Rainlily had settled into her new living arrangements over the next several days, but she quickly realized that people were almost avoiding her. With the Maximoff siblings in their own world, and Thor with nowhere to be seen, the others seemed to be in their own world-living their own life.

She grabbed her fourth Kit-Kat bar since lunch before she made her way back to. She had settled in her room, tuning her ukulele before she closed her door for the privacy she already had.

She had come to rely on YouTube for her distractions, a big fan of a YouTuber named Abbey Glover, and came to learn her music. Humming the music, she sang "You Are My Sunshine", playing and singing helped calmed and cleared her mind.

Venom seemed to enjoy it as well, not bothering to stop her.

Bucky had been walking past when he heard her singing and playing some type of musical instrument and was suddenly hit with intrigue. She had rarely come out, and when she did, he saw the team was cautious with her: something he was familiar with.

He knocked softly, hearing her stopping immediately, "Oh, uh, come in!"

He slowly opened the door and saw her sitting on her bed with the ukulele in her lap, but she had an apologetic smile on her face, "I'm sorry, was that too loud?"

"Not at all. You play well." He said, attempting to make small talk.

"Thanks," Rainlily said, smiling genuinely pleased now, "I learned back when I was teen. It helps me when I'm anxious or bored."

"Is that why you're locked away? Come, let's go train." Buck said but she blinked.

"Who, me? Oh, I can't. I'm afraid the…thing in me will come out to play." She hesitated.

"You can't always rely on him. Or you might be put in a situation where he can't come out. You should at least learn the basics." Bucky told her, his face growing serious.

She looked complacent, but she sighed reluctantly.

"You're right. Of course, you're right. They'll still looking for me, right? I can't rely on you guys to save me, or for Venom to be enough…"

"Good, come on. I'll go easy on you." Bucky said with a grin and that made her chuckle as she stood up.

"Alright, let's do this."

Rainlily was wearing her joggers and wore a sports bra with her sleeves muscle shirt. Preparing herself with stretches as Bucky just stared at her, but she knew that in the short time of being here that he was normally like that.

"Show me what you have and tell your friend Venom to stay out of this. I need only you." Bucky said, hoping it understand.

"Got it, no Venom." She assured him before she got in a fighting stance.

"I'm also competitive, so let me know if I take it too far, okay?"

"I will."

"Promise me."

She searched his eyes, and saw his hesitation, "I promise."

"Good," he said, getting into position, "Come on then now. Don't go easy on me."

Bucky approached her and both quickly got into a heated punching match, but he was mindful of his metal arm with her.

Unknowingly, Peter, Scott, Steve, and Sam walked into the training room to see them fighting. Bucky had been hard on her, but she had appreciated that he wasn't holding back. He had grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder but as she was thrown back, swept him off his feet.

"Oh, shit!"

Gaining the momentum, she wrapped her thick thighs around his throat, pinning him down for a moment. He managed to lift himself, but she bended back, striking his lower back as they fell back down.

Somehow, she had managed to pin him down once more. Now facing him with her legs and thighs around him, he rolled over, extending himself as he kicked into her. She defended and deflected, and he learned quickly she used her legs more, but her swings were calculated.

"Come on, less leg attacks!" Bucky shouted before he ran at her once more. She smirked and deflected a punch, punching him in the throat but grabbed his arm, none the less. Spinning him around, she turned, and arm swung him down, dropping him onto his back before her foot landed beside his head.

Bucky was stunned, taking a good look at her and he was impressed by her. Not many would catch him off guard, and he knew it had to be Venom in her but still. The excited look on her face quickly changed to surprise, and quickly to concern. Still, he couldn't help but catching himself taking in her chocolate brown eyes.

Did she always look this pretty?

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Rainlily asked, kneeling beside him as she offered her hand.

"I'm fine." He told her but took her hand, allowing her to help him up.

"I can't believe she bested you, man. That had to be embarrassing."

Bucky looked over in annoyance to Sam, his harsh stare evidently clear on his face, which didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Oh, are you feeling left out? If you want, I'd be happy to spar with you, Falcon? Feel the wrath of my leg power?" she teased.

Bucky smirked smugly at Sam, amused to see the look on his face, Peter and Scott chuckling at the same response.

"Now, you're just mean." Sam muttered, but Steve interrupted the moment.

"We're sorry to interrupt, but it was good to see you sparring, Lily. Helps me know what to expect from you." Steve stated.

