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Loki is always the first to wake.When he opens his eyes, Mobius is curled into his side, softly snuffling, warm breath blowing gently onto his neck. His lips immediately stretch into a smile, and just for a moment, he allows himself to stare.It’s dark in their bedroom. The soft glow of the TV dances across his Mobius’ face, lighting up his profile. Loki reaches out, slowly, careful as not to wake him, and runs his fingers across the soft lines of his face, evidence of a life lived.He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to this.He doesn’t think he’ll ever not feel a thrill upon waking beside the love of his life, knowing that, even in sleep, even while dreaming, Mobius will reach out for him, pull him closer.He can’t believe he gets this.Mobius shifts, just a little, and Loki takes the moment to gingerly slip out from underneath him. He breathes out a quiet laugh at the way Mobius frowns, but gets over it instantly, cuddling into a pillow instead.He tiptoes out of the room after adjusting the blanket to cover the entirety of Mobius’ frame, and he’s nearly at the top of the steps when he hears a soft little whimper coming from his right.His ears immediately prick up, and his eyes zero in on Sean’s door. It’s closed, and maybe—maybe he’s imagined it, but, almost as soon as the thought crosses his mind, he hears it again.Loki’s inside before he can even think about it, eyes focused in the darkness. Sean’s nightlight illuminates his face, all bunched up and pale.“Are you alright, darling?” he asks, heart beating a little too hard in his chest. He’s never seen Sean injured or sick before, and unease floods his body, races through his veins. “What is it?”“My throat hurts,” he says, voice all rasp, and Loki moves to sit on the edge of his bed, eyebrows furrowed with worry. “And my head. And—” he gets cut off by his own sneeze, a powerful thing that looks like it takes all the energy he can muster. “Ow.”Loki reaches out and puts the back of his hand on Sean’s forehead, tries his hardest not to let the concern show on his face. He’s warm, clammy, even, squirming at the contact.“You’re cold,” he gets out, eyes closed. “Am I cold?”“Quite the opposite, actually,” he answers, running his hand through Sean’s hair before returning it to his side. “You’re staying home today.”Sean’s eyes open at that. “What? No! I was supposed to trade Pokémon cards today at lunch—”“And I’m sure you can do that another day, right?”Sinking a little into his blankets, Sean sighs, eyes closing again. “Right.”Loki shakes his head, laughing as quietly as he can manage at the priorities of this boy, and then reaches out to poke his nose. He grabs the cup of water on Sean’s bedside drawer and waves a hand over it, humming when he feels it warm instantly under his palm. “Drink up, hm? It’ll help with your throat.”“Is it tea?” Sean asks, squinting one eye open. “I don’t like tea.”“I’m very aware of your dislike of tea,” Loki says, an exasperated, fond smile on his face. “It’s your same cup of water, warmed up just right. And a touch of honey.”Sean hums with interest, moving to sit up against his headboard, and groans a little at the movement. “It hurts my head to do that.”“I know, darling,” Loki comforts, offering up the cup. He tries not to let out a dramatic, motherly sigh of relief when Sean takes it and drinks a tiny sip. “I’m going to go downstairs for just a moment, okay? I’ll grab that grape concoction Kevin had to take last month.”Sean wrinkles his nose but nods, having already accepted his fate.Loki’s down the stairs in an instant, hurriedly rummaging through the medicine bin that’s kept safe in one of the higher kitchen cabinets.He finds the bottle easily, shaking it up as he makes his way back up the stairs. The sun’s rising just slightly, the beginning rays making their way inside through the windows. He’ll have to be quick—Kevin’s due to wake up any moment.Sean’s dozing off when Loki gets back into his room, only stirring when Loki calls out, gently, “Come on, love. You can get back to sleep as soon as you take this.”He measures the liquid carefully, neatly fills it up to the line on the cap, and holds it to Sean’s lips. He makes a face as soon as it touches his mouth, and Loki shushes him gently, giving him a second before tipping it back.