*FOUR YEARS AFTER JOINING THE AVENGERS*
Taylor swore as she was slammed onto the floor—again. She'd been an Avenger for three years now, lost count of how many missions she'd been on, been fully integrated into the team, and still, still Bucky Barnes kicked her ass like nobody else could. In fact, the smug bastard was grinning down at her cheekily at that very moment, while she glared at the ceiling in frustration as they finished yet another round of sparring.
"Ah, c'mon doll, you almost had me that time," he chuckled.
"Oh sure," she snorted, accepting the hand he extended her, "and I just so happen to love cold weather as well."
He laughed at her dry humor, completely used to it after two years. The day Taylor Cadence didn't have a witty comeback to some joke or tease was the day the world would end, Bucky was sure of it. The girl was kind and gentle, but she had a fiery personality beneath the sweet exterior (it suited her, he supposed, with her powers and all) and he was lucky enough to be one of the few that got to see it.
After almost two months of avoiding SHIELD, HYDRA, and Steve, Bucky had finally recovered over half his memories and his "Winter Soldier" incidents had become less frequent. In light of this, he'd returned to New York to seek out his long lost friend and hopefully get the last of the help he needed. Of course, he'd discovered much more than help upon his semi-triumphant return.
Once the initial shock had worn off and SHIELD had released Bucky from custody (it only lasted a couple weeks), Tony Stark had offered the ex-HYDRA agent a place on the team and a bed to sleep in. Within the first couple days or so, Bucky had met Taylor. She was the one most often around the tower, since she had college to focus on, apart from missions.
At first, their friendship had been rocky. She'd still been rather shy and timid around most people, not just him, although he had scared her once (she'd accidentally snuck up on him and he'd reacted on instinct). Bucky, for his part, had been concerned he'd relapse into "Winter Soldier" mode in the new place, with the new people. After a several movie nights with Steve chaperoning as a buffer, and a couple quiet days spent in each other's company, they'd become fast friends.
It helped that she was safe from him if he did happen to relapse for some reason or another. Her powers made her skin so hot no one could touch her, and even if he managed to get his hands on a weapon, it would melt on contact. Apart from being virtually untouchable in an emergency, they shared a similar past—or at least an understanding of one another. Taylor may not have been experimented on and put in a freezer for months to years on end, but she knew what it was like to be abused and treated like a monster; she could empathize with self-loathing and numbness to everything.
Now the two were perfectly comfortable in each other's company. He wasn't interested in her romantically—nor her towards him, even though they were often teased by the others—since he was still hesitant at the thought of getting that intimate with anyone, but they spent a lot of their time together. He thought of her more like a friend/sister—like Steve. Actually, almost all of the Avengers saw Taylor that way.
"One more round?" he asked.
"Oh, why not?" she sighed dramatically, crossing to the other side of the matt-ring, "It's not like I don't have enough bruises already."
Taylor was a far cry from her eighteen-year-old self, but damn if a good ass-whooping didn't remind her to stay humble. No, she couldn't quite beat Natasha still, although now they tied more often than they didn't, and Clint was nearly the same, but Bucky never failed to hand Taylor her own ass on a silver platter with a huge self-satisfied grin ten times out of ten. They were ridiculously competitive, and he, unfortunately, had way more experience (and advantages) than her. She took the beating like a good sport though, and they always left the gym with smiles on their faces.
"So what's for dinner tonight, anyway?" Bucky questioned as the elevator took them up after their work out session.
Most nights Taylor was the one to cook, so long as she was home. She always made enough for everyone—sometimes they had leftovers for days, with how much everyone ate—and it was always delicious too. Bucky would loiter around the kitchen, sometimes helping, but mostly "taste-testing" the meal while she made it.
They didn't get to do this all the time; they both had missions to complete, and she sometimes was too weighed down with assignments (well not anymore, as she'd finally graduated the day before) to do much other than scarf down whatever they happened to have on hand. When they both happened to be home though, they never failed to get at least one sparring match in and a movie night. He was just as behind in modern pop-culture as Steve, after all.
"Tony said something about going out, since I just graduated and all," she explained, running a hand through her just-washed hair, "I hope he doesn't go overboard."
"Who? Stark?" Bucky joked, "That's not like him at all."
Sure enough, when they vacated the elevator and headed for the kitchen, Tony ambushed her with a hug. He must have come up for air long enough to realize she'd graduated. It hadn't been a big deal—it wasn't like she'd been attending an actual college anyway. A SHIELD agent had handed her a diploma with a polite "congrats" and that had been that.
"My baby's graduated," the billionaire mock-sobbed against her shoulder.
"Oh my god, Tony, I'm not in fifth grade. It's no big deal," she griped, but there was a grin on her face anyway as she patted his back.
Bucky continued past them, mouthing "overboard" at her over his shoulder and snickering like an idiot.
"What do you mean 'no big deal'?!" Tony cried in outrage, grabbing her shoulders before she could respond to her friend, "It's not every day that the youngest Avenger ever graduates with degrees—plural—in thermonuclear science and nuclear engineering in just four years."
Okay, so she'd admit he was right about that, but all that meant to her was that she had pretty much no life—which was somewhat true. The first couple years in Stark Tower, she'd just ducked her head and focused on work to avoid…everything, so she'd gotten ahead in her studies. It wasn't like she was going to a regular college or attending normal classes; she set the pace for her own studies, so when she'd had nightmares, she'd worked. Besides that, she had access to the greatest minds science had to offer (especially in her field) and she already had a leg up, with her powers and all.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Tony's right for once, Taylor. You should be over the moon."
