Lokius. No TVA AU. Barista Loki (he comes from old money but he enjoys his job and it annoys his father so you can pry this job out of his cold dead hands). Awkward, adorable Mobius.
This would be easy to tweak into Loki/Don instead, if one would prefer.
PROMPT.
Mobius has been coming to this coffee shop before heading to the office every morning for 3 years. The fact that he goes only in the morning and not during his lunch hour or after work has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his favorite barista always works morning shift every day.
Nor does the fact that he has had a crush on that barista since the first time he came into this shop.
He never mentions that it's actually three streets out of of his way in the wrong direction. After all, that is totally irrelevant.
His favorite barista is there this morning, as usual. Loki smiles at him in that way that absolutely does not make Mobius go weak in the knees at all.
These are inappropriate thoughts. He was 25 when you met him and he's 28 now and you're 36. Stop being a dirty old man and order your damn coffee. Your mother didn't raise you to be a cradle robber.
"Hello, Mobius. Your usual?" Loki asked, looking him up and down, tongue poking out just the slightest bit to soothe where he had been biting the edge of his lip a moment ago.
Mobius insisted to himself that meant nothing. What would Loki want with him? Maybe he noticed Mobius's embarrassing crush and was teasing him to make light of it.
After all, Loki was tall, dark, handsome and so intelligent. The lithe build complete with all that delicious muscle. Not bulky, but lean. Legs for miles. Long torso. Swanlike neck.
Is it hot in here all of a sudden?
Mobius cleared his throat. "Yeah, Lokes. You know me so well," he said.
Loki grinned. "Well, you've been a regular for three years so I would hope so. Besides your order is unique."
Mobius did have a sweet tooth.
He paid, tipping obscenely generously, and stepped aside to let others order and to watch Loki work.
Gods but he was beautiful. Not like Mobius, with his prematurely graying hair, slight protruding stomach and obvious love handles.
Soon, Loki called his name and held up his drink.
Mobius blushed when their fingers brushed as Loki handed him his drink rather than setting it down on the counter.
Loki smiled at him, and was it Mobius or did his hand linger a moment too long before Loki let go? No, it had to be Mobius's imagination.
"Have a lovely day at work, Mobius," Loki said in a tone that had Mobius's brain needing to do a mini reboot.
"See ya later, Lokes, love you," Mobius said as he headed out the door and onto the sidewalk.
Oh gods, did I really just say that?? Shit. Shit, shit, shit! What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I just be normal??
He kept walking like he didn't realize what he had just said and wasn't panicking about it at all, refusing to look back.
Well, there was no choice now. He would just have to keep walking. Maybe leave town. He certainly couldn't come back to the coffee shop again. He'd have to change his name and start a new life somewhere across the country.
Bea was going to laugh her ass off at him when he got to work. She'd pry it out of him somehow.
