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You whistled as you flipped another pancake up in the air and watched it perfectly land back in the pan. You had already made a huge pile of pancakes for the other Avengers, but you weren’t slowing down - not until Thor arrived. Thor had been gone for two weeks on important royal Asgard business and you missed him. Jokingly, everyone called him your ‘big brother’ since you two had become close. You were fine with that; Thor reminded you a lot of your brother. So, to welcome back your ‘brother,’ you were baking pancakes: a favorite of the god.
“Jeez Sunshine,” Stark said, entering the kitchen. “Think you made enough pancakes?”
“Not yet!” You replied with a smile. “Thor isn’t here yet and he is bringing his brother. They both have to have some.”
Maybe Thor had heard you talking about him because as you finished your sentence, the elevator for Stark Tower dinged. Everyone looked over and sure enough, the god of thunder entered. With a happy squeal, you forgot about your pancakes and ran towards Thor.
“Finally, you’re back!” You said.
“Ah, there she is!” Thor grinned, opening up his arms and hugging you.
Thor picked you up and twirled you around. When you were placed back down on the floor, you noticed Loki.
Of course you knew who Loki was. There wasn’t a single person in New York who didn’t remember what he did. It had been years since he tried to take over, but some people still held a grudge. According to Thor, his brother had changed and wanted to do better. The idea to let him join the Avengers had been met with skepticism. Besides Thor, Bruce, Steve and even Sam thought it was a good idea. Natasha and Clint hadn’t been on board with the idea, but after some convincing, they agreed. Tony still didn’t like the idea, but realized he was outnumbered. He was shocked when you said you thought Loki deserved a second chance.
So here was the infamous lord of mischief standing next to his brother and looking rather uncomfortable. It was odd; he was so bold when he was trying to invade. Nevertheless, you smiled at him and offered him your hand.
“Welcome to the tower Loki,” You said. “I’m Solar but my real name is Y/N.”
Loki just stared at your hand and then nodded. Well, this was awkward. That wasn’t going to deter you.
“I’ve made pancakes to welcome back Thor,” You said. “Uh oh! I left the pan on the stove!”
You ran back to the stove, thankful to find that Tony had saved your precious pancake. Sighing with relief, you poured more batter onto the pan.
“Panned cake?” Loki asked. “That sounds absolutely horrid.”
“You haven’t even tried them,” Thor said. “Y/N uses fresh blackberries in them and even makes her own whipped cream.”
“Whipped cream?” You could hear the confusion in his voice. “Do all mortals give their foods such strange and unappealing names?”
Loki was being obtuse on purpose. It was fine he was insulting your cooking, he was nervous. You could see Natasha, Tony and Steve giving Loki disapproving looks, but they said nothing. You piled a stack of pancakes onto a plate and handed them to Thor. You grabbed a second plate and placed two pancakes on it.
“You guys are probably hungry due to your trip,” You said. “Here you go.”
Thor sat down and dug in with gusto. Loki sat down, but he stared at the food before him. He glanced up at you and you just smiled. Sighing, Loki carefully cut a piece of the pancake. He stared at it before taking a bite.
“Well?” you asked.
“It’s not awful,” he admitted.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” You said as you turned back to the stove.
“You’re way too nice Sunshine,” Tony said.
You shrugged as Loki gave Tony a confused look.
“Why does he call you that?” He asked.
“It’s her nickname,” Thor said between bites. “Her real name is Y/N but due to her powers and sunny disposition, she’s earned the nickname Sunshine.”
“Hm,” was all Loki said.
The first week of having Loki at the tower had been interesting.
Not bad, just interesting.
Steve, being the man he was, openly was trying to make Loki feel welcome. Of course Thor was trying to get his brother to relax, but a few of the other Avengers had surprised you. Natasha would sit next to Loki during breakfast, not saying anything and then she’d get up. It wasn’t much, but it seemed like they were forming a friendship. Bucky gave Loki a wide berth, but he was cordial. Then of course, there was you.
