Author's note: Heya guys, sorry I didn't update yesterday I've started redecorating my room and everything is a mess ahhh I have been painting and sanding for like two days I'm shattered. bUT my exams are over so I'm 110% less stressed than I was :)) This story has been sooo long in the works so I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying it! Please leave a comment about anything at all I wanna know what you guys think! Enjoy <3

...

Preparing to be recruited as an Avenger was a tiring process, and all of a sudden you'd almost been living at the Tower for a month. It was a week or so after the party, and no one had been stupid enough to bring up the mind-reading incident since your outburst, which you were grateful for.

In other news, Loki had apparently forgotten that you existed, having not spoken to you since the night of the party. You in turn were slightly annoyed at him about the headache he had given you - that had been uncalled for. So there remained a frosty atmosphere between the two of you, which did not go unnoticed by the rest of the team, especially Thor, who had cornered you after training one morning to talk to you about it. You had denied that there was anything wrong, you'd hardly been best of friends after all, was there really any difference at all apart from the fact he didn't acknowledge you anymore? He was only treating you the same as the rest of the team. You didn't care... was what you had told Thor. He'd seen right through you.

"Lady Y/N, I think it would be a wise idea to talk to him. He has taken a liking to you, despite what you both may say, and he needs to be able to talk with someone. He was imprisoned for a long time, and still is unable to use his magic." Thor said to you.

He was appealing to your better nature, you knew, and goddamn were those baby blues working on you. You also couldn't just lose the sympathy you had for Loki; you wanted to help him, whether he wanted that help or not.

You sighed, pushing your sweaty hair back out of your face. Training had ramped up in the last few days and you were feeling the effects.

"Okay, I'll try and talk to him later." you conceded.

"Thank you, will you let me know how it goes?" Thor asked.

"Yeah, sure. Now can I go shower?" you replied, unable to hold back the smile that spread across your face as you saw how pleased Thor was.

After you'd escaped to your room, showered and got into some comfy clothes, you went in search of Tony to ask him about your 'gear' as he'd been calling it. You couldn't wait to get your hands on your very own clothes made from Stark technology. Unfortunately you didn't get further than the end of the corridor, where you encountered Loki.

"Uh, hey." you said, unsure how to approach him. Thor had asked you to talk to him, and you were rarely alone with him; now was as good a time than any. Loki didn't reply.

"Can we talk?" you asked hesitantly.

"Why did you tell Stark I could read minds? I thought you wanted to 'help' me, not undermine me."

Oh, wow. He had gotten straight to the point, so you decided to as well.

"I didn't mean to undermine you, I didn't even mean to tell Tony, I just had other things on my mind. I should have told them sooner, because they have a right to know if you're reading their minds. And you shouldn't have given me that headache like you did." you replied, meeting his challenging gaze.

"Thor told me that you want to help me. I don't want or need your help with anything. Sorry about the headache. You angered me." Loki told you, after a pause.

It took you a moment to process the fact that he'd apologised and form your next line of argument.

"Well that's a shame, because I need your help with my magic, and I like repaying people too." you challenged, still not breaking your gaze.

"I can't help you, in case you hadn't noticed I'm unable to use my magic and I doubt Stark would let me help you even if I did." he responded sourly.

"Would you help me? If you could use your magic?" you asked hopefully, trying not to show it in your expression.

Loki looked at you for a moment, brow furrowed, as though you were a particularly difficult problem he was trying to figure out.

"I suppose." he finally answered.

You fought back a smile.

"Well I guess we just need to persuade Tony to let you train me then." you said optimistically.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you. That can only end badly."

"Unless it doesn't." you countered.

Loki smiled incredulously. He actually smiled. It was only a split-second of a glimpse, but you'd definitely seen it. And he'd seen that you'd seen.

"I still don't need your help. Don't try and help me." he said, much faster than usual and without his condescending tone.

"We'll see. See you later." you said, smiling at him and walking down the corridor to the elevator, which you got in swiftly and pressed the button which would take you down to where Tony's labs were located. You'd made Loki smile. Progress. You were glad that the two of you were speaking again, despite what you had said to Thor you'd hated not speaking to him over the last week, even though your conversations had been short and to the point. You had liked feeling like he preferred you over anyone else. Over the actual Avengers. It was strange to think that it had felt like an argument with a friend. You hadn't felt threatened by him, even when he'd given you that headache. The fact that he was considered a mass murderer by most of the population of New York probably should have scared you, but it didn't. He was just Loki.

The elevator stopped suddenly, jerking your thoughts back down to earth, and you stepped out and began your search for Tony. It didn't take you long, you just followed the sounds of crashing and a loud voice telling a screwdriver to do something rather unsavoury. You knocked tentatively on the door to the lab he was in and he gestured for you to put your hand on the fingerprint recognition device next to the door, which you did. The door opened and you entered the lab, slightly smug that you had authorised access.

