In The Shadows | Loki

YOU'RE LYING TO ME

Loki~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        I glance up as the Captain and his friend walk into the room. Most of the team was in the common room, and I was sitting on the couch, reading another of the works of Shakespeare that Natasha had suggested. She was in one of the large armchairs, watching the news. Barton, Stark, and Starks woman, Pepper, were all sitting at the bar area. Stark and Pepper were doing Paperwork, and Barton was doing... I wasn't sure what, actually.
        I feel another throb of pain in my abdomen, and I grimace. I had been feeling aches all morning, but they were getting steadily worse. It had gone from a deep, throbbing pain, to one that felt like a sharp, twisting knife.
        "Captain." He and his friend look up, surprised. "What did you do to damage Ophelia this morning? She's been in pain for several hours now." Steve frowns. 
        "Nothing?" He offers. "She cancelled training this morning. No idea why." I raise an eyebrow. "I actually haven't seen her since yesterday morning training." 
        "And you don't know where she is." Cap shakes his head. "Shouldn't you?"
        "Nope." There's a long silence as I wait for him to elaborate, and after a second, he does. "Well, for one, she doesn't have to tell me everything she's doing. For two, we aren't dating anymore, so she really owes me nothing." The room goes quiet as everyone turns to look at Steve. He glances around. "Did she not tell any of you guys?" 
        "You two broke up?" Pepper asks, and Steve nods. 
        "She ended it at the party. I thought she would've mentioned it to you guys." The party had been almost two weeks ago. I blink slowly, my mind whirling. I don't miss Nat's eyes darting towards me, a small, mischievous smile on her face. 
        "So you have no idea why she's in pain?" I ask, and Steve shakes his head. 
        "Jarvis, where's Ophelia?" Nat asks.
        "Her bedroom, ma'am." Jarvis answers, and Nat shrugs. 
        "You said she's been in pain for hours?" She looks back to me, and I nod. "Where?"
        "Her abdomen." I reply after a moment, and Nat frowns a little more. "Perhaps she's ill, and I'm feeling the effects of that?" I offer. Nat ignores me, pulling out her phone. 
        "Does anyone tell you that it's really weird that you two can feel each other's pain?" Tony asks. I roll my eyes, focusing back on my book. "Because it is really weird." The team begins to go back to what they're doing, focusing on other things. The pain in my abdomen gets a little worse.
        That's when Natasha begins to laugh. She loses it, her entire body shaking as her laughs keep coming. Everyone looks at her, some startled, some a little scared. 
        "Tasha..." Barton trails off, giving her a worried look. She shakes her head, waving him off. She gets to her feet, disappearing down the hallway in a fit of laughter. 
        "I'm actually scared right now." I hear Tony whisper.
        "For once, Stark, you and I agree on something." I murmur. Nat returns, throwing something at me. I snatch the small object out of the air, frowning at the small white bottle. "What am I supposed to do with this?" I ask, and Nat shrugs. 
        "Go give it to Ophelia. She asked for it, and she can tell you what the pain is." I give her a long look, but nod, putting my book on the table as I get back on my feet. From across the room, I hear Pepper let out a soft "oh." Then she starts to laugh as well. 
        "Wait, what? You know what's going on?" Pepper pats Stark on his shoulder, shaking her head.
        "I'll tell you when you're more mature." She murmurs, looking back down at her paperwork. She's trying to smother a smile, but it isn't working. I ignore it, quickly leaving the room. I move through the hallways, ignoring the pain. I slow when I reach Ophelia's door. I only hesitate for a moment before knocking. When there's no response, I try the door handle, and the door swings open easily. 
        Ophelia's room is simple, but messy. Clothes are piled on her armchair, and her desk looks like a warzone. It made me want to laugh. I take a few steps in, and the pile of blankets on her bed move. "Natasha?" A tired voice asks.
        "She sent me, Love." I hear a groan as the blankets move again, and I catch a glimpse of silver hair. "She said you asked for this?" I hold up the small white bottle, and Ophelia's head appears. 
