➖ CHAPTER TWO

➖ TWO DAYS.

IT HAD BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE DIRECTOR FURY had grounded her to her cell. Two days since she'd been let out of the small space..two days since she had that little taste of freedom.

She was bored and sad, hadn't moved from under her blankets at all, turned away any food they brought to her. Tyler had tried coaxing he into eating, but all she did was stare at the wall with a blank look as if he wasn't even there.

Katherine thought it was strange that Tyler was still her handler after what she had done to him but questioned nothing, figuring they had just given him a raise or something.

On the afternoon of the second day she was still in her bed, under the scratchy blanket with her head stuffed under the pillow. She was figuring out in her head how much longer she could refuse food before she got in trouble.

It happened a lot quicker than she thought when the door to her cell opened and In came Nick Fury himself, holding something behind his back. "Go away." She mutters, pulling the blanket farther up.

"It's dinner time."

"I'm not hungry." She was starving, but she wasn't about to give in. She wasn't giving up, not again. "Go awa- Hey!"

Fury had yanked the blanket off of her and was now folding it in his hands, placing it on the desk behind him before folding his arms over his chest and leaning against it. "You're mad." He states, trying not not to shrink back as he got her harsh glare. "And it's understandable, but you have to understand that I'm doing this for your safety."

"My safety?" She snorts, standing to her feet. Her sweat pants were falling off of her hips and she pulled them up quickly- struggling to keep them around her waist as she reties the string.

"Your safety." Nick continues, noticing her agitated look. She was about to blow up. He could tell by how red her face was turning and how she was blinking rapidly. He knew that she knew he was lying. "For your own good."

"Bullshit!" She yelled, her voice cracking as she yelled. The sound could be heard ringing through the cell and down the hallway outside of it. "You're doing what's good for you Nick!" It wasn't a secret between the two that nick had a soft spot for her- that he looked at her as if as his own kid. "I  trapped here day after day doing the same old belong things while the world outside continues on, moving forward while I just sit here, stuck."

Nick is silent, staring her down. He could tell in the way her shoulders slumped that she was more sad than angry, and that hurt him just a bit, knowing that he has hurt her by trying to keep her safe and out of Hydra's clutches.

He supposed that maybe it was time.. she was seventeen.. she deserved to see the outside of a cell without having to escape to do it. She deserved to be free. "What do you want?"

Katherine looked at him as if he had gone insane. Her eyes were wide and her face was still red with anger. Her thick, wavy brown hair was a rats nest around her face and it made her look insane. "What?"

Fury cocked his head at her. "If I let you out into the world, what do you want?" He asks, arms still folded over his chest.

Katherine continued to stare at him, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. "Everything that I missed out in while I've been locked in here." Fury have a look as if to say "elaborate" and she rolls her eyes at him. "High school. Boyfriends-" She starts, feeling sadness well up in her all over again. "Prom, after school clubs. Maybe a mission on the weekends.. a family." She couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek as she thought of all these things. "I want to be normal."

Fury closed his eyes and sighed. He hated seeing her like this- so upset over her life, she didn't deserve it. "You need to eat." He knew what he has to do, and how he had to do it. "I know you're hungry."

"It's Thursday, grilled cheese day." She mutters, not even glancing at him. "I hate grilled cheese."

Fury chuckles softly. "I know." He says, grabbing the box he has set down behind him when he walked in. "That's why I bought you this." He held the pizza box out to her and she took it a little too eagerly, he watched her for a moment before turning to leave.

"Where you going?" Katherine asks around a mouthful of cheese pizza. He glanced back over his shoulder briefly.

"I have arrangements to make."

➕
The next day at precisely nine forty-five Katherine tied the laces of her sneakers and the string ga of her sweat pants, as she normally would've done during her usual morning routine. She ran a brush quickly through her thick, ratted hair and resumes her normal spot of waiting in front  of the door at ten 'o clock when she heard Tyler's boot steps coming down the hallway.

The lock on her door clicked and slid open and the thick steel door pulled outward, opening to reveal the young man she had knocked out and cuffed to her bed. He smiled at her as he cuffed her already waiting wrists.

"Good morning, Katherine Nicole." He grinned at her, leading her out of the room and shutting the door. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

Katherine flared at him. "You're joking, right?"

Tyler smirks and chuckles, leading the way to the elevator, where he presses the up button and waits. Katherine started shuffling g awkwardly, playing with her thumbs and biting her lip. He looked at her Questioningly.

Katherine cleared her throat as they stepped into the elevator and watched as he hit the button for the sixteenth floor. She had a good feeling today. "I, um.." She begins, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them and turning to Tyler. "I'm sorry for what I did to you the other day.. it was.. wrong of me.."

Tyler smiles but before he can do anything, the elevator stops at the first floor and the doors slide open to reveal Tony Stark.

He stepped in with a smirk, taking his sunglasses off and tucking them into his shirt. "I heard you were grounded." He glanced at Katherine, crossing his arms over his chest as the elevator started again.

"I heard you were handsome." She smirks, looking at him. "Rumors aren't always true." Tony clenched his jaw and glared at her.

Tyler stood between the two rather awkwardly, staring at the metal door. "So," He speaks, trying to diffuse the growing tension. "Did anyone else eat the grilled cheese last night?"

Katherine grimaces. "I hate grilled cheese." She mutters, breathing out in relief as the elevator stops at the sixteenth floor and the elevator slides open. Tony steps out first and walks into Fury's office without knocking. Tyler leads her it and instructs her to sit on the floor by the door while he went inside.

It felt like hours that she sat there, counting the tiles on the floor and watching people pass by before Tyler came to get her, helping her up and leading her into the office.

