Prompt from @Wolfie_ROOD (ao3 user): I like the idea ofthe reader being a very young badass compared to everyone else. Like, people intheir 30's who've been working their asses off probably couldn't compare toher. What if one of her assignments is to go to... wherever they train newrecruits or something lmao and she helps train them. Not for very long, maybe acouple of days just to give pointers and stuff. She's a pro, so anytime therewould benefit the newbies even if it's not for very long. And of courseeeeeLoki comes along for the ride! (part one)

A/N: this was a huge old prompt but it's probably one of my favourites so far! I've split it into two halves so stay tuned, and keep sending new prompts!<3

...

Two weeks later

Unusually, things are going quite well.

It's been two weeks since the Stark Party (despite Thor's remedy you think you might still be hungover), and the morning after in which Loki had made you breakfast. And it had been good food too, much to your surprise.

Since then, you've been on another mission which had gone just as well, if not better, than the first. Fury has practically been singing your praises around the Tower, mainly, you suspect, to draw attention to the fact that it was his idea to get you back in the field and on the team.

He'd come bursting into the kitchen the morning after the party: "Were you going to inform me that you'd decided to join the Avengers? Or were you just going to wait for word to get around?"

You could tell that he wasn't really angry. Or maybe he just didn't want to raise his voice after last night's celebrations.

So now you were a SHIELD agent again, and an Avenger.

Your first panic attack had come the night you'd officially moved into the Tower. It had almost come as a relief; you'd been carrying it around in your chest for a while, afraid that it was going to hit when you were at work, or even worse, on a mission.

You're not sure whether it made you feel better or worse. It had cost you a night of sleep, which you'd paid for dearly the next day in the office.

There will be more. You're hoping that you'll be able to get better at controlling them.

Importantly, you'd used this second successful mission to convince Fury to start letting Loki have more freedom around the Tower.

You'd pretended that you were doing it to pay Loki back for looking after you when you were hungover. In reality, you knew it would mean spending more time with him.

Fury had been adamant that Loki must not be seen without at least two other Avengers with him at all times, a rule which you have been blatantly flaunting but has had no repercussions as of yet.

Loki had tried to appear disinterested at his newfound freedom within the Tower, but you could tell that he was pleased at being allowed out of the living quarters.

People are starting to trust him. He's spent a lot of time in your department while you've been working; your colleagues had been hugely wary at first but warmed to him quite quickly after you'd told them his story (when he hadn't been present, obviously).

Some of them have warmed to him a little bit too much for your liking. Specifically Amber.

The past two weeks have done nothing but make very clear your feelings towards Loki. They're not sour anymore. They're not even platonic.

Neither are Amber's, by the looks of it.

You're currently sat in your office, typing away at your computer and trying desperately hard to ignore the sound of Loki's voice and Amber's loud giggling coming from the break room. Josh, Penny and Jackson are there too, but all you hear is Amber.

It's twenty to two, ten minutes after lunch is have supposed to have finished. They've all been sat eating lunch and chatting since one pm; you haven't yet had a chance to eat.

Apparently all of your good work on the field warrants having four times the amount of work as anyone else.

Another five minutes of talking and giggling passes before someone, maybe Jackson, announces that they should probably get back to work.

Maybe, you think, rolling your eyes.

The talking and giggling stops. For the next thirty seconds a raging internal battle ensues as you wonder whether to try and see if Loki has followed Amber into her office. He had two days ago, albeit briefly.

You don't want to think about it.

Right as you've decided that you're not going to look because you absolutely could not care less where Loki has gone, someone clears their throat in your doorway.

You look up so quickly that you crick your neck, and Fury frowns at you.

"Were you expecting someone?" he asks, an eyebrow raised.

"I- no." you say, fighting down the disappointment that had risen in your throat when you'd seen him, not Loki, in the doorway. You seem to be doing quite a lot of internal fighting at the moment.