“You’re okay. Almost done.”Sean gets it down, wiping at his mouth with a loud gross, and then sinks back down to his pillow after taking a big gulp of his water.Loki runs a hand through his hair again, heart fluttering fondly when Sean opens his eyes, just a little, so he can smile up at him gratefully.“Thank you. I’m sleepy.”“I know. Go back to sleep, darling. I’ll come back later, see if you want some breakfast after your rest.”“Okay.”Loki’s just barely shut Sean’s door when Kevin opens his, yawning, blonde hair an absolute mess, sticking up in every direction.He’s so cute that it’s actually unbearable sometimes, a tiny little extension of Mobius that’s made of pure rambunctiousness and mischief and kindness—somehow, a perfect mixture of them.“Morning,” Kevin greets around another yawn, rubbing at his eyes with tiny fists. “Where’s Sean?”“Afraid he’s under the weather, dear,” Loki says, meeting him in the middle of the hallway just to see if he can get that hair under control. He pats it down, laughing way too loudly when he gets a nose wrinkled at him and absolutely no change whatsoever. “Just you we have to worry about this morning. Go brush your teeth and get dressed, alright? I’ll get breakfast going and then we’ll tame that hair of yours.”“Dad says I look like a lion,” Kevin says, all energy and enthusiasm even though he’s just woken up, and then skips into the bathroom, singing a song from the Lion King, a movie that’s been on repeat for at least a month.Loki smiles after his boy, shakes his head, and heads to the kitchen.He could conjure up food, in fact he did so constantly in the beginning, cooking skills a little rusty after disuse. But, now, he enjoys the routine of waking the boys and coming down to make breakfast.The kitchen smells lovely after a while, chocolate pancakes and scrambled eggs nearly ready, coffee maker going, and he’s in the middle of preparing a fruit bowl when Mobius finally makes his appearance, rumpled sleep shirt and bottoms clinging to him nicely.“Morning, honey,” he says, voice rough, and Loki—well, he enjoys it a little too much, and can’t help abandoning the strawberries to kiss him good morning.Mobius hums into it, kisses him back. When he pulls away, he’s smiling, something so soft, eyes bunching up at the corners. “Need any help?”Loki kisses his cheek before getting back to the fruit bowl, bringing the blueberry container closer to him. “Just Kevin’s lunch. Everything’s ready in the fridge, but somebody got me into bed early last night and I didn’t have time to put it in his lunch box.”“Oh no, that person sounds awful,” Mobius jokes, making his way to the fridge, and then checks around the kitchen for any children before continuing, “They must have really had it bad for you. Hey, wait—Sean?”“He’s come down with a cold, I think,” Loki says, putting the fruit bowl on the edge of Kevin’s plate. “The same thing Kevin had last month.”“Oh, is he—”“He’s resting again. I gave him that awful grape stuff and he has honey water for his throat.”Mobius sets Kevin’s sandwich holder and orange slice container down on the island, then closes the gap between them, kissing him gently, gratefully.“Thank you.”“No need to thank me,” Loki says, but his face warms up, pleased. Praise coming from anyone does something silly to his chest, but when it’s Mobius—he can feel the flush moving down his whole body.“Thank you,” Mobius says again, stubbornly, knowing exactly what he’s doing, and presses another gentle kiss to Loki’s jaw. “For always taking care of us.”Loki huffs out a breath, a sarcastic retort on his tongue, but he knows it won’t be taken serious, if his face is as red as it feels. “Yes. Well.”Mobius reaches out, drags his fingers across Loki’s warm cheek, and smiles as he goes to grab Kevin’s lunch box from its place beside the paper towels. “I’ll never get tired of making that happen, you know.”Loki pinches his hip as he sets Kevin’s breakfast down at the table, and laughs delightedly at the yelp he earns. “And I’ll never get tired of making that happen.”Kevin announces himself by absolutely shrieking, “Chocolate pancakes!”“Christ,” Mobius whispers, one hand over his heart, and ruffles his son’s unruly hair with the other as he runs by, completely ignoring him in favor of his plate of breakfast. “I need some of your energy.”Kevin’s got his fork at the ready, about to make a mess, and Loki’s across the kitchen in an instant to tuck a napkin in his shirt.