In The Shadows | Loki

I DIDN'T THINK YOU REMEMBERED ME

 "Ms. Winters, Mr. Stark wanted me to inform you that the pizza for dinner has arrived." I glance up from the SHIELD paperwork I was working through.
        "Thanks J." I say, a little relieved that I was getting a break. I quickly slide off my bed, leaving my room to head towards the main room. I glance at Loki's door, frowning a little when it stays closed. "J, did anyone tell Loki?"
        "Mr. Stark did have me inform Mr. Odinson, but he does not appear to be joining you all for dinner." I frown, quickly stepping up to his door and knocking. He doesn't respond, so I knock again. After a moment, I hear movement, and the door opens. Loki raises an eyebrow when he sees me.
        "Dinner's ready. C'mon." I gesture towards the hallway. "Let's go." Loki gives me a long look.
        "I'll be fine, Love." He replies, moving to shut the door.
        "What?" I ask, quickly sticking out a foot and stopping the door. "No, you're eating. I don't care if you don't want to deal with superheroes, you tied yourself to me. You want me, you get them too. We all have to eat, and I don't know if I'm going to feel twice as hungry if you don't eat." He sighs, and I cross my arms. "I'm not leaving."
        "I've realized that." He murmurs. "None of them will want me there. The only reason they bothered to inform me there was food is so they won't feel guilty later." He informs me.
        "Thor wants you there, and I'm clearly not complaining. There. You've got two." I push his door open a little farther with my foot before taking a step back. "And you're living here now, so get used to it. Now, c'mon. I'm hungry." Loki gives me a long look, and I shrug, turning and walking down the hallway. After a few seconds, I hear footsteps following me down the hallway. 
        "Winters, great. Just the.... and magic man." I raise an eyebrow, and Tony backs off, remembering our argument from a couple of days ago. He clears his throat. "Right, Winters, I've got two things before we eat."
        "And those are?" I ask, sitting down next to Clint. Loki stays a couple of feet behind me, and I don't miss Clint casting him a cautious look. 
        "Well, the media has changed your name. You're no longer called the Silver Blade." I raise an eyebrow.
        "They're calling you the Silver Death." Nat replies, voice void of any emotion. "Because of what happened in London." I blink slowly, pressing my lips into a thin line. After a long moment, I lean forward, opening the pizza box and grabbing a slice.
        "And the other thing?" I ask.
        "Ophelia-"
        "Look, I can't change what people are calling me." I cut Steve off, looking up at him. "So what's the other thing?" I take a bite of my pizza, waiting for Tony to say something.
        "There's a woman in the lobby that Happy is keeping an eye on because she tried to hijack the pizza delivery guy to get up here." Tony replies after a minute. I raise an eyebrow.
        "And that has to do with me how...?" I ask, taking another bite
        "I'm pretty sure it's your sister." I freeze at Tony's words, my head snapping up. "Someone's been harassing my receptionists with phone calls for a while, and apparently she showed up earlier today, but since she didn't have an appointment, she was asked to leave the premises. I didn't even know about it until a few minutes ago." 
        "Tony, that isn't funny." I murmur, giving him a long look. 
        "He's not lying." Loki replies quietly from behind me. "If that helps." I glance behind me at Loki, unsure if he could feel what I was feeling. If his heart was pounding because mine was. I didn't know if he could feel this kind of pain. 
        "Well." I stop, unsure of what to say. 
        "I can have Happy remove her from the building if you want?" Tony offers, glancing around at everyone for some sort of support. I shake my head.
        "If she's as stubborn as she was when she was five, she'll sit outside the building." I reply, looking down at the piece of pizza in my hand. "I'll.... I'll go talk to her." 
        "Ophelia, you really don't have to-" Clint starts, but I shake my head, tossing the half-eaten pizza slice onto a paper plate.
        "Someone died or something. It's the only reason anyone in my family would look for me, and honestly I didn't even think that'd do it." I stand up, squaring my shoulders. "Go ahead and eat, this shouldn't take long." The team stays silent, and I know they're watching as I walk over to the elevator and punch the down button harder than necessary. I step inside the opening elevator and hit the button for the lobby. 
        "Loki!" I barely hear Thor's exclamation before I turn to see Nat step inside, and right behind her, Loki. Nat turns to look at him, jaw clenched. 
