The party had ended almost an hour earlier, but the Avengers and their closer friends were still loitering around the couches, some of them nursing drinks and others without. Taylor had passed out on the couch—not from alcohol, but simply because she'd spent hours upon hours awake working on both college and missions, and now she was catching up on all she sleep she'd missed.
She'd started out just sitting next to Bucky and they'd been talking. Then there had been a lull in their conversation and next thing he knew, her cheek was pressed into his shoulder and she was fast asleep. He hadn't had the heart to wake her, so he'd let her be and somehow, as the party had wound down, she'd slipped from his shoulder to his lap, where she was now curled up like a cat.
The Avengers were all trying to lift Thor's hammer, taking turns trying to get it off the table, but it just wouldn't budge, and they were having a good time making fun of each other in the process. Loki was milling about, trying not to be noticed while he observed them all and silently wished they would just go to bed so Thor would let him get his own sleep. He envied the brunette snoozing so peacefully.
"Think Taylor could lift it?" Tony wondered suddenly, looking at the slumbering woman curiously.
Thor actually looked unsure for a moment.
"Taylor is a good person, but I'm not sure that she would be able to lift Mjolnir," he said slowly.
"Should we wake her up and find out?" Natasha questioned, interested in seeing this.
"Nah, let her sleep," Bruce disagreed, "she needs it."
Bucky glanced down at her, a sudden idea occurring to him. While he liked all of the Avengers just fine, he still valued solitude most times. The only exceptions were Steve and Taylor, who could sit quietly with him without impinging on his privacy. He counted this as his one major social interaction for a while and now he just wanted some sleep and some time alone.
"The doctor's right. I think I'm going to take her up to bed," he said, scooping Taylor up effortlessly, taking care not to jostle her lest she wake up and ruin his escape.
Of course, as always, his statement was met with a few suggestive "Ooh's" and Tony declaring "I knew it". No, they were not a couple—and the others definitely knew it—but damn if they didn't love teasing Taylor and Bucky about it every chance they got. When the jokes had first started, both Taylor and Bucky would flush bright red and adamantly deny it, but now they merely rolled their eyes and ignored the other Avengers.
"Mm, Buck? Are you taking me to my room?" Taylor mumbled when the movement of the elevator disturbed her from her slumber.
This was not the first time she'd woken in the super soldier's arms. He had a way of watching out for her like that—all the Avengers did actually, but since Steve had become capable of protecting himself, he'd taken to keeping an eye on her. That didn't mean he didn't still have Steve's back no matter what, but little things like this…Taylor had definitely become his charge.
"Yeah, the party's over," he answered, "I'm using you as an excuse to get to bed."
A sleepy smile curled her lips up as her light blue eyes fluttered closed again. She was exhausted—the work out earlier that day and the party (plus the stress that always accompanied parties) had ensured that. She had work to do in the morning and she was eager to get all the rest she could.
"It wouldn't be the first time," she sighed with amusement before drifting off again.
Dimly, she remembered that there was another, slightly murderous, Asgardian lurking about the tower, and that Thor had had something to tell them about, but that seemed completely irrelevant compared to how comfortable her bed was.
9:30 the next morning saw that the Avengers were all, collectively, passed out. Loki crept out of his room, confident that the superheroes would still be sleeping after their party the night before. The group had stayed up until the early hours of the morning, talking and joking, and with the alcohol in their systems, they were most assuredly not waking for some time. He travelled in the direction of the kitchen—food first, and then he would test the boundaries of this new and temporary living space.
Unfortunately, that plan was foiled by a certain brunette buzzing about the kitchen. Her black, almost blue, hair was pulled back messily from her face as she flipped some round, bread-looking object on a hot plate. She was tapping her fingers along the countertop in tune to a song playing softly from no discernable source.
Loki recalled what Thor had said to him last night, about the girl being intelligent and having a sharp tongue. Perhaps he could speak to her after all, to help alleviate some of the boredom. If she proved interesting enough, he'd have something to occupy his attention, at least for a little while. Besides, he needed sustenance and she was as good as any to direct him in Midguardian cuisine.
While he was considering, Taylor turned around, planning to pour herself a glass of orange juice while she was waiting for her pancakes to brown. Instead, she was startled to find the god of bad moods and death glares hovering near the open kitchen. With a startled shriek, she brandished her weapon—a silicon spatula—simultaneously as the two pancakes currently on the flattop burned to a crisp with the flare of her powers.
"Oh, how terrifying," the Asgardian remarked flatly, raising an eyebrow with an unimpressed expression, "a girl with a plastic cooking utensil. I'm truly intimidated."