"Right. There's a training programme for new recruits taking place in Washington D.C. this weekend. I want you to go with someone else from the department and help to choose a new agent." Fury tells you, already looking at something else on his phone as he nears the end of his statement.

You gape at him for a moment, before regaining your composure quickly. Fury doesn't like gaping.

Another sudden peal of laughter comes from Amber's office. Something twists in your stomach.

"Loki should come." you tell Fury. You had been about to ask him if you could bring Loki, but you've relearnt how to efficiently talk to Fury in the past month.

You're constructing a list of reasons for Loki to accompany you in your mind as Fury turns to look at you, ready for him to argue.

"Okay," he says. "Check your email, there's more information there."

And then he leaves.

You sit still, a bit shell shocked, for a moment. You'd expected him to at least say that he wanted Thor to go with you or something. Then you lurch to your feet and make a beeline towards Amber's office.

Loki is sat on her desk.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." you say to him, noticing as you do that your voice sounds... tight.

"Okay?" he says, not moving. You look at Amber, who smiles at you. You smile back. It hurts your face.

"Fury wants us to go to D.C. this weekend to help recruit a new agent." you tell Loki.

"He wants me to go? Why?" Loki frowns.

"Well, he said I should go with someone from the department but I said it would be a good idea for you to come. You know, to show your face a bit more and reassure..."

"I'm not someone else from the department. Who else will be joining us?" he cuts across you.

Amber looks at you hopefully. You like her; she's your friend. But in this moment you wouldn't particularly mind if she just vanished into thin air.

"Why doesn't Amber come?" Loki suggests when you take too long to reply.

"Great idea." you smile painfully, giving a double thumbs up to Amber. She grins at you happily.

"Thanks Y/N. Add me on to the email, would you?" she asks.

"Yes, me too." Loki says before you can reply, and Amber erupts into giggles again.

You do, in your opinion, immensely well to keep the smile on your face and then leave very quickly, clenching your jaw so hard that something cracks.

...

Two days later you're on a plane with Loki and Amber, heading to D.C. for the weekend.

You have decided that you officially couldn't care less whether Loki and Amber are becoming an item or not. It really doesn't concern you in the slightest.

What does concern you is the fact that you'd let yourself believe that there was even the slightest chance that Loki might feel towards you the same way you did towards him.

Used to feel towards him.

The flight goes quickly, possibly because Amber sleeps the whole way and so there's no annoying giggling and flirting to put up with. You don't look at or talk to Loki the whole flight, pretending to be working.

You can sense that he knows something is wrong, but he doesn't say anything.

'Don't let him escape.' Fury had emailed you this morning. The short message had conveyed to you immediately the severity of the situation.

You don't think Loki will try anything, but it's stupid of Fury to believe that you could even try and stop him if he did.

When you touch down in D.C. you are shown to a large car which your luggage is transported to, and then driven to a fancy hotel which SHIELD has rented for the weekend. Temporary training facilities have been constructed in the grounds.

You're shown to reception, where it immediately becomes clear that there's a problem.

"Two rooms?" the receptionist asks as she taps away on her keyboard.

"Three." you reply, after a beat.

"It says two here." she tells you gesturing at the screen. You close your eyes briefly.

"We need another room then." you say, adding "Please." as an afterthought.

"Sorry, we're fully booked." the receptionist tells you.

"You can't be. SHIE- this company has rented the entire hotel for the weekend." you protest.

"Yes, and they've filled all of the rooms." she tells you plainly, as though she's addressing a small child. You can sense that she's getting annoyed.

"Right. Can we have our keys then please?" you ask. She passes you the keys, pressing them into your hand slightly more firmly than she might have done if you hadn't tried to argue with her.

You turn to Loki and Amber, holding up the two keys. Amber takes one from you.

"One of us will just have to share." she says, dragging her suitcase ahead of you. She's made it abundantly clear that you and she will not be sharing, having just taken the other key.

You look at Loki. He's watching her walk away.

Scowling deeply, you follow her.