"I'm just happy Bucky asked me to partner with him today. I was going stir crazy, so I appreciate it." Rainlily said, smiling up to Bucky.

"Anytime, doll."

Steve looked at his friend suspiciously when he said that, noticing Rainlily blushing a bit, but Scott cleared his throat.

"Anyways, where did you get skills like that? You were like Chun-Li a moment ago."

Rainlily smiled proudly, "I learned when I used to be in a foster housing back in high school. Kept me out of trouble if you think about it."

"I'm sorry…what happened to your parents?" Peter asked, but she frowned.

"Both died when I was about 6 years old; no extended family to go to." She answered before clearing her throat.

"Ms. Rainlily," Friday's voice came through the intercom, "Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner are requesting your presence in the lab for some work."

"Oh, thanks Friday," she said softly, "how do I get there?"

"I'll take you." Bucky offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks," Rainlily cheered, looking back at the guys, "you guys have fun! I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, how about burgers tonight? I kind of miss your cooking." Scott suggested but Sam elbowed him.

"Let the girl rest man." Sam muttered but she giggled.

"Buy me a box of chocolates and you got a deal." Rainlily countered.

"Bet, deal. Man, I'm so pumped! Let's get to training, Big Bird!" Scott exclaimed, Sam rolling his eyes when he saw the gleam in her eyes.

"Big bird?"

"It's pretty funny, right?" Peter questioned, making her giggle with his new information.

"Oh, you bet."

Going down into the lab, Rainlily was greeted when she saw Tony and Bruce waiting for her and grew immediately stiff when she saw the medical table in the center of the room. With straps on the edges, her body stopped in place, and Bucky took notice.

"What is it?" Bucky asked her.

"We won't get on that table!"

"Venom, they're giving me a hard time. It's…scared."

Bucky saw her grow pale and looked cautiously over to Bruce.

"We just need to run some tests, Lily. We got your bloodwork and everything but now all we need to do is an MRI. We just need to see how your…guest is affecting you." Bruce assured her.

"And the straps?" she hesitated.

"We can leave them off. That was more for Hulk, honestly." Tony lied but she nodded.

"Okay…"

Bruce carefully laid down onto the table all while attempting to settle her nerves down, but Venom but she felt a headache forming in her head.

"No movement, okay, kid?"

Being pulled automatically into the machine, Rainlily heard the static of the machine before a high frequency could be heard. She threw her head, screaming out in pain as she felt her whole-body shake, hearing even Venom shouting screaming as well.

"What's going on?" Bucky questioned, but Bruce immediately stopped the machine when the three men saw the camera feed.

This was a weakness of Venom.

"Get her out of there." Tony shouted; Bruce wasted no time running in beside her.

Rainlily sat up, panting heavily as she held her head painfully. He realized she was more pale than usual, and was worried; what as the parasite doing to her? How could it affect her appearance so much?

"Hey, it's over, you're okay. Does anything hurt?" Bruce asked her but she shook her head.

"Just a real panful headache. I swear, I'll be fine." She tried to assure him.

"It seems like Venom isn't good with noises."

"No, no they're not. They've been loud but right now…I can't hear them."

"It must've made him weak," Tony said, walking in with Bucky behind him, "why don't you go ahead and take it easy?"

"What about Life Foundation?" she asked.

"They're coming after Stark Industries; you let us handle it, okay?" Tony advised her.

"Okay…I'll check back with you tomorrow for an update?" Rainlily pointed out before leaving them alone. Once they knew she was gone, Tony looked to Bruce cautiously.

"Are you sure you want to help? We don't know what we're going to find." Tony asked him.

"She's had no one in her corner for a long time, Tony. I want to try to help her gain some type of small normalcy." Bruce answered. He knew what it was like to not have control over himself, over his actions, and the same thing was happening to her now.

Bucky felt the same, like when he became the Winter Soldier. This girl was being given help but was trying to control something she didn't understand.

He would look after her, just as Steve had once done.

She randomly put on a movie, setting up herself an area, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Coming!"

Opening her door, she was surprised to see Bucky standing there, looking down at his hands before he looked up at her.

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure, of course."

Bucky walked in, taking in her room. He bed was made but had a blanket and pillow fort in front of her television, her ukulele shifted to the side and a box of chocolates and other junk foods. He couldn't help but be surprised to see it with a quick flash of a smile; he expected her to be busying herself differently.

