I couldn't help but glare heatedly at the billionaire as he sat there; staring me down with a self satisfied smirk. After a few minutes of watching his lips twitch in amusement, I let out a huff and turned away, mentally initiating sulk mode as I did so.

He sighed loudly at the action, once again catching my attention. "It wasn't only me, just saying. Bruce was the one who brought it up," he defended meekly, nursing a glass of whiskey.

I didn't hesitate to continue glaring. "Don't go playing the blame game, Stark," I muttered irritably.

He pouted. "Okay, I admit, it was all me but he agreed," he informed me, pointing a single finger in my direction.

I stared down at the digit for a few seconds longer than needed, trying to gather my thoughts. When nothing overly witty entered my mind, all I could do was groan loudly. "But I don't want an infernal costume," I stated bluntly.

Tony spluttered, seemingly offended by the thought. "Well one; we all have one. Two; it's kinda compulsory. Three; it's not a costume, it's more like a battle outfit and four; who in their right mind wouldn't want one?" he argued, counting each point on a finger.

I shook my head at him, rolling my eyes as I stalked into the kitchen; him hot on my heels. The blonde soldier looked up at our entrance and offered a small smile before the genius opened his mouth yet again.

"She needs a costume, right Capsicle?" he asked, nudging the blonde's side.

Steve blinked dumbly for a few seconds before turning to me, smiling as he engaged me in idle conversation. I happily answered, going to sit down next to the man and making a point of ignoring the playboy spluttering above me. After a few minutes of pointless blabbering, Tony sighed dramatically, going to storm from the room.

As the door slammed, I felt my smile brighten. "The dive has left the building," I announced cheerfully, both hands lifted in praise.

Steve only chuckled, sending me a judging look as I rustled through the cupboards; pulling out a box of pop-tarts. I shrugged at the look; personally I blamed the thunderer for the addiction.

"Nope," Steve decided, pinching the box from my hands despite my yelp of protest. "Fruit or something healthy, please."

My mouth worked soundlessly. "Why?" I demanded. "You've never cared about my eating habits before?"

He gave me a signature look, lips turned down and brow pinched. "Because you have training today," he reminded me simply, cocking a brow in challenge. "There's some muesli in the cupboard."

I sighed before nodding, turning to follow his directions and pull down the box of organic wheat and dried fruit. I felt my nose wrinkle as I poured the cereal and milk into a bowl, and childishly poked out my tongue at the male before taking the first bite. Steve only rolled his eyes, cutting up some fruit for his own breakfast and humming a lullaby under his breath.

After a few minutes of the companion silence we heard the door open, both looking up to see Clint and Bruce enter the room. I gave them both a simple smile before returning to meal, snorting when the archer came up and poked the bowl.

"Why the hell are you eating that crap?" he demanded, lips tugging downwards into a frown.

I made a small noise in my throat, jerking my head towards the super soldier across the room. Clint blinked for a few seconds sending the muesli a dirtied look, even as he poured a bowl of his own.

I frowned at him, watching him wince as he chewed. "If you're eating it, that means he's on his training spiel... And if you're training, I bet you five bucks the rest of us are as well," he finished with a sigh and glare towards his food.

Steve gave a groan, head lolling back. "Fine, tomorrow I'll make us all waffles to make up for it," he offered tiredly.

Clint and I shared a grin before he held up his hand for a high-five. Laughing, I couldn't help but smack my palm against his, digging into my breakfast once again with renewed vigour. I finished up the bowl just as Bruce pushed a mug of coffee in front of me, nodding my thanks before taking a sip and sighing blissfully.

Steve quietly excused himself so he could wake up the others, and I watched him go with piercing eyes. The silence following his departure lasted all of three seconds before the archer and myself were sprinting around the island counter. My hands gripped the box he'd stolen from me a few minutes before and together, Clint and I ran from the room; going to hide behind the couch with our prize.

"Steve is going to go hard out with the training, you know?" Clint mumbled through a mouthful, licking a few crumbs from his lips.

I sighed, frowning down at the sugary treat in my hands. "Who will I work with? Or is it a team effort thing?" I questioned.

Clint swallowed, taking the extra time to sort through his thoughts. "Each of us tend to excel in different areas, so we'll probably teach you one on one. At least; that's what we did with Loki," he explained, digging through the box for another pop-tart.

My curiosity flared, and I licked my lips with narrowed eyes. "What did happen with Loki?" I suddenly asked, looking up. "I mean, I remember seeing the reports on the alien invasion; how the hell are you all friends now?"

Clint stared at me for a few seconds before grabbing the last treat, sitting back on his haunches. "It was part of his punishment. Odin – his father – sent him back so he could help with the clean up and see the true extent of the damage he'd caused. Despite closing the portal, he was a huge prick at first, wouldn't leave his room, wouldn't speak to anyone..."