Your mother had taught you to be nice. Niceness went a long way according to her and you never knew how one small act of kindness could brighten someone’s day. So, you tried to live by the golden rule; do unto others as you would have them do to you. That didn’t apply to villains, of course, but Loki didn’t seem like a villain. Thor had talked about his childhood; he was the golden child while Loki was the black sheep. As a prince, he was respected; but he wasn’t adored like Thor. You could imagine how frustrating that could have been. Thor was amazing: he radiated warmth and bravery; of course Loki fell in his shadow.
Each day, you cheerily greeted Loki in the morning and always saved him some breakfast. When you went out to lunch, you’d offer to buy him something. Since your sweet tooth often demanded you make snack runs, you’d grab something for Loki. He didn’t do anything until Friday.
You were cooking dinner, whistling to yourself as you mashed the potatoes. As usual, you were focused solely on cooking so you didn’t notice Loki. He was sitting at the counter, watching you. A minute had passed before he said something.
“I don’t understand you,” he said.
“Eek!” You jumped slightly. “Don’t scare me like that! My heart almost popped out of my chest.”
“What is this?” Loki ignored what you had said.
He was holding the small teddy bear you had bought at a flea market; it had dark, brown fur with a little heart in its paw.
“Cute, isn’t it?” You went back to your cooking. “Saw it at the flea market with Buck. Thought of you.”
“Is this a joke?”
“What?” You stopped and looked at him. “A joke?”
“I thought you were mocking me at first,” Loki said. “But I’ve watched you. You’re nice to everyone in this god-forsaken tower. Why?”
“Why not?” You responded.
“But what do you gain?”
“Do you gain from being mean?” You returned. “Nothing. What’s the point of making people feel mis--OW!”
You hadn’t been paying attention and you had touched the pot without thinking. Wincing, you grabbed your hand and looked at the burn. Well, it wasn’t that bad but it hurt. As you turned around, you found Loki right in front of you. This was the closest you had been to him. Seeing him up close, you save his intense features along with his deep blue eyes. Gulping, you felt your face turn red as he took your hand in his. Unlike Thor, Loki’s hands were soft and cold.
“You burned yourself,” He inspected your hand.
“Yes, I did,” You averted his gaze. “I’ll go run it under some water.”
Loki ignored you as he held your hand closer to him. You felt your pain melt away and when you looked down, you saw the burn was gone. Oh, he was a god. Of course, he had the power to heal you.
“Are all mortals so fragile?” He asked, his voice soft.
“No, I’m just clumsy sometimes,” You answered. “I also didn’t want to ignore your question so I focused more on you than the cooking.”
Loki stared at you, his piercing blue eyes making your knees knock.
“I find you so confusing,” He said. “But it’s a welcome confusion.”
“Thank you. For healing me,” You said. “I better get back to cooking. Gotta make sure everyone eats.”
Loki finally let go of your hand and you returned to the stove.
It had taken a whole month before Loki would leave the tower.
It had been another Friday and you needed to go to the farmer’s market. Everyone else was busy so you were resigned to go alone. As you searched for your keys, Loki had teleported beside you.
“EEP! Loki, do I have to put a bell on you? Stop doing that!”
“I will stop teleporting once you stop amusing me with your reactions,” He replied, a small smile on his lips. “Going somewhere?”
“To the Farmer’s Market,” You replied. “Got to grab some eggplant and a few other things for dinner tonight.”
“Please tell me you’re not going by yourself,” Loki said.
“Yeah, why?” You looked at him.
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“Last time I checked, I’m an Avenger. I can handle shopping.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I tagged along,” Loki materialized your keys out of nowhere.
“Did you----you know you could just come with me,” You went to grab your keys, but Loki pocketed them. “Um, I’m going to need those.”
“I shall be driving.”
“Like hell you are.”
Thankfully, you managed to get your keys back and you hopped into your bright, yellow BMW Bug. Loki made some comment about the sickening coloring, but you ignored him. When you got to the farmer’s market, Loki put his glasses on and followed behind you at a distance. You weren’t going to nag him or beg him to be closer: it was all about his comfort level. Even if he wasn’t extremely close, it was nice having him around.