"Sorry, Venom is always hungry and I'm going crazy here in boredom," Rainlily defended herself, "and…I like forts."

"It's fine, I uh, brought you some chocolate." Bucky said, looking back over to her.

She smiled when she looked down, saw the large Kit-Kat bar in his hands, making her chuckle.

"My favorite, thank you. You didn't have to."

"You looked rough after the labs; I wanted to."

She nodded, noticing it was quiet now between them but didn't feel embarrassed.

"I was going to watch Lord of the Rings, if you want to join me?" Rainlily asked him.

He swallowed, looking around for a moment, and realized maybe she overstepped.

"He's probably afraid of us. He's been too observant about us."

"Oh, umm, you know what? Don't worry about it. I know I'm weird with the random conversations and my behavior with Venom. I'll see you at dinner; I'm doing hamburgers, remember?" She spoke too quickly, walking past him as she climbed into her fort,

"Thanks for the chocolate, Bucky."

Laying down on her stomach, she had reach for her remote when she saw his feet appear in front of her. His leather jacket was thrown to the side near her ukulele, before he kneeled, looking around her space.

He wouldn't lie and could see her appeal to like this; this was something he did when he and his sister stayed up late together as kids. Whispering an 'excuse me', he made his way into her fort, sitting up against the bed.

"Did you want a beer or anything?" she asked, pulling out the cooler behind the pillow.

"You brought one here?" Bucky asked, smirking mischievously at her sneakiness.

"Oh, yeah. When I put on a movie, I make sure I'm fully prepared to never leave this spot for anything. So…?"

"Sure, thanks, doll."

She smiled, handing him the beer before she brought the snacks close. Pressing the play button, the movie went relatively. Although he was entertained, he appreciated the quiet between them. Simply enjoying each other's company, he would capture her looking at him in surprise whenever she was caught off guard by something but still…it was nice.

When the movie was over, Bucky had climbed out of the fort, helping her out when Vision came through the wall, causing her to shout in surprise.

"Oh my God, Vision! You scared the crap out of me. We talked about using the door."

"I do apologize, Ms. Lily. Mr. Lang wanted me to inform you that he has arrived with the supplies for tonight's dinner." Vision advised her, making her sigh.

"I'll be right there, thank you Vision."

"Of course, if I may, I'd be more than happy to assist…I wish to improve on my cooking skill." Vision asked, and Bucky looked at him suspiciously. Still, she nodded happily.

"That's fine with me, I'll be there in a moment."

"Excellent…I will use the door now." He told her before he left the room.

"That's my cue to leave but thanks for joining me," Rainlily spoke, looking over to Bucky, "It felt less lonely today. You're welcome to join me anytime."

"Good to know. Next time, I pick the movie?" Bucky asked as he put his jacket back on.

"Deal."

After making the food with the help of Vision, Rainlily noticed the team eating together around the kitchen, but realized there was nowhere for her to sit.

"This place is lonely for you, isn't it? Why don't we leave?"

"Can we talk about this later?" she whispered to herself, going to the lounge area, where she sat at the window.

Looking out the window, she ate her burger in peace when Bruce sat in front of her. She smiled, catching Nat looking over to them for a moment before she continued to talk to Steve.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked her.

"I'm okay, I guess. Bucky gave me some company today. It felt less…lonely and chaotic, you know?"

"I know what you mean. Do…you and Barnes get along well?"

"We do. He was fun to be with."

"Barnes? Fun?"

"What? Loud and crazy isn't always the way, padawan." She teased, hearing a loud gasp.

"You know Star Wars?"

She chuckled when Peter approached them, "I am a fan of majority of them; I'm still out on Rae's tale: Episodes 7, 8, and 9."

"Who's your favorite character? Mine's Darth Vader with all that character development." Peter asked, sitting down beside her.

"Honestly? It's a tie between Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan. Can you imagine the pain Obi-Wan carried for so long? To see the rise and fall of Anakin?" Rainlily answered, and Peter was staring at her in awe.

"That's true, I'm so glad I met another fan."

"Don't dork around, nerds. Star Trek is the way." Scott intervened, but she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I hope you do not live long and prosper…nerd."

Peter laughed at the comment, but Scott was unfazed.

"Seriously, thanks for the burger though. Why don't we go into town, and I buy some chocolate shakes?"

"Oh, I don't think I have clearance to leave yet." She pokes, looking over to Bruce.