I frowned, dropping onto my butt. "What happened then? You guys manage to break through the ice princess persona?"

Clint chuckled, wrinkling his nose. "About two months after he arrived, our resident genius got a little bored and started pranking people. We were kind of use to it, and endured it as he pranked us but one morning he declares that he had to prank the god of mischief. Thor advised against it – I mean we all did..." he frowned himself, shaking his head. "He didn't listen of course, and later that day his prank happened."

I rolled my eyes, letting out a colossal sigh. "How did you manage to save Tony's life?" I asked jokingly.

Clint wiggled slightly, straightening up but staying in the shelter of the couch. "Well after Tony left to set up the prank, we didn't see hide or hair of him. We asked Jarvis, but even he said he couldn't detect Tony in the building at all and after that it all kind of hit us at once. Thor asked about the whereabouts of his brother, and when we got the same answer we more or less had a panic attack," he winced dramatically, pulling a face. "We got SHIELD, a search party and combed the city with a fine tooth. Later that night when we got back, guess what we walked in on?"

I shook my head, indicating I had no clue.

"We walk in on Tony and Loki laughing their heads off like a couple of school girls. The little shits had pulled a prank of us," he tried to hold back his own laughter. "You should've heard the ear lashing they got, and their faces! God, ever seen the god of mischief pout? Anyway, the next morning we all head into the kitchen because we could hear laughing and what should we see but Tony wetting himself and Loki hopping on his feet."

I cocked my head, letting out a small huff of laughter. "What had happened?"

"That's what we asked! All we got was; the infernal Midgardian device burnt me! After that Loki stuck to Tony's side like glue and because of that, he got to know Bruce better as well. Then, Thor would insist he train with him, and Natasha and Steve couldn't help but join in," he shrugged. "Trust builds over time."

I nodded slowly, studying the man before me carefully. "How did he get your trust?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Tasha told me he wasn't that bad..."

I swallowed, offering a mirthless chuckle. "Clint?" I prodded.

The archer sighed, leaning against the couch. "Sometimes I have trouble sleeping," he admitted quietly. "About a month after the whole pranking thing, I went out to get some water and he was there. He didn't hear me come in, and you know, it was early; he wasn't wearing one of his infamous smirks or a cold mask... I saw him then. Really saw him," he swallowed thickly, looking back up to me. "When he noticed me, he tried to act indifferent but we started talking about the past. He was sorry, and I could see the guilt he harboured. After that, I found out he was actually a lot of fun."

I nodded, silently moved by the short story. "He is, isn't he," I agreed, chuckling shortly.

Clint shook off the tension that was thick in the air, leaning closer to nudge my side. "So, what kind of fun is he exactly?" he teased, winking when I sent him a gaping look.

Punching his arm, I snorted. "Shut it bird brain," I commanded.

He wrinkled his nose and laughed, forcing himself to his feet with a tired groan. "Come on," he instructed, holding out a hand and helping me up. "I think we should head downstairs. I've wanted to kick your ass since I met you."

Steve paced before us like a military man, posture perfect. "This training programme will continue until we're called into base, or faced with an attack. We will train every week day, but have the weekends off. Every day after breakfast we will pair up and train until lunch. After lunch, you will pair off with a different person until dinner. After dinner is free time."

Despite having grinned at the prospect of free weekends, Tony frowned in shock. "Don't you think this is going a bit far?" he asked, looking around as the others offered short nods.

Steve narrowed his eyes. "It's not just Fury's orders," he muttered. "I will not lose any of my friends."

It hit like a ton of bricks. This was it, the fight that would decide not just my own fates, but the fates of the people I loved as well. We were at war with a force we could only hope to defeat. Looking around the room, I saw the realisation sink in; determination replacing shock.

"We all have an area we'll help others train in," Steve continued. "Even if those skills seem ridiculous, they're all useful. The war is all but on our doorstep, so every little thing counts."

He looked around the room, meeting our eyes before coming to a full stop; hands clasped behind his back.

"Bruce will help you with meditation. Don't laugh Tony, it may not seem helpful, but it'll allow you to remain calm and admittedly help on those sleepless nights. He's been assisting me since the invasion, and I find it much easier to concentrate during a fight," he smiled at the scientist in question.

Next was the billionaire. "Tony will be in charge of editing and upgrading our uniforms. He needs to discuss the full effects of Thanos' power with Loki, but will be free to make changes to your uniforms from that. Any requests, then take them up with him."

Now the archer. "Clint will be in charge of long range weapons. We all need to try and have at least one weapon that's long range, even if it's only throwing knives," he murmured, nodding to the dark haired god.