She let out a breath, cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she lowered her improvised weapon and pressed her lips together. Just her luck that Loki would be the one to sneak up on her like that. It wasn't like she was easily surprised anymore, it was just that she'd expected everyone, even Loki, to be dead to the world for another hour or so. Her embarrassment melted into sheepishness as an awkward giggle escaped her.
"I made do with what I had," she defended herself, gesticulating wildly with the spatula, "don't judge."
"Miss Cadence, your pancakes are burnt and still on the heat," Stark's AI system, JARVIS, alerted her.
"Ah, man!" she whined, fearlessly picking up the blackened disks that more resembled hockey pucks or Frisbees now.
"Do you not feel the heat?" Loki questioned as she frowned at the lost pancakes.
"No," she replied, giving him a surprised look, "I can't even feel it."
Taylor had spent so long around the Avengers, she'd forgotten that it was strange to outsiders that she would handle seemingly scalding things without hesitation. Whoops. Perhaps she should keep that in mind next time…
"What is it you're making there?" Loki inquired, watching as she scooped out more batter with a ladle and pooled it into circles on the flattop.
"Pancakes," she answered lightly, "it's a pretty standard breakfast food here. I'm making a bunch for everyone because I know they'll be hungry when they wake up. You can have some too, if you'd like. There are finished ones on a platter over there and there are plates in the cabinet."
She pointed at different intervals as she spoke, eyes drifting away from him to her pancakes and then off into space as she trailed of contemplatively. The morning was when she "served herself" as Thor liked to say. It was when it was most quiet in the Tower and also when she was least likely to be interrupted. Of course, with Loki there she couldn't go quite as deep into thought as usual, but she couldn't help her wandering mind.
"These will do," Loki said decisively considering everything she'd set out on the counter.
He could identify the contents of one large bowl—fruit—and a bag of chocolate. The rest was foreign to him, but it all appeared edible. Would she laugh at him if he asked her to identify the items? It was too soon to tell with her.
"Good," Taylor replied, stepping closer to hand him a fork and knife.
In the process, their eyes met and they both suddenly realized how careful they'd both been about maintaining a safe distance between themselves. Taylor had avoided him since they met before the party just as Loki had, and now they were standing less than two feet away and almost…cordial. Something crackled in the space between them, some unspoken acknowledgement or feeling, like they were aware of the mystery of the other and it was disturbing.
"Do you mind telling me what all you have laid out here?" he requested, breaking the spell.
She blinked, snapping out of it and fumbled to answer his question. She was such a sap! Just standing there, staring? Smooth move, Taylor. She was such a charmer.
"Assorted fruits, butter, syrup, whip cream, and chocolate," she pointed to each thing in turn, moving away to flip the pancakes before glancing back at him, "if there's anything else you want with them, just ask and I can see if we have it."
Loki was a bit taken aback by her generosity. He'd expected…something else. Maybe sarcastic, biting comments, like the rest of the Avengers. He wasn't prepared for…this. The smiles and the kindness were throwing him for a loop, but he refused to let her confuse him any further.
"You know what I've done, don't you?" he inquired, frowning at her.
She gave him a curious look, her tapping fingers pausing yet again as she gave him her attention.
"Yes, of course," she answered, "what you did was awful."
She flipped the pancakes out and onto another plate before turning off the flattop. She'd made a lot of pancakes and was now out of batter. If the huge stack on the counter wasn't enough for all of them she'd order something or make more. She was fairly certain there was another box of mix in the cabinet somewhere…
"And yet you are kind to me," Loki pointed out, observing as she stacked three of the large disks on a plate and began slathering them in condiments.
"Is there reason not to be?" she questioned, giving him an uncomprehending look, "Thor told me about what happened with the dark elves. Seems like you've changed—at least a little. I don't see any reason to be rude."
She settled on a stool on the other side of the counter, staring at him with her big blue eyes expectantly. Loki realized she was waiting for him to speak, leaving the conversation open to him to continue or shut down. He wanted to begrudge her for her slyness, but it was rather clever as well.
"Tell me, girl," he began, gazing at her over his own breakfast, "what possesses you to believe that I would hesitate for a moment to kill you?"
She raised an eyebrow at him, snorting softly.
"Firstly, my name is Taylor," she began, "I'd appreciate if you called me that instead of 'girl'. Second, I'm not really worried about you killing me, because you could have done it a second ago and yet here I am, still breathing."
Ah, so there was a bit of that sharp tongue his brother had mentioned. Oh yes, if there was more to this, Loki was certainly interested in seeing it. She was proving to be far more interesting than he'd first assumed.
