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GLORY DAYS
FAITH, THUNDER, AND JUSTICE

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synopsis. In which 14-year-old Riley O'Dair trains with Captain America and the God of Thunder

timeline. Pre-Age of Ultron

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  LET IT BE KNOWN: Valor was a hero you didn't want to mess with. Born as the child prodigy to a pair of incredible scientists, raised by S.H.I.E.L.D., and trained by Black Widow, Riley O'Dair was destined for greatness. She had overcome her enemies countless times. Anyone who bothered trying to challenge her was likely to lose.

  Well, anyone but two.

  Thud! Riley landed on the training mat with a pained grimace. "This is so... unfair!" she cried out.

  Steve Rogers stood just a few feet away, an amused smile on his lips, hands resting on his hips. "You sure you don't want us to go a little easier on you?"

  She scoffed, pushing herself so that she was leaning on her arms. "No way, Iced Cappucino."

  "I mean this in the least offensive way, Val," chimed in Thor as he walked forward, chuckling, "but we're kicking your ass."

  Riley rolled her eyes. "So!?" she retorted, pushing herself onto her feet again. The 14-year-old folded her arms across her chest. "It's not my fault both of you are cheaters!"

  A few weeks ago, the Avengers were reunited for the first time in years to track down Loki's scepter, which had been stolen by HYDRA after they successfully infiltrated and overthrew S.H.I.E.L.D. While they actively tracked down the scepter, Riley took it upon herself to request two of her friends, Thor and Steve, to train with her in their downtime. They were some of the strongest, most experienced members on the team, so Riley felt like she could learn a lot from them.

  Besides, how bad could it be? It was just training.

  That was what Riley thought before she proceeded to get her ass handed to her only a dozen times.

  Steve and Thor exchanged curious glances, eyebrows raised. "Do you think we're cheaters, Thor?" asked the former.

  Thor pursed his lips. "Mm, I don't think so, Steve."

  "I'm serious!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "You guys are, like, 10 feet tall! That's cheating!" When the two men broke out in chuckles, Riley pouted and whined, "Guys!"

  "Your height isn't a handicap, Riley," Steve insisted with a laugh.

  "Uh, I object!"

  Walking forward, Thor said, "You might be tiny—"

  "Man, do you really have to use that word?"

  "—but," continued Thor. He approached the girl and placed his hands on her shoulders, "you're mighty."

  "Maybe against ordinary bad guys," Riley said. "But if we end up fighting any more super soldiers or demigods or whatever HYDRA's planning on doing with Loki's scepter, I'm screwed!"

  It was no secret Valor had an admittedly wild ego when it came to her colorful skillset. She was highly intelligent and proficient in combat and espionage work. However, Riley had been thinking about this whole situation with Loki's scepter a lot lately, and she was worried she would drag the team down if she couldn't hold her own against whatever HYDRA had planned. Her size was already one problem. She didn't know how anyone could save the world when they were practically ant-sized.

  "You're going about it the wrong way," Steve said.

  "He's right." Thor backed away from the teenager and summoned Mjolnïr into his grasp. "Our opponents are only getting stronger."

  Riley tilted her head, puzzled. "Exactly, so—Hey!" She raised her hands and created a forcefield as Thor flung his hammer at her. "Thor!"

  Steve looked rather amused. He had been the one to assist Riley in physicalities, like new ways to take on opponents, but he was interested in seeing what Thor had in mind.

  "Hm..." Thor circled her, studying her. Riley matched his gaze, annoyed. Mjolnïr hovered in a forcefield beside her before she dropped it onto the ground with a loud BANG!

  "Thor, what the hell—?"

  "Your skills aren't the problem," he interrupted. "It's your powers."

  Riley merely glimpsed back at Steve. "Is he on drugs?" He just raised his hands, innocent.

  "Valor, you said your powers are made up of... what, again?" Thor inquired. "UV rays, like the sun." She nodded, unsure of where he was going with this. "When I was a child and I started conjuring my thunder, I could only do as much as you can now. A little bit of thunder every once in a while, maybe some lightning. But with practice, I learned how to do more."

  Riley slowly nodded. He seemed to believe she could do more with her powers.

  Riley, however, disagreed.

  "I can barely make my hands glow," Riley objected, "if that's what you're talking about."

  "I've seen you on the field," Steve mentioned. "If we can find other ways to use your powers, we'll have a better shot at getting that scepter."

  Riley shook her head. "I don't think it's physically possible for me to do more than this." She held her hands up, forcing them to faintly glow. It was almost laughable how much energy she had to exert to do something as simple as that.

  "Not with that attitude," Steve opposed. That seemed to take her attention. She stared at him with a questionable look. "What, it's like that children's movie you made us watch the other day. Faith, trust, and pixie dust, right?"

  She softly laughed. "Something like that."

  Thor summoned his hammer to his hands again. "If you're the Child of the Sun, you need to start acting like it," he offered. "Let me help you with your... glow, Riley."

  Not thinking anything of the nickname, Riley glanced down at her hands, contemplating it. If she could conjure UV rays in her palms, maybe it was possible that she could coat her entire body with them. Maybe she could do even more than that.

  Maybe if Riley found a way to use these UV rays in her body to do more than make force fields and turn invisible, she wouldn't have to worry about dragging down the team anymore. After all, she and Thor's powers weren't too different structurally. Maybe he could show her some tricks and tips from his many years of conjuring lightning.

  "Hey, it beats having to kick your ass," Steve added, causing Riley to scoff.

  "Yeah, right! I can kick your ass any day, old man, with or without powers," she declared. Riley peered back at Thor, grinning eagerly. "What do you have in mind?"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

this drabble was brought to you by me wanting to write more about riley interacting with thor because i love him

i tried to sprinkle in riley's "glow" throughout valor to show that her sudden outburst of power that happens when she takes on you-know-who in act one of adventures in babysitting, it shows her growth and development. my girl works hard and i wanted to show that <3

anyways that's all i love y'all byeeee