Lokius. Intersex Loki. Trans Mobius. Menstruation.
Mobius has gone his whole very long life thinking that extremely painful periods were normal. That it was just something that everyone went through if they had the parts to support such a thing.
It isn't until Loki is with him for a while that he begins to question that. Loki's cycle had not been anywhere near like what Mobius's had been. But he told himself that Loki wasn't a good measure for this. He was a god, he wasn't the same species as Mobius, and he had a shockingly high pain tolerance and ability to work through pain that would make an ordinary person shatter.
Still, it gave him pause for a moment before he was able to talk himself out of it.
But then the first time he had his period when Loki was around, it was actually Loki who commented. Mobius was far too pale, far too clammy. At first he had thought Mobius was ill with a fever or something. He'd been quite concerned, especially when he had noticed that Mobius had a fine tremor throughout his whole body but most notable to Loki at first when he noticed it in Mobius's hands while he held papers.
Mobius had said he was fine, just on his period and he'd get through it.
Loki had been horrified and insisted that that was not normal and suggested Mobius go to the med bay.
Mobius had refused, laughed it off, genuinely but confusedly thanked Loki for his concern, and went back to work.
Loki had pursed his lips but said nothing else for a bit.
Not until they were walking down a hall, bickering as usual about something work-related, when Mobius just suddenly...collapsed, right into Loki's arms.
Loki had been so alarmed that he had lifted Mobius into his arms like in a bridal carry and sprinted to the med bay.
When he woke up, he had already been changed into hospital clothes and an IV drip of some sort had been started. He had noticed the pain was less, so he assumed either he'd been given an injection or the IV drip was medicated.
Loki had been sitting next to the bed, and at first he hadn't noticed when Mobius opened his eyes. He'd appeared to be lost in thought, one hand up to his mouth, his index finger rubbing at his mouth in a gesture Mobius had only ever seen on a large screen in a theater.
"Loki?" Mobius asked, softly.
"Mobius!" Loki nearly jumped in order to get closer to Mobius as quickly as possible. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Did they give me something?" Mobius asked.
"Yes. I told them everything I'd noticed about you and that you said you were menstruating. They agreed this was not normal, but they couldn't find anything wrong," Loki admitted.
"Because, it is normal. Periods hurt," Mobius said with a shrug.
"Yes, they often do," Loki agreed, knowingly. "And they do often come along with a general feeling of...unwellness and fatigue. But, they should not hurt so much that you lose the color in your face, that you shake and collapse. They want to do further testing, but they need to requisition some specialized equipment."
Mobius winced. "That's a lot of effort to go to just to tell me I'm on my period, Loki," he said.
Loki had to purse his lips and take a moment to calm himself. Mobius did not need his frustration. He was dealing with enough without Loki angrily and loudly lecturing him as if he had done something wrong. Whatever was happening to Mobius to cause his period to be this painful was not Mobius's fault and for whatever reason he had been led to believe it was normal at some point such that he was stubbornly convinced of it.
"Perhaps," Loki relented instead. "But it doesn't hurt anything to let them do the tests they would like to do. Maybe there is a way to lessen the pain."
"I've tried what people say, it doesn't help," Mobius said with a disappointed sigh.
"What have you tried?" Loki asked.
"Heat, medication, birth control. Just, so much. The whole nine yards," Mobius said.
Loki was unfamiliar with the term but he could gather what it meant. "Alright. So, those things do not work. Maybe something else will."
"I doubt it. I think this is just how I am," Mobius said.
"Would it be so bad to check and make sure?" Loki asked, gently.
"....Well, I mean. I guess not," Mobius admitted.
"So, then, please. For my peace of mind, if not yours. I was so terrified when you collapsed like that mid-sentence, Mobius," Loki said, gentle and so intensely sincere while still managing to be quiet and soft that was something only Loki seemed to be able to manage and only ever used on Mobius.
Loki wasn't trying to be manipulative or to guilt trip his lover. He really wasn't. And he knew this wasn't about him, but if Mobius wouldn't see through his own eyes how unsettling his periods were then perhaps he would realize it if he saw it through someone else's eyes. A different perspective. And he wanted Mobius to know that he wasn't trying to be combative with him or suffocating or infantilizing to Mobius. He was just very concerned because he loved and cared about him and wanted him to be okay.
"Okay," Mobius said, sighing.
Loki sighed with relief and gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you, darling. I know this is not ideal and you'd rather be anywhere but here. I'll go get a nurse."