For a second, it seemed like things would be nice and normal.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Loki’s voice made you turn around and you were shocked at what you saw. There was another man with him and Loki had his hand around the other’s wrist. You were ready to tell Loki to let go when you noticed the phone on the ground. It had fallen on it’s back and there was a picture on the screen. It was unmistakably a picture of your underwear. You picked up the cellphone, appalled by what you were seeing.
“You’re hurting me, let go, man!”
“I will do no such thing, ‘man,’ until you explain to me what you were doing,” Loki’s voice was filled with venom.
“He took a picture of my underwear,” You said, looking up at him. “Were you aiming your camera underneath my skirt?”
“Oh, come on! If you didn’t want attention, you wouldn’t be wearing that short skirt!”
That had been the wrong thing to say. Loki let go of the offender’s wrist and proceeded to materialize a dagger out of thin air. Without breaking a sweat, he sliced a good chunk of the offender’s side. The man fell over, screaming in pain. People began to gather around; a few people took out their cellphones and filmed the entire thing. You felt useless since you felt like you couldn’t move. Also, you didn’t want to tell Loki to stop. This asshole deserved what he was getting.
Eventually, security arrived and after taking your statement along with the statements of others and viewing some of the footage from other people’s cellphones, the creep was taken away in an ambulance and cuffs. When everything was said and done, you wanted to go back to the tower. Sniffling, you turned your head back. Loki grabbed your arm and made you look at him. Then you felt something sticky on his hands. Glancing down, you saw blood.
“Blood!” You said. “That asshole got blood on you.”
“He did?” Loki asked.
“Oh god, you’re going to ruin your clothes,” You reached into your purse. “Where’s my handkerchief?”
“Were you going to just leave?” Loki asked.
“Stand still,” You said. “When we get home, I’ll run it under some warm water.”
“You’re evading my question,” Loki hummed. “You haven’t even finished your shopping.”
“You’re distracting me,” You lied.
“Y/N,”
Hearing him say your name made your heart flip flop. You continued to press the handkerchief into his wound, but you looked up to stare into his eyes.
“I---I don’t feel that comfortable being here anymore,” You admitted. “It might just be better if we order in tonight.”
“I’m here,” Loki held your hand in his. “We’re not leaving because some lout decided he had a right to you and your body.”
“Thank you for that by the way,” You managed to smile. “That was really kind of you.”
“It was the honorable thing to do,” Loki said.
The two of you realized you were still holding hands and you both released, faces red. Coughing, you picked up your reusable bag.
“I guess we could stay a little longer,” You admitted.
“Good. I’d rather eat real food than that damnable Taco Bell.”
“What is this?” Natasha asked, pointing to her phone.
Great, the tabloids had gotten ahold of the pictures.
“It’s a phone,” You replied snarkily.
“Ha ha ha,” Natasha said. “Y/N, he’s holding your hand.”
Someone had snapped a picture of Loki holding your hand. Underneath the picture, it read ‘Superhero Romance or Supervillain Trickery?’ God, as if things weren’t complicated enough with Loki. Things were getting normal, but it seemed like the two of you kept getting put in awkward, close situations. The burn thing was fine, it had been contained. This? This was not contained. If the tabloids had gotten hold of the picture, then it was most likely on the internet.
“He was just making sure I was okay after that creep took a picture of my underwear,” You pushed Natasha’s phone away. “That’s all.”
“No, it’s more than that,” Natasha picked up her phone. “That look on his face, Y/N. I’ve never seen that look before. He looks like he genuinely cares.”
“Yeah, because we’re friends.”
“No, because he wants you to be something else to him,” Natasha said. “Y/N, stop being naive.”
“Natasha, stop being nosy,” You replied.
“So, when’s the wedding, Stringbean?”
Sam flopped a newspaper in front of Loki. The god gave the human a look before glancing down at the picture. Someone had snapped a picture of him with Y/N. Before Loki could do anything, Thor grabbed the paper and read the headline.
“Do Superheroes Fall in Love,” He read. “The infamous Loki and Solar of the Avengers were caught holding hands at a farmer’s market after a creep tried to go too close.”