"Hey kid, what's up?" Tony asked, wiping his forehead with a black stained hand and leaving a smear of whatever it was across his face. You decided not to mention it.

"Hey, I was just wondering if any of my gear was ready yet?"

"Oh yeah! You'll love this, come and see." Tony told you, abandoning whatever it was he was doing to show you your kit.

It. Was. Awesome.

There was a proper superhero suit (as you'd just decided to name it), but also casual looking clothes with built in surprises for 'undercover work', spy glasses and a whole box full of other stuff, complete with a set of hair bands and bracelets which had tiny cameras in them.

"Tony, this is amazing, thank you so much." you said, picking up the box to take it back up to your room.

"Hang on! Go through there and try the suit on, I want to make sure it fits right." Tony told you, pointing across the corridor to a bathroom. You took the suit across the corridor and quickly changed into the suit. It fit perfectly, the material slid over your skin easily when you moved, and wasn't too heavy, too scratchy, too anything. It was perfect.

You went back across to the lab and gave a twirl for Tony.

"How do I look?"

"Great kid, really great." he told you, without looking up from his phone.

You planted your hands on your hips and cocked your head, trying to see what was so important on his phone.

"Sorry, sorry... wow, you really do look great. It fits so well! Pep was right about the measurements..."

"What's going on?" you asked, pointing at his phone.

Tony sighed and shook his head, looking at you in despair.

"We might have a mission."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

You felt excitement spark through you. There was no way he could say no this time, you were already dressed for action!

"Tony-"

You stopped yourself as his phone buzzed and he picked it up immediately, listened to a voice on the other end of the line and then hung up, a look of grim determination on his face as he met your pleading gaze. The determination disappeared almost instantly.

"Fine, you can come. Wait on the roof for the rest of us, we need to get changed."

You could hardly believe your luck as you followed Tony quickly from the lab with your box of kit and into the elevator, listening as he told JARVIS to alert the others that they needed to leave immediately. Excitement and nerves coursed through your veins as you ran to your room and dumped the box of stuff on your bed, briefly wondering whether you needed any of it or not before deciding that you didn't, and then making your way back out to the elevator. On the roof it was windy, and you didn't feel the safest you ever had as you made your way across the tarmac to the Quinjet. Already inside were Clint, Thor and Nat, fully geared up and ready to go. You were going to have to practice getting changed that quickly.

"Y/N, really?" Nat sighed in exasperation.

"Tony said I could come!" you responded defensively, right as Tony arrived with Steve, Bucky and Bruce.

Nat glared at Tony.

"This is stupid." she told him.

You weren't paying attention, focusing on not throwing up from the amount of pure adrenaline you were feeling as the Quinjet took off and shot over New York City.

"Y/N, put this on, do not under any circumstances take it off, understand?" Tony said, handing you an earpiece.

"Yep." you replied, mouth dry.

"It's just an out of control protest, the NYPD couldn't handle it so we're stepping in to try and calm things down before they get out of hand. Hopefully there won't be a need for us apart from our presence." Tony was saying.

If the police couldn't handle a protest, how were you supposed to? You were just a normal person! Well, a normal person with magical abilities she didn't know how to use. Still.

"She's not ready!" Nat was saying.

You liked Nat, but she needed to stop treating you as though you were a child.

"I am ready. I've been trained by the best." you said loudly from across the jet.

"For a month. That's no time at all."

"Four weeks is a long time, and I know I've improved..."

"Stop it. Y/N is here and she's going to help, there's nothing to be done about that now." Steve said firmly, and that was the end of that. You tried to smile at Steve gratefully, but he wasn't looking at you.

"Tony, you have, uh..." you gestured at his forehead where the streak of black still remained. He rubbed it in frustration, doing nothing but smear it further.

There was a nervous tension in the air which was doing nothing to calm your nerves, and you were raring to get up and go when the jet finally landed on the ground.

"Y/N, do not get hurt. That's an order." Tony told you sternly as you stood up along with the others to exit the jet.

"I- okay." you replied.

"What about the rest of us? Are we allowed to get hurt?" Clint asked sarcastically.

"Yes. Just don't get yourselves killed."

"Charming. Good luck kiddo." Clint said, ruffling your hair as he passed you, and you swatted him away playfully.

"Thanks Clint."

"After you Lady Y/N, try to stay close to me." Thor told you with a smile. Here was someone who could alleviate your nerves.

"Thanks Thor." you replied, clenching your fists to stop your hands from shaking.

You followed the Avengers out on to the ground and towards the protest – time to put your month of training to good use and prove Nat wrong. The protesters were rowdy, yelling and throwing things at the armed police officers, who were yet to retaliate. Tony talked to an important looking man while the rest of you observed the scene. There was definitely a bad atmosphere, but why had they felt the need to call the team?

Three things happened very suddenly as an immediate answer to your question. First, you saw Tony's face drain of colour as he spotted something in the crowd, second, there were screams and yell from the centre of the crowd, where Tony's gaze had fallen.

Third... gunshots.