed, grumbling to himself. His boyfriend was great, but he could sometimes be...dumb. There wasn't really a nicer way to put it. 

  "Thor, there are literally six movies exploring how bringing back the dinosaurs would wreak havoc on the ecosystem. As a scientist, I think they're pretty credible."

  Thor squinted. "Are they though? I watched those movies with Peter, Steve, and Bucky and two of the characters looked suspiciously like Quill and the Grandmaster."

  "So?" Bruce asked. "It's still a bad idea! If you want to see dinosaurs, look at birds of prey or any kind of reptile."

  Thor turned his back to Bruce to water his lavender (also so his boyfriend wouldn't see the look of defeat growing on his face). "Fine. But one day I'll find a scientist that will agree with me." 

  "Pfft, that'd take a miracle," Bruce muttered. 

  Thor turned. "What was that?" 

  The scientist rolled his eyes. "I said--"

   "YOUR SAVIOR IS HERE!!!!!" 

   Thor furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, turning toward the direction of the muffled yell coming from inside of the compound. Realization began to set in. "Loki?" he gasped. The god ran back into his room and sped down the hallway, Bruce trailing behind him. 

  Some of the avengers had already begun to gather in the kitchen area, where the smug god of mischief had just stepped out of the elevator, adorned in his usual emerald robes. 

  "Loki!" Thor exclaimed, running up to his brother. He pulled him in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground. 

  "Thor, you're shocking me!" Loki hissed. 

  "Bah, it was no worse than that time I tased you on Sakaar." 

  A chuckle came from behind Loki, causing Thor to put him down. "That explains why Loki's hair is so greasy." 

  Everyone's eyes focused on the source of the new voice. A gray-haired man with a crooked nose, moustache, and kind eyes clad in a brown suit stood in front of the elevator doors. He blushed from the attention. 

  Thor walked toward him, pointing. "I haven't met you." 

  Loki blocked his brother's path. "Thor, he's a human. If you shock him, it could kill him. And I'd stab you for that."  

 He cocked his head. "Since when did you care so much for humans, brother?" 

  Loki blushed, folding in on himself. 

  Thor shot him a knowing smile. "Oh," he turned to the new man. "You must be very special. I haven't seen him blush like that since--"

  "Shut up, you imbecile," Loki hissed.  

  He chuckled, holding out his hand to the stranger. "Thor Odinson. I go by he/him. I'm Loki's brother." 

  "Adopted," Loki muttered. 

  The man's handshake was firm. "Mobius. I also go by he/him." 

  Thor's eyes widened. "Oh! I have a very important question for you." 

 Mobius began to sweat, preparing to be interrogated by the god. "Y-Yeah?" 

   "Do you believe scientists should bring back dinosaurs?" 

  Everyone in the room groaned. Thor had started the conversation at breakfast that morning before resuming the debate with Bruce on his balcony. 

  Mobius glanced behind Thor to see everyone shaking their heads. He gulped, not wanting to upset the god. "Um, w-well, Loki has told me a lot about the nine realms, and I wouldn't be surprised if a planet in one of them has some." 

  Thor grinned as he picked up the nervous man by his underarms. "I like him! Another!" 

  Loki grabbed Mobius and lowered him gently to the ground before his brother could do anything dramatic. 

  Bruce decided to intervene, hoping Mobius wasn't feeling too overwhelmed by Thor's endless enthusiasm. "Why don't we introduce Mobius to everyone?" 

  Stephen walked toward the front of the group. "Good idea. I'll start lunch. I'm sure our guests are hungry." 

  Loki drew his daggers. "I'm not planning to eat poisoned food." 

 "Relax, Tinker Bell," Tony said. "Stephen making you fall for thirty minutes was a one-time thing. That is, unless you decide to keep threatening him."  

  "You have proved yourself to no longer be a threat to our planet, Loki. I would like to formally apologize for our previous encounter," Stephen stated. 

  Loki rolled his eyes. "Apology accepted. But that doesn't make you a better magic-wielder than me. I'll always be superi--" 

  He was cut off by Mobius putting an arm around his shoulders. "You can bicker later, Lokes. I want to meet everyone." 

  Thor and Bruce shared a look upon hearing the nickname. The smaller man raised an eyebrow, and his boyfriend shrugged. 

  Loki wound an arm around Mobius' waist as they began to introduce him to the other Avengers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   "So, brother, what brought you here? How is everything in New Asgard?" Thor asked over lunch. Everyone had gathered in the conference room since it had one of the biggest tables in the compound. 

  "Mobius wanted to meet everyone. I also thought it would be nice to pay a visit. We had to get away from Brunhilde and Sylvie's constant bickering," Loki replied. 