        "Thanks." She looks more exhausted the closer I get. She's still in her pajamas, an her hair is sticking every which way. I hand her the small bottle, and her hand is hot when I hand it over. I frown.
        "You're in pain." Ophelia blinks in surprise, frowning. "A lot of pain." 
        "You can feel that?" She asks, and I nod. "I'm sorry." I raise an eyebrow. Surely the pain wasn't intentional. She hesitates before speaking again, looking down at the bottle in her hand. "I just didn't think you'd feel natural pain."
        "Natural pain?" She nods at my question. 
        "Cramps." I frown, still confused. "Do women on Asgard have periods?" She asks after a moment. "For reproductive purposes?"
        "Monthly cycles?" I ask after a moment, and she nods. "Of course they do. Do you feel pain during yours?" Another nod. "That's..."
        "Nature being evil." Ophelia chuckles. "I feel bad for you. Mine get pretty bad for a day or two. Usually between the pain medication," She holds up the bottle, "and the heat they're bearable. Still, I'll be in here for most of the day. These aren't going away, and I don't want to move. It makes it worse." She lays back down, and I realize that it's my cue to go, but I don't move. She's curled in a ball under those blankets, and I can feel just how much pain she's actually in. 
        "The heat usually works?" I ask, and she nods. "Can I try something?" She hesitates, but gives me another faint nod. I reach forward, tugging the heated pad away from her bare stomach. 
        "What-" She stops when I replace the heat with my cold hand. She sucks in a breath through her teeth in a soft hiss. 
        "Give it a moment." I murmur, willing my frost giant side to stay just beneath the surface. The soothing cold stays, and I see her shoulders slowly drop as she relaxes. The pain dims a little, the cold helping. "That's better." I could feel it, and she knew it, but she nods anyway. 
        "Thanks." I hear her whisper, her eyes fluttering shut. It's quiet for a few moments, and I can't help but ask.
        "Why was Romanoff laughing when she sent me this way?" I ask, and Ophelia's eyes open again. "Ms. Potts as well." Ophelia cracks a small smile.
        "Most men are uncomfortable when it comes to discussing periods." She pauses. "Monthly cycles." She amends. "Nat probably thought you'd get flustered and uncomfortable. She was probably messing with you." 
        "I see." I reply carefully. I move slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Can I ask..." I trail off, unsure of how she'd react to the question. Ophelia raises an eyebrow. "Why do you and the Captain... separate?" Her eyes widen ever so slightly in surprise, but she quickly looks away, shrugging.
        "It wasn't working. I knew we wouldn't work well, so I ended it." She replies quickly. "It wasn't a big deal. We're going to stay friends." She's lying, but I'm not sure why.
        "Why not tell anyone then?" She hesitates, and I can practically see her mind whirling to think of what to say.
        "Like I said. It wasn't a big deal." Her eyes flick up to mine.
        "You're lying to me." 
        "You lied to me about the fight. You wanna tell me what that was about?" She snaps quickly. I raise an eyebrow at her quick defense. I wait, but she doesn't say another word. 
        "I think it's time for me to go." I say after a moment, standing. Ophelia's hand darts out, her fingers wrapping around my wrist.
        "Wait-" I stop, and she sighs. "We broke up because of me. I just... I don't want to talk about it right now." Not a lie, but not the truth either. "Stay?"
        "You want me to stay?" I ask, a little confused. I knew she didn't hate me like most of the team, but I also didn't believe that there was much more on her mind than friendship. She lets out a long breath, running a hand through her hair. 
        "Yes." An honest response. "I'm comfortable around you, and I'm sure you don't want to go back out there." She wasn't wrong. "Just sit with me. We could talk, or just watch a movie or something." I hesitate. "You could finally teach me some magic? Honestly, we can do anything." I feel another twist of pain in my abdomen, and her face moves to a small, pained expression for a few seconds. She needed me to sooth the pain. That was all.
        "Alright."