"Sorry, not just yet kid. Tony and I need to- "

"Cover!"

Rainlily covered her head as Venom covered the windows as something hit the glass window, Bruce pulling her down as Bucky came over to her. As Venom's goo disappeared, the team was surprised to see Loki had entered through another window, Peter had shot his web, trapping the God quickly against the wall.

"Friday, call Thor." Tony muttered, as Nat, Sam, and Bucky aimed their weapons at the God.

"Seriously, must we always do this?" Loki said, his illusion fading as he stood amongst them unharmed.

The teen shot Loki multiplied.

"I see him!"

"Peter," Rainlily leaned close to him, "he's standing right there, left side of Tony."

Peter didn't hesitate to do it again, the illusions disappearing as he fell to the ground.

"Oh, come on!"

Being taken down to the interrogation room, team was confused on why he was there, and Thor had yet to arrive. Still, everyone had tried; even Wanda was unable to get through to him, despite him getting through to her in small pieces. Loki was still nervous around Bruce but still didn't say a word, but he did mock everyone else.

"Good reflex earlier." Tony spoke, resting his hand on Rainlily's shoulder, but she smiled sadly.

"Venom knew before I did, I'm just glad no one's hurt."

"So modest…why don't you take a crack at him?" Tony suggested.

"Tony, that's not a good idea." Nat spoke, but he was already pushing her towards the double doors.

"Nonsense, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Annnnnd, you jinxed it. Didn't he just jinx it?" Scott asked, looking to Sam.

"Hell yeah, he did."

"I can try, but I don't think it's a good idea." Rainlily said, and Bucky came beside her.

"I'll join her." Bucky stated, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

"Thank you…" she whispered, smiling to him gratefully.

"If you can't get anything, just leave; Thor should be here soon." Bruce assured her, watching as the duo left the room.

Rainlily took a deep breath when they walked into the room, and Loki at behind a see-through containment room. Seeing her walk in, Loki immediately smiled mischievously.

"Well, hello pet. Who are you?" his voice low but almost in a husky voice, standing at her presence.

"My friends call me Lily."

"Well, hello-"

"Sit down." Bucky ordered.

Loki narrowed his eyes at him, but the soldier ordered him again, "Sit. Down."

Bucky looked over his form as Loki slowly walked backwards towards his chair, "Hello, Lily."

"You are not my friend. You can call me Rainlily."

Loki made an 'oooh' sound, looking over with the same playful look on his face, but she could tell in his eyes he was observing both mortals. Bringing his eyes back to her, he shook his head, but approached the wall.

"It's rather sad that they sent you to me, someone new. Are you hoping I spill my guts to you? Hoping to figure out my true purpose here, are we?"

"It'd be nice, but I assume you like to string people along; perhaps make a show of it? You are the Loki of something, after all." Rainlily spoke.

"Of something? How dare you! I am Loki, God of - "

"Oh, a God! I thought maybe you were a follower, like a nymph trying to become one."

"Are…are you mocking me? I am a God, and I will not be spoken to in such a manner!"

"The only know two gods: mine and Thor. Great guy, God of Thunder; has done no wrong when he's here." Rainlily said and fought back a smile when he pounded on the wall.

"While I am here, I will demand your respect. Being here is against my will, to right my wrongs against your precious Midgard home! You are not worthy of me!" Loki shouted and she smiled.

"Gotcha, thanks for your monologue, Loki. Have fun being uh, mischievous in there." Rainlily said with a smile.

Bucky smirked at her proudly, following her, leaving Loki dumbfounded.

By the time Thor had arrived, they had learned what they already knew. Loki was sent to make amends for his actions on New York and would be staying with them. Regardless, Rainlily had realized that Scott, Sam, and Peter were hanging with her more as she was out of her room, but it still wasn't enough for her.

Making her way down to the lab, she said hello to Tony and Bruce but the look on their face made her hesitate for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, SuperCuts?"

"Bruce never makes that face unless something was wrong," she said, "what is it? I can take it."

Tony looked over to Bruce with irritation but let out a sigh, "While you were unconscious, we did blood work and a scan on you. And it doesn't look good."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Your heart…it has atrophied severely." Bruce told her.

"What does that mean in English, please?"

"Your heart is losing its muscle mass; it can lead to chronic heart failure." Tony said.

"Don't listen to them! I can fix you!"

Rainlily shook her head, Bruce coming to her side, "What's the matter?"

"It's Venom, he likes to talk in my head."

