Work Text:
There were little hearts everywhere. They bobbed around people’s heads, pulsing and glowing and generally obstructing vision. They were also multiplying, or popping, seemingly at random or no, not at random. SHIELD reported that they multiplied when you were looking at someone you liked and popped when you looked away.
Tony had one guess who was responsible for this. Loki. For some reason the god had taken a liking to Midgardian holidays. Central Park had been overrun by reindeer on Christmas, egg laying rabbits on Easter and pigs on Chinese New Year. There had been leprechauns giving out actual pots of gold on Saint Patrick’s Day and busses enchanted to look like ships on talk like a pirate day. Of course he’d do something for Valentine’s Day.
“Do we have to?” Tony whined when Steve gave the order to suit up and find the trickster. It wasn’t as if Loki was actively hurting people or causing property destruction.
“Yes Tony,” Steve said patiently, “he’s already caused several traffic accidents and countless marital disputes.”
Tony sighed though a part of him wanted to laugh. Having little love hearts identifying who you liked could lead to more than a little awkwardness, especially if it wasn’t your partner. He was suddenly very glad that he was single.
“Fine.” The suit closed around his body and he set out to search for the Trickster, certain that Loki would have wanted to watch the chaos in person.
“JARVIS, give me a list of the busiest locations in New York right now,” Tony said, flying over a couple that seemed to be entertaining themselves by trying to pop the hearts, or perhaps trying to catch them. It was hard to tell from this height. At least someone was having fun today.
“Right away sir,” JARVIS said, a map decorated with flashing red pins appearing on his HUD. Tony altered course, flying towards the nearest one and scanning the crowds for Loki in all his horned glory.
It wasn’t until the fourth site that he found Loki sitting in a cafe, sipping a hot chocolate and picking away at a heart shaped cake. He wasn’t wearing the fucking horns. No wonder it had taken so long to find him and goddamnit those hearts were annoying.
“J, let the Avengers know where we are,” Tony said, trying to fly through a swarm of hearts. He was beginning to understand why they’d been called out for this, he couldn’t see a thing.
“They’re on their way sir,” JARVIS replied as Tony managed to bring the suit under control just before he crashed and landed in front of Loki.
“Hello Stark,” Loki smirked. “Pink is a good look on you.”
“What do you-” Tony looked down at his hands and found that where they’d once been red and gold they were now pink and white and liberally decorated with hearts. Even the repulsors were pink and heart shaped and he was almost afraid to look at the arc reactor.
Tony raised the faceplate and tried to glare at Loki but the hearts floating around his head made it impossible to see him clearly. The damned things had been multiplying ever since he spotted the god.
Oh. Oh fuck.
“Loki! Cease your trickery at once!” Thor boomed. Tony had never been so glad to see him before.
“Thor, I love what you’ve done with your hair,” Loki drawled, finishing his drink. Tony couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Thor’s pink hair. Like him Thor’s outfit had been redone in pink and white with hearts everywhere. Even Mjolnir was now heart shaped.
“I can’t wait to see what you do to Clint,” Tony said.
“You don’t have to,” Loki said, indicating the descending quinjet.
Tony burst out laughing, Clint’s suit had the new colour scheme and was complete with wings, heart-tipped arrow heads and curly pink hair. Nat had wings too and oh god. He’d turned the Hulk pink with white heart-shaped markings.
Loki grinned at them, put the last piece of cake in his mouth and vanished in a swirl of green and gold sparkles.
***
Loki loved Midgardian holidays, they practically had chaos built in and it was as if every single one was dedicated to him. It was a shame that Asgard didn’t have any such festivals.
He teleported from place to place, careful to stay just ahead of the Avengers. He didn’t want to fight them today, he just wanted as many people as possible to see them in their new and improved costumes.
“Loki, stop fleeing like a coward,” Thor roared when they caught him yet again.
“Today is a celebration of love brother, we shouldn’t be fighting,” Loki said, he smirked at the Avengers and then frowned when he saw that Iron Man wasn’t with them. Perhaps Stark was trying to sneak up behind him?
He teleported to another vantage point but no, still no Iron Man. Loki supposed that he could have been called away to deal with something else but Iron Man never just left him. It was unacceptable.
Loki teleported away, set an illusion to occupy the rest of the Avengers and went in search of Stark.
He eventually tracked Iron Man down helping out the victims of a car crash, which was a worthy cause, but not, to his mind, worth abandoning their usual banter.
“Hello Stark.”
“I’m busy,” Stark replied, not looking at him, all of his attention on helping a young lady out of her mangled car. Loki huffed, magicked the girl free and healed her injuries.
“And now you’re not.”
Stark snorted. “I’m Iron Man, I’m always busy Prancer.”
“Look at me Stark.” Iron Man continued to stubbornly stare at the ground. Loki frowned, thinking over their earlier interaction, the way the usually graceful Stark had almost crashed, the way he hadn’t been able to make eye contact once he was safely on the ground.
Oh. His frown turned into a smile and he cast the heart spell one more time.
“Look at me Anthony,” he said, hearts multiplying around him. Anthony twitched, looking at him sidelong, and then his head snapped up and he stared.
“Hello Anthony.”
Tony swallowed. “Loki.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah,” Tony agreed hoarsely. “Yeah, it is.”
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Loki said since it seemed that for once in his life Tony Stark wasn’t going to take the initiative. Anthony just nodded and Loki leaned in to press their lips together.