In The Shadows | Loki

I CHOSE TO TRUST HER JUDGEMENT

"Again!" 
        "Ophelia, that's enough." 
        "No, Nat. Again." I wipe at the blood under my nose, my breathing heavy. I hadn't been this out of breath in a long time, not after such a short workout. Nat had pinned me three times already, and I was becoming pissed off. The morning had been filled with tests and blood draws, scientific mumblings that I didn't understand. There were no conclusions, no certainties yet. "I'm fine. I am okay. Fight me."
        Storm, Logan, and the others had left right after lunch, taking all the children whose parents hadn't wanted them back to the mansion to live with the X-Men. Thankfully there were only a few that had come to that fate, and they would be well cared for by Xavier and the others. Still, it hurt to think about. 
        Nat lets out a long breath, nodding and putting herself into a fighting stance. I do the same, ignoring the pain in my muscles that was screaming at me to stop. Out of the corner of my eye, I don't miss Steve's concerned expression, mirroring Tony's. Bruce was still in the lab with Julie, working on the samples I had given them, and I was fairly sure that Loki was there as well. I didn't know how much Loki was helping, or if he just wanted to know what was happening. 
        Nat throws a punch and I quickly dodge, using a spinning kick to attempt to hit her open side. She blocks it with ease, grabbing my ankle and twisting my leg sharply to cause a fall. I hit the ground and roll, back on my feet in a few seconds. Nat swings again, catching a glancing blow on my shoulder, but I'm able to sneak a solid hit in to her abdomen. 
        "Stop!" Nat immediately pulls back, and I take in a heaving breath, straightening and turning towards the gym entrance. Loki is standing there, looking furious. He strides into the room, heading straight for me, and I know that it's because of how much pain I'm in. "Why didn't you stop?" Loki asks as he reaches the mat.
        "I'm fine-" I begin to protest, becoming more and more frustrated as this went on. 
        "You are not fine!" He replies, cutting me off. He reaches towards the bottom of my tank top, pulling it up enough to show the dark red skin on my abdomen, the beginning of bruising. A lot of bruising. I yank my shirt back down, covering it back up before crossing my arms over my chest. I don't need to look at Nat to know that she was annoyed as well. I don't miss Loki looking at Natasha and the others, annoyed at them as well.
        "She said she was okay." Natasha replies. "I chose to trust her judgement." 
        "I can feel the pain." Loki glances at me, and I let out a long breath.
        "Sorry." His glare softens, and I see the tenseness leave his body. 
        "Part of learning to be human again is learning your limits." He murmurs, quiet enough that no one else was going to hear. I nod, annoyed, but I do understand what he was saying. It didn't mean I was happy about it. "I would've had to stop you anyway. Bruce has news." He doesn't smile, he doesn't look any sort of happy about it, and what little hope I had disappears.
        "Not good news?" I ask, already knowing the answer. Loki purses his lips, glancing at the others who are obviously listening in. 
        "No. I'll let him explain though." I nod again, setting my shoulders and straightening. I give Nat a quick goodbye, leaving the room. I don't bother showering or changing. If it was just news, Bruce and Julie could deal with sweat for however long it took to explain what they found. 
        Bruce and Julie are talking quietly over a long table, glancing at a monitor screen as they work. Julie's wife is sitting close by. She hadn't wanted to leave Julie yet, and I wasn't going to blame her for sticking close. Both Julie and Bruce look up when Loki and I walk in, and there are no smiles. I walk up, knowing what was coming and dreading it. Loki squeezes my hand, his larger hand enveloping mine completely, his thumb rubbing in slow circles to soothe me. 
        "I'm told there's news?" I say when I reach the table. Bruce nods, glancing at Julie once more before speaking.
        "We've gone over the blood tests, the samples, your DNA." Bruce explains. "And.... Ophelia, there's absolutely no sign of mutation." I frown at that. 
        "That's what the cure does though, right? It removes the mutation." I ask. 
        "Well, no. Not exactly." Julie replies, quickly pulling up two other images on the monitor. "So this was your blood before. Here," she points at the DNA strand, "is your mutation. This is a strand of DNA with the original cure." She points at the middle photo. "The mutation here has been suppressed, but it hasn't disappeared. That's why the mutation slowly comes back. Now, your current DNA," She points at the final photo, "there's no mutation. No trace of mutation. Your DNA is now completely normal. No mutations, no abnormalities." Julie's arm falls, and she fidgets where she stands. 
        "What does that mean for me?" I ask carefully. Julie looks to Bruce, who takes over. 
        "With there being no trace of your mutation, I don't see there being a chance of this cure fading. It appears permanent." Bruce replies, careful to stay calm. "We can do continuous testing to check up on the status of your mutation, but..." 
        "Okay." I say quietly. "Okay." 

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

        Bruce, Julie, and I watch as Ophelia silently leaves the room, a quiet excuse of wanting to clean up and shower leaving her lips as she quickly took her leave. I nod at the scientists, quickly leaving as well. I don't follow Ophelia, knowing that she needed her space right now. She needed time to think and process, and I needed to find Thor. 
        I end up asking Stark's computer where Thor and the Warriors Three are when I cannot find them in any of the communal areas or their rooms. They're on the roof, and it's only when I reach the roof that I see why. Heimdall stands there with two Asgardian soldiers. I stop as soon as I lay eyes on them, confused as to why they were  here. 
        "Ah! Brother!" Thor exclaims when he sees me. I approach, cautious, careful to keep my distance. "I was about to ask for you."
        "What is going on?" I ask. "Why are you here?" My second question is directed at Heimdall. 
        "Your mother sent me." Heimdall replies. "She sked to be informed as to what was happening with you and Lady Winters. When she heard about the recent developments, she sent for both you and Lady Winters." I raise an eyebrow at that.
        "And Odin allowed that? I can't seem to believe that he approved of her request." I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. 
        "He did." Heimdall says calmly. "The king and your mother would like you to come back to Asgard as soon as possible." I glance at my brothers and the warriors, gauging their reactions. They all look a little surprised. 
        "And if Ophelia doesn't want to go?" I ask. "If she doesn't feel like being called like a dog?" 
        "She doesn't have to go. The request for her presence is simply that. A request." I let out a long breath. 
        "But I have no choice, I suppose?" Heimdall nods once, and I sigh. "I'll go ask Ophelia what she wishes to do. I'll let you know." I turn, walking back inside more annoyed than when I came onto the rooftop. If I was going back to Asgard, there was no need for Thor to be a messenger between my mother and I. 
        Ophelia is still in the shower, so I wait in her room, sitting on her bed. Yesterday had been relaxing. For twenty-four hours Ophelia and I were able to relax and not think of the world outside. Somehow that all came crashing down today, with one set of bad news after another. This was just icing on the cake. 
        "Loki?" I look up as the bathroom door opens, Ophelia eyeing me with confusion. "I'm okay, I promise."
        "I believe you." I reply. "That's not why I'm here." She raises an eyebrow, moving to her closet. "Heimdall has arrived. My mother requests our presence on Asgard." Ophelia shoots me a confused look. "You don't have to go if you don't wish. I, on the other hand, have no choice." She's quiet as she dresses, thinking. "You don't have to come, love. I know you've been through a lot." Ophelia shakes her head, lips pursed.
        "When do we leave?"