"Natasha will be in charge of offensive fighting and stealth," Steve continued, gesturing to the woman. "She'll help you with hand to hand and teach you the best ways to take out your opponents quickly and quietly."

"Now I'll also help with offensive fighting, but will assist more with the defence behind it. I'll help you with the proper stances, and teach you how to effectively dodge hits. Hopefully, during sparring I can also show you how to get away from an opponent if they prove too much, or show you how to use their strength against them."

Steve started to pace again, nodding once to the thunderer. "Thor wishes to assist you with your strength and endurance. He wants to help you build up your strength and enable you to take whatever is thrown at you."

"Loki will teach you about magic and illusions. We're lucky to have someone versed in that world, and hopefully with his help we'll learn the difference between truth and lies. Some spells can be dodged, but others can't, and he'll teach you which is which."

Finally finished, his face lit up in a blinding smile. "Sorry 'Livia, but we don't really know your strengths and weaknesses yet so when you're paired with someone, just give any help you can okay?" I nodded once. "This new system will start on Monday, and since it's only Friday, I thought we could just train together. It'll give us the weekend to adjust to the new programme."

I jumped when he clapped his hands together. "Let's get started," he announced happily.

I smiled at him, already turning to head for the door as the others milled about. I was almost to the door when a loud call stopped me. "Hey Olivia, where you going?" Clint demanded. "You are so not getting out of this that easily."

I turned to him, hoping to show him my unamusement. "I'm getting changed, dickhead," I muttered playfully. "And I've gotta get my babies."

I walked calmly into the elevator, yawning into my hand as the door started to close. I leant against the back as someone called out, asking me to keep the doors open. Hurrying to stop them, I reached out, watching a pale hand sneak through, pushing the doors back open.

Green eyes stared at me, another body pressing inside. "Hey Loki," I smiled.

He nodded. "Hello, Lady Olivia," he greeted softly.

I sighed at the title, sending him a disapproving look. "Loki," I groaned dramatically. He looked over to me, cocking a brow politely. "None of this lady shit," I muttered.

He hesitated before nodding, looking at the doors ahead of him. I watched him worriedly, hoping the emotion didn't show on my face as thoughts ran through my mind. Is something wrong?

"Hey Loki," I coaxed. "You alright?"

He turned to look at me, a frown settling on his features. "Yes, Olivia."

I mirrored his frown, resisting the urge to reach out and grab his arm. "Uh, I don't think lying to your teammates is very productive."

His chest moved with a large breath, a small murmur entering the air. "Teammates," he muttered under his breath.

It was as though a light-bulb went off above my head, and I had to resist the urge to slap myself. After everything that had happened; the kiss, the titan, his admittance to liking me, I was acting as I usually did. Something that could've been seen as me pushing the emotion aside, or ignoring it.

I closed my eyes, scolding myself internally. After all of that, I'd practically been acting like none of it had happened. Horrible didn't even begin to cover how I felt at that moment.

The door opened with a loud sound, and Loki couldn't get away fast enough. I watched him go before turning in the direction of my own room, hurrying to change into a tank top and yoga pants. Grabbing my whips, I walked back to the elevator, taking my time in hopes that I would see the dark haired god again.

Sighing when he didn't show, I pressed the button for the gym level, waiting for the doors to close. Movement caught my attention and my hand shot out, stopping the doors as I studied the area.

What the hell is Loki doing in the stair well?

Frowning, I left the elevator, jumping when the doors shut behind me. I knocked lightly on the door – why, I have no clue – and pushed it open, watching as I received a confused look.

"Olivia," Loki began. "Why did you knock? This is a stairwell."

I shrugged helplessly, nervously trailing my fingers over the box that held my whips. "We going down?"

He hesitated before nodding and beginning to descend on the stairs, leaving me to follow him. We moved in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being our footsteps and the berating voice in my mind. It sounded suspiciously like my mother and was telling me to suck it up; to take the leap of faith I knew I wanted to take.

"Hey, uh, Lokes?"

He hummed in response, showing he was listening as he focused solely on the movement of his feet.

I took a deep breath. "What," I cleared my throat, attempting nonchalance. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

He frowned, finally looking over to me before lowering his head once more. "Nothing," he shrugged, going back to his feet.

I bit my lip, worrying it with my teeth. "Want to maybe catch a movie? Get some dinner?" I offered hopefully, smiling crookedly when he looked up at me.

He studied my features for a few seconds before a small smile pulled at his lips. "Sounds delightful," he allowed, nodding once. I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding, chuckling in relief. "Now, where shall we go? What movie shall we see?"