“Did Sean have the same medicine I took when I was sick?”“Yes,” Loki says, grabbing the orange juice from the island and pouring it into one of Kevin’s favorite plastic cups. “He’ll be better in no time, won’t he?”“Hopefully,” Kevin says seriously, mouth full of chocolate pancake. “I’m stronger than he is, so it might take longer.”“Oh,” Mobius says to that, stifling laughter, filling his mug with coffee. “Stronger, huh?”“Yeah,” Kevin’s got chocolate on his lips, and Loki thumbs it off when he sets down the orange juice beside him. “He’s older, but I’ve broken a bone.”“Ah, well. I guess that makes sense. Nice logic.”Kevin’s breakfast disappears pretty quickly, Mobius washes down his coffee with his own chocolate pancake and heads back upstairs to get dressed, and Loki’s been taming Kevin’s hair near the sink for what seems like hours when Mobius returns, sleep clothes replaced with his work uniform.And it’s a little bit silly, how much the sight of it flusters Loki, but—it’s just so adorable, the striking blue vest.“Almost ready?”“Almost,” Loki says, wrinkling his nose in near frustration as he brushes out the tangles. “Actually, you know what,” he mutters, finally breaking, waving a hand over Kevin’s head and smiling proudly when it’s nice and neat in an instant. “There we are.”“Did you just magic my head?” Kevin asks, voice booming, and he runs his hands through his hair, messing it up already. “Awesome!”Loki waves his hand over it again and pats his head. “You have the worst case of bedhead in the whole universe.”Kevin turns around, blonde hair swishing, and grins up at him, big and toothy. “I’m gonna tell everyone at school. They’ll be jealous.”A rush of affection runs through him at his boy’s innocence, his pure little heart, and he can’t help but lean down and kiss the top of his head, grabbing his lunch box from the counter. “I bet they will be, darling. Have a good day, okay? Listen to your teacher and be a good example.”“Okay! I’m student of the week, so I have to be.”Mobius snorts, nodding towards the front door. Kevin takes that as permission, and puts his backpack on and grabs his lunch box so he can run out the front door. “Come on, kiddo. Don’t wanna be late.”Loki crosses the small distance that separates him from Mobius and kisses him nice and soft, humming into it. He tastes of coffee and chocolate and Mobius, and Loki will never, ever get enough of him.“You have a good day, too. Make some sales, tell Dale I said hello.”“I will, honey,” he answers, kissing him again, and again, and again. He pulls away only when they’re too giddy to continue, laughing into each other’s space. “I’ll see you later. Let me know if Sean feels any better.”“Will do,” Loki says, and he can’t quite help it—he leans in one more time, the kiss lingering for longer than any of the others did. “I’ll miss you.”Mobius is the one to flush this time, cheeks flooding a pretty pink. Loki kisses him again, because he can. “Say the word and I’ll quit.”Loki laughs, smacking his shoulder softly. “Nonsense. You love your job.”“Not as much as I love you,” he says, completely sincere. He leans in one more time, and—“Ew! Kissing!” Kevin screams, apparently over waiting on the porch, and they break apart again, laughing once more.“Okay, okay, we’re actually going to be late and it’ll be my fault,” Mobius says, checking his watch. He takes Loki’s hand and presses a kiss to his knuckles, stubble ticking his skin. “See you later, sweetheart.”“Bye, darling. Be safe.”“Always,” Mobius says, and then he’s off, closing the front door behind him.The house is immediately quiet, and Loki sighs contentedly, starting his tidying of the kitchen.When he’s finished, he makes his own breakfast, keeping his ears peeled for Sean’s voice upstairs. He’s able to finish without hearing a peep, but, alas, he’s still incredibly paranoid and, like Mobius says, a mother hen, so as soon as he puts his plate away, he’s up the stairs and knocking gently at Sean’s door.There isn’t an answer, so Loki opens the door gently, quietly, ensuring that a creak doesn’t disturb Sean’s much needed rest.He’s fast asleep again, a little color back in his face, and Loki gets closer, watches his chest rise and fall, his hand move just slightly over his sheets, comfortable in sleep.He grabs the chair that sits at Sean’s desk and sets it up to the edge of his bed, gets as comfortable as