        "Guys. I'm fine."
        "They all hate me, and you forced me out there. If you aren't there, they might conveniently forget we're connected." Loki explains with a  small shrug. I glance at Nat.
        "I'm curious." She replies nonchalantly. I let out a long breath, rolling my eyes. 
        "Right." I huff, watching the elevator doors open. The first thing I see is the back of Happy's head, and a woman frantically gesturing. "Damn." I murmur under my breath. Happy must hear the elevator, because he turns, and the woman and I lock eyes. She stops, and I slowly begin my walk over, wishing I hadn't left the living room.
        "Ms. Winters." Happy greets with a small nod.
        "I've got this Happy. You should go home and relax." He hesitates, glancing at my sister before nodding once.
        "I'll be in my office." Happy says after a moment, giving my sister a long look. "Call me if you need me." He walks towards his office, and it's silent for a few moments. I sigh, glancing out the windows in the lobby before turning my attention to my sister.
        "Cordelia...." I shake my head. "What are you-" I'm not even able to finish my sentence before Cordelia has launched herself towards me. I raise my arms out of instinct to protect myself, startled, and my arms get trapped between us as she squeezes me tightly. My eyes go wide.
        "I've been looking for you for years." She whispers. "Mom and Dad wouldn't tell me anything, and they kept trying to stop me. Henry refused to tell me anything. No one would help." She lets me go and takes a step back, wiping at her eyes. "And then I saw the attack on Alcatraz, and I thought the woman was you, but I wasn't sure, and no matter how much I called no one would tell me anything. Then New York, and then I knew, I knew it was you." 
        She finally stops speaking, a smile spreading on her face.  "Cordelia...." I trail off after a second. Her smile slowly fades. "I don't know what you want me to say." Her shoulders drop. 
        "Um..." Her mouth opens, then snaps shut. "I haven't seen you since I was five."
        "Exactly." I reply. "I didn't think you remembered me, let alone that you were trying to find me." It's like I'm watching her physically deflate from her high.
        "I... I thought you'd be happy." She says after a moment. "I know it isn't the whole family, but..."
        "Woah, wait. Wait." I say quickly, stepping forward and placing a hand on her arm. "I am happy, I'm just overwhelmed. I didn't think I'd ever see any of you ever again." She nods after a long moment. 
        "Could we get coffee tomorrow?" She asks, looking hopeful. "I'm in the city for a couple of weeks. We could... talk. Get to know each other." She smiles, and she looks so innocent and genuine that I can't help but nod. 
        "What would we even talk about?" I ask with a small laugh. "We don't know anything about each other. I don't know how a sister is supposed to act."
        "Um." Cordelia pauses, glancing around. "Boys, I think? I'm engaged."
        "Ophelia's got a date with Captain America." Nat snorts. My head snaps towards her. "What? Steve talks to me." 
        "A date?" Loki asks, and when I glance over, he's got a confused look on his face. Cordelia looks over as well, and frowns a little. 
        "Is that the guy who destroyed New York?" Cordelia asks in a quiet voice. 
        "Steve asked her out to explore the possibility of them having a romantic relationship together." Nat explains, and Loki stills. After a long moment, he arches an eyebrow. 
        "You and the Captain." He muses under his breath, shaking his head. "Interesting." 
        "Oh man, there is so many questions. So many." Cordelia breathes. "But they'll wait until tomorrow. I can wait until tomorrow. I've been waiting for over a decade, so I can wait another day. Can I give you my phone number? I'll give you my phone number." She scrambles, digging through her purse. She quickly writes down her number. "Just, um, text me the time, and I'll be there. I'll definitely be there." There's a long pause. "I'm doing too much too quickly aren't I?"
        "No, I've just been through a lot the past few weeks, so this definitely hasn't helped. To be honest, when I was told that you were in the lobby, I did not think you were here for a good reason."
        "Oh." She says after a moment. "Okay. I get it." She nods rapidly.
        "Mom and dad don't know you're here, do they?" I ask, and after a second, she shakes her head.
        "I'm a grown ass woman. They don't need to know." She hesitates, but then moves forward, quickly wrapping me in another hug. "I'm sorry. I've been looking for you for years, so this is just surreal."
        "Yeah." I glance at Nat. "I know the feeling."