I smiled at the warmth radiating from him. It was a large step better than the cool indifference he was the master of. "If we go out for dinner early, about six-thirty, we can probably catch one of those late night movies. They're always fun," I promised.

He nodded, already beginning to ask more questions as we continued moving down the levels. It only took us a few minutes to decided what we'd be doing and where we'd be going. Loki spoke of a quaint restaurant near an old theatre that I knew did late night horrors, and it was a few seconds of discussion before we moved onto other topics.

We entered the gym once again, laughing quietly before we split, nodding once and wishing the other good luck. Bouncing on the balls of my feet for a moment, I walked across the room; intent on the curly headed man on the yoga mat.

"Hey Brucie," I greeted warmly.

He opened one eye, smiling. "Hello, Liv."

I looked around, crouching before him. "We could I practise?" I asked, wincing when I realised I was probably disrupting him.

He opened both eyes, frowning now. "There are some dummies in the corner you could use?" he offered, sending me another smile and waving a hand. "Is that okay?"

I smiled and nodded, already straightening up, box in hand. His eyes slipped closed once again as I stalked across the room, studying the strangely coloured dummies as I placed the box down with exaggerated care. Pulling out my whips, I clutched them as tightly as I dared, clearing my mind and focusing solely on the feeling of cool metal in my hands.

With a quick check that none of my teammates were in my range, I focused next on one of the dummies. It was shaped like a man, large and burly and almost instantly my mind placed blue eyes and a dangerous smile on its face. The whips unwound in my hands and I juggled them about absently, getting use to the weight once again.

Standing to my full height, I began to twirl the silver metal in a semi-circle; one that surrounded me protectively. Over a course of a few seconds, the circle expanded, and I felt a light draft shift my hair as I moved gracefully. With a brisk smile, I took a single step forward, my other leg tucking into my hip as I spun; wrists twisting and twirling expertly. The actions caused the whips to shoot out harshly, ripping the dummy clean in half.

Smiling brightly, I used the force behind my body's movement to change directions rapidly, attacking the dummy to my side. The movements were much like dancing and I chuckled quietly as I ducked an imagined attack, shooting back up to attack once again.

It took me a few minutes to exhaust every dummy in sight and I slowed the sharp movements of my wrists, leaving the whips slowly circling at my sides. Humming in contentment, I turned, allowing the weapons to still completely before grinning guiltily as I caught the other's stares.

"What?" I asked, feeling a blush build on my cheeks.

I heard a deep chuckle, the sound familiar. "Impressive, you're very flexible."

I turned, cocking out a hip as I smirked. "You sound shocked," I noted, watching green eyes light up in amusement.

Loki only smiled and chuckled shortly; going back to the spar he'd previously abandoned and assumed an offensive position. I wrinkled my nose at his turned back before sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck.

"Hey Thor?" I called, slowly winding my whips back into a tight circle. "Wanna come help me with some weights?"

The thunderer nodded happily. "Of course Olivia," he answered easily, already moving towards the benches and shelves of weights.

As I wandered to his side, he engaged me in a complex conversation about strength and endurance – one that even I had trouble keeping up with. The training continued on for hours, and after struggling to lift my own body weight, I'd moved onto Bruce; hoping the man could calm me down enough so I could settle for dinner.

As we exited the elevator – laughing at something stupid along the way – we saw the three female guests standing at the dining room table, almost looking guilty. The table itself was covered in mouth watering food, the smell alone enough to make my stomach grumble.

Pepper raised her eyebrows. "Well? Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come eat something?" she asked.

It took us a few seconds to snap out of the hunger induced haze, and we hurried forward, all managing to stave off starvation in an effort to be polite. The girls sat down as well, shaking their heads in amusement before gesturing for us to start.

"Dig in," Pepper instructed.

We all grabbed piles of food, quickly forking it into our mouths – or inhaling it in Thor's case. We talked idly as we ate, managing to speak around full mouths or cups, before Pepper spoke up, making me freeze.

"So what are you wearing for your date tomorrow, Olivia?" she demanded. "And when were you planning on telling me you'd scored a date with the god of mischief?"

The table fell silent and I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. "She can wear whatever she desires," Loki said slowly, narrowing his eyes as the others stared in silence.

I smiled at him in relief. "How did you even find out Pepper?" I asked, quickly dropping an emerald gaze in embarrassment.

She smiled and tapped her nose with the tip of her finger, already going back to her meal. My eyes narrowed in thought, before they widened in realisation, back straightening.

"Jarvis! You traitorous bastard!"

Edited; 24th August 2015

Here we are, I hope you liked it. It's not as much training as I originally intended to include but ever tried writing a fake fight scene with whips? It's hard, my friends.

Taila xx