“You didn’t mention anything about holding hands,” Sam continued. “When should I get my tux?”
“Do you want to live up to your name, “Falcon,” because I will turn you into a bird if you don’t stop,” Loki threatened.
“Sam is right, brother,” Thor said. “You didn’t mention you fancied Y/N.”
“I don’t!” Loki said.
“That reaction says otherwise,” Sam said. “Let me know when to call the baker for a cake.”
“Falcon, I swear to God,” Loki hissed.
“Brother, you shouldn’t be ashamed,” Thor closed the paper and wrapped an arm around his brother’s neck. “Y/N would make a great companion.”
“Oh please,” Loki rolled his eyes. “As if she would ever be with the likes of me.”
“Um, who is this and what have you done with Loki?” Sam asked. “Also, you have met Y/N right? She’s the nicest person on the planet.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean she’d want to be with me,” Loki sighed. “There are plenty of better men for her. Men who aren’t me. Excuse me.”
Loki got up from the table and headed towards his room. He knew Sam was just teasing him and that Thor was being supportive, but it hurt. It hurt because he knew he’d never have you. Why would you want him? He wasn’t a fool: there was no way in hell you’d ever want to be in a romantic relationship with him - and he wasn’t going to even entertain the idea.
Seeing you in battle was interesting.
Loki had seen you use your powers before. Thanks to a scientific accident, you had obtained the power to control solar power. You could make powerful blasts, turn sunshine into a string to control and somehow, you could fly. It was impressive.
Seeing you use your powers in battle was even more impressive.
You could fight. That sweet, sunny demeanor vanished when you were on the battlefield. You weren’t strong like Captain America or Thor, but you were quick and clever. You watched your enemies, trying to find out what made them tick. Once you figured things out, you attacked. You also always had your teammates’ backs.
That included his.
Even though the two of you hadn’t talked about the picture, things had been tense. You were still nice to him, but it seemed like you were pulling away from him. Loki didn’t know how to feel about that: did he want your attention or was it better if you stayed away from him?
“Can someone explain to me why evil scientists can’t just make normal robots?” You asked as you blasted one. “We don’t need robotic bugs. No one was asking for that.”
“Says the woman who saves spiders from being stepped on,” Loki tossed a dagger towards a robotic scorpion.
“That’s different. We need spiders. No one needs roaches!” You returned. “Behind you!”
Loki turned around as a metal praying mantis came towards him. He created another dagger and speared the creature in the chest. It screamed as you sent a sun ball towards it.
“Why is it taking Tony so long to figure out how to stop these things?” You sighed. “That’s, like, the fifth robot we’ve killed.”
“Does this mean you’re keeping count, Sunshine?” Loki teased. “Duck, dear.”
You obeyed and Loki destroyed a pair of robotic beetles.
“You know,” You looked at him. “That’s the first time you’ve called me Sunshine.”
“Is it?”
“I think I like how you say it,” You said, a small blush on your face.
Why did you do this? Why were you so unabashedly kind and genuine? Loki thought he would have hated it, but he found himself loving it. He could feel his heart soaring and he just wanted to tell you how he felt, but he was terrified. As bright and bubbly as you were, how could you love him? He was still confused as to why you were so kind to him, but he knew you’d never love him. Yet each time you smiled, blushed and laughed, he fell deeper in love.
He was ready to make another comment when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. The mad scientist, Dr. Hexapod, must have gotten away from Iron Man. He held a strange gun in his hand and with an evil smile, he pulled the trigger.
The gun was aimed at you.
Loki pushed you out of the way and the bullet pierced his flesh. Everything happened so fast. Loki buckled and you grabbed him, trying to steady him. Loki felt himself start to float towards unconsciousness, but he saw your face clear as day. Tears: your eyes were full of tears as you held onto him. Loki was used to pain and he was used to dying; this wasn’t the first time he had been ‘killed.’ This time was different; you were here, crying over his body. With his last bit of strength, Loki reached up to caress your face. Then, everything went black.