Fury was sitting on his desk, glaring at Tony, who was looking out of the window with his hands clasped behind his back. He turns to look as they walk in.

"No." He says sternly, turning to Fury. "Hell no!"

"Deal with it, Tony!" Fury snaps, stepping towards her after sliding off the desk.

Katherine smirks at Tony, turning her head towards him. "Yeah grandpa," She taunts, enjoying his look. "Deal with it!" Fury gives her a look and she rolls her eyes. "What's he dealing with?"

Tony glares, hands on his hips, Fury motions for Tyler to unlock her cuffs and he does, stepping back as she rubs her wrists a bit. She looks around, eyebrows raised in question before fury finally speaks.

"You." He says. "He's dealing with you."

➕

"I'm only doing this because Fury is making me." Tony states as he drives away from the Shield compound, Katherine in the passenger seat and her things in the car behind them. "Not because I like you." Katherine scoffs, looking out of the car window as they zoom past the scenery.

She was estancia that this was happening, that Fury was finally letting her go, but she was also sad. She wouldn't be seeing this place again for unless she royaly screwed up, but she promised she'd be good. And she would be, Katherine didn't want to see the inside of her cell ever again if she could help it.

Deciding that she didn't much care for the silence in the car, she reached forward and turned a knob on the dash, raising the volume on the stereo. AC/DC came blasting out and much to Tony'a surprise she sang along to the lyrics. Her combat instructor used to play the vans in the stereo in the gym whenever they did one on one training.

The drive didn't seem as long as it did the last time Tony had driven her and the ride was filled with music and loud bickering as they sat in traffic on the freeway. If you looked in from the outside, you'd think the two wee brother and sister with the way they were arguing .

Hours later they pulled into the parking garage under the avengers tower and both occupants let out a relieved sigh. "Finally.." Katherine groans, grabbing the empty fast food bag as they got out of the car. Tony had stopped at a fast food joint after traffic had locked up and bought Katherine a cheeseburger after learning that the most unhealthiest thing she'd ever eaten was cheese pizza on the occasional Thursday. She didn't have the heart to tell the man that she thought it was gross after he had talked it up so much.

The elevator rise up to the floor where they moved was long and silent. Tony had to place his hands on her shoulder to keep her from fidgeting the closer they got to the floor. When the doors finally opened, she grinned with excitement. Tony thought she looked like a kid at a fair.

"Come on-" He says, walking in front of her. All of the Avengers had gathered in the living room and were currently sitting around the coffee table playing a game of chess. It was between Bruce and Steve and everyone seemed to be cheering on Bruce.

Tony and Katherine stopped near them all, sharing a look with each other. "You know," She begins, startling them all. They jumped and stared at the big of them. "I came into this thinking that you were all cool badasses, only to be sorely disappointed."

"I with the kid." Tony says, walking over to the bar and pours himself a drink. He raises his glass to them. "Everyone, this is Katherine.." he looked to her for  elaboration, not having payed attention to anything but her first name.

"Oh, Nicole." She offers with a small smile, noticing her two bags by the couches.

"Your last name kid-" Tony says, setting his glass down to shrug off his jacket.

"I don't have one." She says off handedly, as if I were a normal thing.its always just been Katherine Nicole." She looks around, noticing that the one person she wanted to meet the most was missing, Natasha.

"Okay.." Tony says, staring at he weirdly. "Well, this is Katherine Nicole. She'll be staying with us as a ward u til she screws up and fury sends her back to her cell." He smiles at her and she gives him a fake one back.

"Hello Katherine." Everyone says off handedly, giving her a brief smile before turning back to the chess game, watching it as if it were a tennis match.

The teen looked around awkwardly, fidgeting with the strings of her sweatpants. The place was big, fancy.. very foreign compared to where she had just come from. It was intimidating to say the least.

Clint noticed how scared and lost she looked, like a deer in head lights, and the father instinct kicked in instantly. He moved away from the game and walked towards her, giving what he hoped was a calming smile.

"Hey, kiddo." He says, picking up the bags that Natasha had dropped off earlier before leaving for an overnight mission in Boston. "Follow me. I'll take you to your room."

Katherine followed, trailing behind just a couple of steps as she looked around curiously. They turned a few corners and walked to the end of a hallway before stopping.

The door to the left was open and she curiously peaked in, catching a glimpse of a man with shagging black hair pulling a t-shirt over a very toned and muscles torso. She noted that his left arm was made of metal and that there was a lot of stubble on his face.. and then She noticed his eyes as he noticed her, cold, dark, and.. empty. He stared at her for a moment and it was as if he was seeing into her soul, into her mind. A shiver ran down her spine and the door slammed shut, she jumped in fright.

Clint watched from her doorway. "That's Bucky. Don't mind him, he's a bit moody and rude." Katherine only blinked at him, several questions rolling through her head. "You gonna come in or what?" She stepped past him quickly, spinning in a circle as she stared at the room. She felt it was unnecessarily big. "I take it you're not used to a room this big?" WHen she didn't answer he figured it was best to leave her be, let he adjust. "Well, I'll leave you alone.. if you need anything im right next to Bucky, Okay?"

➕

Hours later Tony stood in the lab, looking at himself in front of a mirror. "I am handsome." He says to himself and Bruce (who wasn't paying attention) before grabbing Katherine's file and sitting at his desk.

He was interested in the kid now- everybody has a last name.

➕➕
HEY GUYS CHAPTER TWO WHAT UP?? I'm SURE THERE ARE GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ERRORS THAT I HAVENT CAUGHT YET, ILL GO THROUGH LATER AND EDIT THEM

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