  Thor tilted his head. "Who?" 

  Loki swallowed the bite of his sandwich before continuing. "Oh, right. It's been a bit, hasn't it? Brunhilde may have found herself a queen."

  "They already bicker like an old married couple," Mobius added with a chuckle. 

  "But yes, her name is Sylvie. She was a bartender right outside of New Asgard and you know how Val loves some good whiskey." Loki shook his head, smiling. 

  "And the rest is pretty much history," Mobius said. 

  "She sounds lovely," Thor replied. "I'd love to meet her." 

  "So how did you two meet?" Nat asked.  

 The couple looked at each other, seeming to communicate nonverbally. Mobius then nodded and Loki began to speak. "Well, apparently the citizens of earth don't just let anyone move into any country they want, even if you're a god that that country worshipped for centuries." He scoffed. "I even offered to rule for their government and they declined! They threatened to make us leave! Then Brunhilde and I learned that there are people that help what earth calls immigrants settle into foreign lands. So, she hired Mobius here as our lawyer." 

  "It's not as sweet as it sounds. It took me nearly drowning for him to notice me," Mobius teased. 

  Loki rolled his eyes. 

   "So you are...together? Romantically?" Vision asked from beside Wanda. 

  "Yep!" Mobius replied. "We've been dating for about two months now." He studied Bruce, who was sitting on Thor's left, his hand intertwined with his boyfriend's under the table. "And it looks like Loki and Val aren't the only ones who have a human as a partner." 

  Loki's eyes widened at the pair. "Brother? You and Bruce are dating?" 

  Thor nodded. "And Hulk, too. It's a package deal." 

  He narrowed his eyes. "I knew something was going on between the two of you after Ragnarok." 

  The couple blushed. "Well," Thor said. "It took a little longer than that for us to admit our feelings." 

  "It was literally so obvious," Sam added. Everyone chuckled. 

  The group resumed their eating for a little bit until Peter spoke up. 

  "Your Mischievousness?" he addressed Loki. 

  The god whipped his head around to look at Peter, smirking at the title. "Yes, child?" 

  "Mr. Thor told me that you're genderfluid and that you can magically enhance your features to match your gender. I think that's really neat." 

  Loki gave him a tight smile. "Ah. Well, thank you." He turned back to his food, eyes glued to his plate. 

  Thor tilted his head, looking at his sibling. "You should show him, brother." 

  Loki and Mobius shared a look before the god turned back to Peter. "I'm afraid I can't show you today," he replied solemnly. "My magic is feeling a bit depleted." 

  Thor's eyebrows furrowed. "Since when have you felt drained of your magic? Should Strange look at you? Whatever it is, it should be fixable." 

  Loki sighed. "Just...drop it, brother." He looked at Bruce. "I need to use the bathroom. Could you show me where one may be?" 

  Bruce nodded and pushed his chair away from the table. Since when did Loki talk to him? Was he going to prank him or give him a stern lecture about dating his brother? 

  "I need to use one, too," Mobius replied, standing up. 

  The room was silent as the three left. Thor frowned and spoke after the door closed behind them. "Did I say something wrong?" 

  Sam scratched his chin. "I don't know. His mood seemed to change very quickly. Maybe whatever you mentioned brought up something sensitive. You could ask to talk to him later if you want." 

  Thor nodded, looking down at his plate. He hoped his brother was okay. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   "I might as well show the two of you to your guest bedroom since you'll need to know where it is eventually," Bruce stated as they stepped into the elevator. "Floor 5, please," he told Friday. The scientist looked at the couple. Loki was looking at the floor as Mobius rubbed circles into his back. "I apologize on Thor's behalf for pushing you about your magic. He's still learning boundaries and when it's okay and not okay to pry," Bruce said. 

  Loki sighed. "I know. I expected it from him. I just needed an excuse to get away for a few minutes. His sunshiney personality can be overbearing at times."

  Bruce nodded. "That's understandable. He also loves you and wants the best for you." He recalled the times when Thor would tell childhood stories, whether it was Loki stabbing him for the upteenth time or their adventures wreaking havoc on Asgard. He noticed the way the god's face lit up when he talked about him. 

  The scientist led the pair through the kitchen and down the hallway until he stopped at the first guest bedroom. "Well, here you go. Just tell Friday to lock the main door or adjust the lighting. It's the AI Tony programmed throughout the compound. He smiled at Loki. "Also, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here." 

  Loki was quiet for a second. "Actually, there is something I'd like to tell you. About why I reacted the way I did." He continued to look at the floor. "I...I was…" He drew a shuddering breath, a sob escaping his lips. Mobius stepped closer to him, but didn't touch him. 