"What does he say?"

"He…he can fix me but…."

"He's killing you, Lily. That parasite is going to kill you." Tony spoke, carefully approaching her.

"Parasite!?"

"P-Please don't say that. He really gets agitated when you use that word." She said, running a hand through her hair as she considered her options.

"I know this is hard to hear," Bruce said, approaching her as well, "but we really need to get him out of you."

"No!"

"We should wait, you know? Until the whole Life Foundation thing is settled, right?" Rainlily asked but Bruce looked to Tony nervously.

"It can take a few months…you might not have that long." Bruce answered softly.

Rainlily looked down at her feet, ignoring Venom's voice. She took deep breaths, but merely nodded, "A few months it is, then."

"Lily- "

"If not me, he'll find someone else, and they may not survive this like I did…I don't have much to live for anyways. Besides, you can contain him afterwards." Rainlily said.

"So melodramatic…fine. Just for now, but we are going to keep an eye on you. Checkups weekly, understand?" Tony stated.

"Okay, that's fine with me."

"Good, in the meantime, I will be testing a few more things," Bruce told her, "don't do anything reckless."

She smirked, "Can't afford to."

Back in her room, she was munching on a chocolate bar when Venom was beginning to get louder and louder in her head.

"I know you're upset with me, but trust me, I would not kill you."

"Don't patronize me! I can't eat or even sleep. I can't talk to anyone without looking crazy. And I'm always damn hungry! I…I am going crazy here! I want you gone but I know you'll just look for another host." Rainily said, oblivious to the person who entered the room.

"You need us! And we need you!"

"I really don't, and why do you need me, huh? What's your ulterior motive here?"

"Ah, so you do have a parasite." She looked over and saw Loki standing there.

"PARASITE!?"

Venom pinned Loki against the wall, Rainlily gasping as Loki looked at her in annoyance.

"Call back your pest, will you?"

"Venom, let him go!" Rainlily shouted and retracted from Loki.

"Is that his name? How fitting…"

Rainlily rolled her eyes, sitting on the bed, "If you're here to make fun, don't. Venom and I aren't in the mood."

"It's been a couple days, but I see why you don't leave your room. Fear that everyone looks at you like a monster?" Loki asked her, but she looked at her hands.

"I am a monster, but I am what I am. They didn't keep their distance until after Venom…it's just as lonely here as it is here in their compound as it is out there," she stated, "kind of wish I was out there, to be honest."

"Why don't you leave then?"

"They won't let me. I'm being hunted still."

"Don't suppose you'll let me see."

She looked at him, and he smirked, "Just a hand on her forehead; to see how you came to be. Trust me, you're not that interesting."

She shrugged and he put a hand on her forehead, catching her memories quickly.

Loki watched as she saw her parents die before her, her life on the run, in different homes. He saw her being raped, learning to defend herself to ensure it never happened again. She learned to sing, play an instrument, and busied herself to live on her own.

He saw as she saved Banner, then her coming to New York after Loki's invasion. Running into Bruce throughout the years, finally it led to her being taken. She was kidnapped, had been given the parasite now, and watched her on the run before the Avengers rescued her.

He watched as she daily feared herself, struggling with Venom, yet they all kept her distance. Only Bucky and Bruce approached her, but it was clearly some were warming up to her. But once she spoke with Venom, or if Venom made an appearance, they kept their distance once more.

Loki understood her too well; they thought her a monster. Removing his hand, he watched her as she took another bite of her chocolate bar, but he sympathized. And it sickened him that he felt such a way for this mortal.

"Back on Asgard," Loki spoke, "people mocked me for my size compared to Thor. His annoyance to look over me made it worse, but no one took me seriously either. Now, everyone sees me as a monster, as they should. My advice to you: learn who's truly on your side."

Rainlily nodded but he sighed, "Now, what do you do for fun in this dreadful place?"

"Read? Sing? Watch movies? I can't leave, remember?"

"Why don't you play this instrument for me, pet?"

She narrowed her eyes but wasn't in the mood to fight him. She tuned the ukulele out of habit before she played a familiar tune, but merely hummed. Loki smiled, loving that she obeyed so easily, and summoned a book as he laid down on her bed.

For a moment, he merely closed his eyes, taking in the melody and felt himself relax. When he came in here, he was fully intent on causing chaos and ruining her day. But now knowing how she was, he'd give her the day off, but tomorrow, maybe he'd try again.