"I hope it's not too personal to ask, but are you and that man with the metal arm in a courtship?"
She stared at him for a moment, brain clearly trying to figure out what he was asking.
"Oh, Bucky and I? You're asking if we're in a relationship?" at his nod, she giggled, "No, Bucky and I are just friends. We're both single."
There was a beat of silence before she cast him a sly look, a playful smile pulling at her lips.
"What about you?" she inquired, "Any clandestine loves in Asgard?"
He smirked slightly.
"No. I didn't have many visitors during my time in the dungeons."
"Ooh dungeons," she reflected, raising her eyebrows suggestively, "that's pretty kinky."
He understood that she was making some sort of joke, but he didn't recognize the terminology behind it. Even so, he could appreciate her sense of humor—straightforward as it was. He wasn't used to honest, blunt women like her (except, perhaps, his mother) and it was wonderfully refreshing.
"Well," she said after a moment, taking her dishes to the sink and placing coverings over the bowls, "I have work to do in the lab. Considering I have no clue when Thor might be up, you should join me."
He narrowed his eyes at her, a strange sense of…oh gods, was that betrayal? He'd thought he'd gotten over feelings like that. It bothered him more than it should that she truly didn't trust him alone in the tower, despite her words before. Perhaps it was just the hope the she would act differently towards him that made it sting.
"Worried I'll escape?" he snipped bitterly.
She gave him a flat look, like he'd said possibly the most obtuse thing in all the nine realms and she was striving for patience. It was an incredibly revealing feeling, to have the same look he'd had given countless numbers of people turned on him now.
"No," it sounded vaguely irritated, "I just thought you'd like some company—and while yes, I could keep an eye on you, I figure it might be better if you have an excuse as to where you've been. I know the others might give you a hard time about it."
He stared at her, trying to determine whether she was lying or not. He moved closer, nearly pinning her against the counter as he grabbed the front of her shirt, jerking her closer. Her bright blue eyes were wide as she stared up at him, one hand raising very slowly to touch his wrist. He could feel the heat in her fingertips, but it wasn't unbearable yet.
"What are you playing at?" he demanded, nearly snarling.
"I just want to do my job, to be honest," she replied matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow, "whether or not you want to take up my offer is your choice."
She gently removed his hand from her shirt and turned back to the sink, washing off her breakfast dishes and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. Like Tony, she tended to forget to do basic things like eat, or sleep, or sometimes even use the bathroom, once she was on a role. Having water around would at least keep her from passing out of dehydration.
Halfway to the elevator, Loki caught up to her, not uttering a word or looking at her, but there nonetheless, and she tried not to smile too wide in case he noticed. Taylor hadn't woken up this morning with the intention of getting on the grumpy god's good side, but if she could manage it, she supposed she didn't mind. The question could (and probably would) be raised of why she would want to be acquaintances with Loki of all people in the first place.
The truth of the matter was that she had a bleeding heart, and she of all the Avengers apart from Thor, remembered that Loki was an actual person. He had feelings, felt loneliness like everyone else. He was in a realm that wasn't home, alone with people that pretty much hated his guts. She could sympathize with being hated and being somewhere foreign and alone, at least separately. Together, she could imagine the feeling wasn't pleasant at all.
She glanced sideways at the Asgardian as she unscrewed and screwed the cap to her water bottle. Taylor knew that she couldn't push him. He was a lot like a skittish animal, wary of everyone and willing to lash out if he felt he was backed into a corner. If she wanted to even befriend him, she'd have to be patient and let him come to her in his own time, like the Avengers had done to her. She was off to a good start—they'd already started cordial conversation and now he was spending time with her in the lab.
"Are my looks so dazzling that you can't keep your eyes off of me, or are you plotting something?" he asked suddenly, turning to look at her with a smirk.
She blinked, realized that her "quick glance" had turned to "contemplative staring" without her knowledge and he'd noticed. It was sort of hard not to, considering her big, bright eyes and the fact that they were the only two in the elevator. She wasn't exactly discreet about it, not that Taylor had realized she was doing it in the first place, anyway.
"I—I'm not—I mean you're not—well, you are, but I wasn't…" her cheeks heated up with embarrassment as the elevator door finally opened and she was able to escape.
Wow, her articulateness stunned even her sometimes. Heat never bothered her up until the exact moment she couldn't talk to someone. What the hell? Four years with the Avengers and she couldn't talk to an alien? Man, was she lame!
"Oh yes, that was very convincing," Loki teased (actually teased, oh gods, perhaps he should lay down and get some more sleep) while Taylor adamantly ignored him, placing her hand on the scanner to allow her access to the labs.
The next few hours would be interesting…