She grinned at the man that had become somewhat of a father figure to her—Bruce Banner. He wasn't quite like her father, though. For one, he wasn't absent all the time. For another, he didn't tell her what to do or how to act or anything like that. He did, however, give her advice and support whenever she needed it, and he was a lot like her in that their "conditions" were dependent on their ability to control their emotions. Sure, one of them turned into an enormous green rage monster and the other combusted the nearest flammable objects into inextinguishable pyres, but hey, to-may-to, to-mah-to.
"Well, I'm happy and all, but it's more of just a formality now, since I've been interning and researching and whatnot for a couple years now," she explained sheepishly.
"Hush Tay," Tony interrupted holding up a hand, "This calls for celebration! What country would you like to go to for dinner? We could go for authentic shwarma, or maybe Italian? You love Italian, don't you, Tay?"
She laughed and shook her head. Four years around this man she still wasn't exactly used to his extravagancy. For her 21st birthday he'd taken the entire team to California for a fancy dinner at some high society restaurant and then they'd gone on a wine tour. It was sweet though, that he always went overboard paying for things she actually liked doing or places she enjoyed visiting rather than just anything that sounded like a good time to him.
"Give the lady some breathing room, Stark," Steve said as he entered the scene, "how's she supposed to answer your questions if you don't shut up to hear her?"
Taylor broke into a fit of giggles at Tony's expression and took the opportunity to snitch a bottle of water and a granola bar from the kitchen. What would she choose for dinner though? There was no talking Tony out of this now that he'd decided she had to have a celebration party. She knew for a fact Pepper was coming; she'd called the day before and congratulated Taylor before promising they'd have a party or something. Natasha and Clint weren't on assignment for once, and it seemed the only person that was missing was Thor, although Taylor didn't really expect him to come, and didn't hold it against him that he couldn't.
She'd finally met Thor in her second year with the Avengers, and the man was not only very kind, but also very fraternal. Like everyone else, he'd taken to her quickly, delighting in the small, young female that had joined their team of superheroes. At first he'd been a little skeptical, though perfectly friendly, until he went on a mission with her and was thoroughly impressed with her skills. The rest was history. He was the most brotherly of all the Avengers, and she really needed a big brother figure like him.
The crack of thunder outside caught everyone's attention abruptly, cutting off all conversation. It had been sunny all day—the forecast called for clear skies and a little wind, but not enough to blow in a storm like that. A smile curled her lips up. Maybe Thor would join them after all?
A sudden flash of lightening on the balcony answered that question as a shadowy figure began towards them. Scratch that—two. One of the silhouettes was definitely Thor. The flowing cape, broad shoulders, and hammer gave it away. The second one…too tall and masculine to be Jane. He'd told Taylor dozens of stories about Asgard; maybe he'd brought one of his friends.
"My friends," Thor greeted them, "I have returned."
"Really? We hadn't noticed," Tony remarked wryly.
"Welcome back," Taylor chimed, "we were just deciding where to go for dinner."
"Is there a celebration? Usually you only agree to go out if it is for something special," the god observed.
"Taylor just graduated from college," Steve answered proudly, patting her head affectionately, "she's earned her Master degree."
"You are a master now, Taylor. That is cause for celebration! Congratulations are in order!" he boomed, making her laugh.
She slipped from the kitchen and gave him a hug, something all of the Avengers had grown accustomed to—even Natasha. He returned the gesture, although as soon as he released her she had to take a deep breath or else pass out from oxygen deprivation. Those muscles of his were great for battle, but absolutely smothering. More power to Jane.
From just to his side, she noticed another man, a stark contrast to Thor. His hair was black and slicked back and his eyes were a gorgeous shade of green. His wore mostly green and black leather, although she couldn't tell if it was armor or casual wear. His handsome, regal features were vaguely disturbed by everything around him, or maybe it was just interstellar travel that gave him that expression.
"Taylor Cadence," she introduced herself, "you are…?"
The man stared at her, seemingly caught between being dumbfounded and angry. From behind her, Tony, Steve, and Thor all burst into laughter. Even Bruce was chuckling a little. Confused, she glanced at the man again, brow furrowed.
"Is this some sort of joke?" he hissed, looking for a moment like he was going to hit her.
"Calm yourself Loki," Thor said, grabbing Taylor's shoulders and gently steering her out of range, "it's not the girl's fault she doesn't recognize you."
As the name sunk in, she squinted at the Asgardian a little, tipping her head like he was a difficult puzzle to solve.
"Oh," she drew the sound out, pointing from a safe distance, "that's your 'troubled' brother? The one that got into a bit of conflict here a few years ago?"
"'A bit of conflict'?!" Loki choked out, glaring.
She shrugged helplessly, expression a question mark.
"I'm new to the team," she reasoned.
Tony, still giggling to himself a little, slung an arm around Taylor's shoulders and pulled her further away from the more murderous-looking god of lies. No, they hadn't told Taylor much about the New York incident. It had been before her time on the team—after all she had only been sixteen when the city had been destroyed, and back then she'd had her own problems to worry about. All they'd given her were the basics and never any names. The few times Thor had mentioned his brother had only been in passing and she'd never made the connection between Loki and the infamous attack on New York.
The look on Loki's face was priceless, though. It seemed like he'd never met anyone that didn't recognize him before and it was a shot to his ego for sure. Taylor hadn't meant to offend him—which was probably the best part—but it sure seemed to have. Who knew that even after all this time in prison the god would still be so sensitive?
"Don't worry about it, Tay. All you have to know is that Reindeer Games over there led the attack on New York and he's been imprisoned in Asgard ever since," the billionaire explained.
"Why is he here then?" she wondered observantly, looking to Thor for an explanation.
The thunder god sighed, adjusting his grip on his hammer.
"There is a new threat that is rising, and I need your help again, my friends, but I will explain everything in detail at a later time. For now, let us celebrate Taylor's accomplishment."