  "Do you want me to tell him?" his partner asked. 

  Loki nodded. "I-I'll be in the bathroom." He turned and hurried inside, the door clicking shut behind him. 

  Mobius turned to Bruce. "Let's sit." He gestured to the bed. The two men sat down beside each other, angling their bodies to be more face-to-face. 

  The moustached man took a deep breath, sighing. "About a month into dating, Loki told me he was genderfluid. He told me he hadn't presented as female in a long time because the last time he did, he was abused...repeatedly." His voice shook. "He doesn't like to think about it. I've managed to get him to see a trauma therapist about it. They've helped a little bit, but it's still been rough for him. He didn't want Thor to find out because he knows that he would stop at nothing to hunt down the person who did it and make them pay." 

  "Which frankly, I could probably do myself if I really wanted to." The two men turned their heads to see Loki standing in the bathroom doorway with his arms crossed, fidgeting with a loose thread on his sleeve. He made eye contact with Bruce. "I mainly just want to get this behind me." 

  The scientist nodded. "I can empathize with you. I was abused as a child. I don't usually bring it up much. I think only Tony and Nat know. I have yet to tell Thor. It just takes time to open up, you know?" Mobius and Loki nodded. Bruce looked at Loki. "Thank you for telling me. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know." 

  Mobius and Bruce stood up to face Loki, who stepped closer. "You're a good man, Bruce," the god praised, patting his shoulder. "I have no doubt as to why my brother picked you as a companion." 

  Bruce blushed. "Thanks." A silence fell over the room. "Do you want to head back?"

  Loki nodded. The three walked out of the guest room and down the hallway. They walked into the kitchen to see Thor seated at the island, playing with his hands. He glanced up when he heard them approach. 

  "Loki," he breathed, approaching his sibling. "I just wanted to apologize for pushing you and being invasive. I was being inconsiderate and wasn't listening to you." 

  The god of mischief placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "I forgive you. Thank you for apologizing to me in private. I think I feel well enough to return to everyone now." 

  Thor beamed and led the group back to the conference room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   A knock sounded on Loki and Mobius' bedroom door later that night. The gray-haired man leaned out of the bathroom doorway with a toothbrush in hand, toothpaste foam smeared around his mouth. 

  "I'll get it," Loki murmured, walking over from where he was peering through the sliding glass blacony doors. He opened the door to see Peter and Thor standing on the other side. 

  "Uh...good evening," Loki said awkwardly. It was about nine at night. They had already eaten dinner and played a round of Monopoly (which everyone had rage-quit after Tony bought half of the board. Seriously, did they expect anything different to happen?). What could the two possibly want at that hour? 

  "Sorry, I know it's late," Thor began. "But Young Spider here gave me an idea, and then helped me execute it!" He opened his hand to reveal three different beaded bracelets. 

  "They're pronoun bracelets!" Peter declared, beaming. "Since your magic is depleted, which could make it harder for you to present the way you want, you can wear the pronoun you want to be called that day!" 

  Mobius appeared from behind Loki, peering over his shoulder. "Aw, that's great! You two are very thoughtful." 

  Tears welled in Loki's eyes. He blinked them back, hoping nobody would notice. "Thank you," he whispered, cradling the bracelets in his hands like a delicate flower. "May I hug you?" 

  Peter nodded, leaning in for the hug. Loki pulled Thor in, as well. Mobius joined before everyone broke apart. 

  "Goodnight, brother!" Thor called as he and Peter headed to their rooms. 

  Loki waved before closing the door and finally releasing his tears. Mobius wrapped his arms around him, resting his head on his partner's shoulder. 

  "I feel so validated," Loki whispered, looking at the she/her, he/him, and they/them bracelets in his hands. "I never thought he cared this much about sexuality or my fluidity." 

  "People can surprise you," Mobius replied, kissing Loki's shoulder. "As for this"--he touched Loki's hand that was holding up the she/her bracelet closer to examine it--"there's no rush. If you don't feel comfortable presenting as female--heck, if you never present as female again--that's okay with me. I love you as masculine, feminine, and everything in-between."

   "Thank you, Mobius," Loki murmured, turning his head to rest against the side of his boyfriend's. "I love you too." 

  "I know," Mobius grinned, then yawned. "Now, let's go to bed. I'm still jet lagged." 

  Loki chuckled and followed Mobius into the large bed. They cuddled close as if it was barely wide enough for the two of them and fell asleep. 

  I know, I know, this chapter is TERRIBLE. But I had to write a filler to connect the next one, which hopefully y'all will like. I'm excited to write it.