possible in it, all angles and wood, and lets out a breath, relieved when his forehead isn’t nearly as warm as an hour ago.He knows he’s hovering, knows he’s being too much, but his best memories are of when his own mother took care of him like this, never once leaving his side, singing Asgardian lullabies, petting his hair until he was soothed to sleep. He wants to be the same kind of mother, full of love, full of comfort.When he was upset, she was there. Fierce, protective, devoted, unlike his other parent. Any time he was anything other than happy, she was there, his face in her gentle hands, soft, protective words aimed at him, consoling the desperate fire inside of him.“My dear child,” she would say, and—It makes tears prick at his eyes, the memories of his mother playing on reel in his own mind, and he guesses he may exhale a little too loudly, because Sean’s eyes are fluttering open, blinking blearily at Loki at his bedside.“Sorry,” he whispers, running a hand through his blonde hair, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”“It’s okay,” Sean says, rubbing his eyes, making no move to sit up. “Is it already nighttime?”“It’s still morning, darling. I just wanted to come up here and check on you. Is the medicine working as it should be?”Sean swallows, wincing. “My throat still feels funny. But my head is getting better.”Loki leans over to grab the cup of water, waving a hand above the rim to get it warm again. “Drink some more of this.”Sean sits up, though only halfway, and takes the cup from Loki, taking in several big gulps. He sets it back on his beside drawer with a shaky hand, and rests his head on his pillow once more, letting out a tired breath.“Thank you.”“You’re welcome, darling. Always.”Sean moves around, getting comfortable, and then blinks at him, eyes drooping. “This medicine always makes me so sleepy.”“You can go back to sleep, if you need to. You don’t have to stay awake.”He hums, a bit delirious. Loki thinks he’s fallen back asleep after a moment of stretched out silence, but then his eyes open again, slowly. “Will you—will you stay?”Loki’s heart melts. He melts at his child, his and Mobius’ child, and can’t help the way his voice wavers when he answers, “Of course I will. I’ll stay right here.”“Yes, but…” he trails off, sleepy, eyes nearly closed. “Will you stay with us?”It takes a second for the words to register, but when they do, Loki’s heart physically shatters.The boys don’t talk of their mother often, know better than to get their hopes up, after all of her broken promises. Mobius doesn’t even know where she is, and his words from before—the wife’s long gone—pop into his head; all he can do is just stare at the precious boy in front of him and ache.He knows how it feels. He knows.So he reaches out, takes his small hand in his own, and squeezes lightly.“Of course,” he repeats, fierce, and it’s a miracle he isn’t letting the tears pooling in his eyes spill over. “Please don’t ever worry about that, darling. Of course I will.”Sean smiles, a tiny little exhausted thing, and lets his eyes close. “’Kay.”He doesn’t know how long he stays there, watching his own dear child, a perfect mirror of his mother, but it’s enough that his body starts to protest. The chair is just—insufficient, a terrible excuse for one, and he makes a note to get him a comfortable office chair with wheels, for his birthday.He tells Mobius this, over a phone call on his lunch break, and he laughs, tinny through the receiver.“Are you sure you want a chair with wheels in the same house as Kevin? Have you really thought that through?”“Oh. Okay. Maybe I haven’t.”Mobius laughs again, the sound a balm to Loki’s worry, and then it’s quiet for a moment. The silence crackles slightly on the phone. “On a serious note. Prepare yourself.”“Oh, dear.”“Your mother would be so proud of you,” Mobius says, and it sends a jolt through Loki’s body, where he’s standing outside of Sean’s room, careful not to wake him. “The way you take care of our boys—she’d be so proud.”“Oh,” Loki says, soft, and—well, his cheeks are wet, very suddenly, and he swipes a hand over his face to fix it. He’s about to tell him to be quiet, or laugh it off, but what comes out instead, is, “Do you—do you really think so?”Mobius doesn’t miss a beat. “I do. She always was proud of you. Her whole life.”Loki smiles, hand moving to rest over his heart—and believes it.