The incessant beeping was what woke him up.
Loki groaned as he opened his eyes. He grimaced as he was blind by the large, overhead lights and he winced as he tried to sit up.
“Brother? Are you awake?”
Loki blinked a few times and his vision cleared enough to see Thor sitting next to him. He was in a mostly white room with monitors and some odd looking devices.
“Where am I?” He asked.
“In a hospital. It’s a place where mortals heal,” Thor said. “You lost a lot of blood. You’ve been out for a while.”
“So, I’m not dead? Well, that’s a first,” Loki tried to sit up.
“Careful,” Thor said. “You don’t want your wound to reopen.”
Loki was ready to make a sarcastic and witty remark when he saw another person was in the room. Cuddled up in a chair, fast asleep, was Y/N. Loki felt his heart clench when he noticed that your eyes were puffy and red: you had been crying. He wanted to sit up even more so he could run over to you and pick you up.
“What is she doing here?” Loki swallowed.
“She refused to leave your side,” Thor said. “When you got hurt, she went into a blind rage. She almost killed Hexapod. When we reached her, I managed to remind her of you and she instantly ran to your side.”
A blind rage: sweet, little Y/N went into a blind rage because he had gotten hurt. Loki couldn’t picture it but he knew his brother. Thor wasn’t a person who lied and if he tried, he was bad at it.
“She’s been crying,” Loki said, swallowing thickly. “Because of me?”
“Yes. She was afraid you were going to die,” Thor glanced over at you. “She was hysterical, begging for Strange to heal you. I had to pull her off you. She really cares for you, brother.”
“Yes, I suppose she does,” Loki said.
“You should talk to her when she wakes up,” Thor stood. “I’m glad you’re safe, brother.”
“Wait, before you go,” Loki said. “Can you---bring her to me?”
Thor obliged, picking you up and carefully placing you next to Loki on his bed. Thankfully, you didn’t wake up; instead, you smiled in your sleep and snuggled close to Loki. Loki smiled down at you, moving a lock of your hair behind your ear.
“Thank you, brother,” Loki said, smiling down at you. “Tell anyone of this and I’ll stab you.”
“I love you too, brother,” Thor said.
How long had you been asleep for? You weren’t sure, but you felt well-rested. All your crying had exhausted you. Thinking about the prior events, your mind went back to Loki and you were afraid the tears would come back up.
“Did you sleep well?” Loki asked.
Hearing his voice caused you to bolt up and look at him. He was okay! Seeing him made you start to cry.
“No, don’t do that,” Loki said, hugging you. “Please, no more tears.”
“You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay,” You kept repeating.
“Yes, I survived. I am a god after all. It would take more than this to kill me, dear.”
“That doesn’t matter!” You shouted. “You got hurt because of me! I was so distracted, I didn’t notice that jackass behind me and then he shot you!”
“But I’m fine, you needn’t cry over me anymore,” Loki rubbed your head.
“Well, tough toenails, I’m going to cry over you whenever I want because I care about you,” You said. “You can’t stop me from caring about you.”
“I just---don’t understand why you care about me of all people. You know who I am, right? I’m a monster.”
“Don’t say that!” You shouted. “Loki, if you were a monster, would you be here? A monster wouldn’t have saved me from Hexapod. A monster wouldn’t have stabbed a creep for me. If you were a monster, then why do you care about me?”
"Y/N," Loki began but you continued
“I care because I---like you a lot,” You said, fidgeting with your hair. “You’re kind even if you don’t think you are. I can tell you’re trying to do better. It’s hard but each day, I watch you strive to be a new Loki. It’s hard to change, but you keep trying.”
“If I didn’t know any better,” Loki lifted your chin. “You’ve fallen in love with me.”
“Okay, so what if I did?” You asked, arms crossed.
“Well then, we might have a problem ---because I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“Good, because you wouldn’t be able to get rid of me, even if you didn’t love me back,” You said, smiling at him. “Also, new rule: no pushing me out of the way and sacrificing yourself.”
“I can make no promises,” Loki said, kissing your forehead.