➖CHAPTER EIGHT

➖IT HAD BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE LOGAN had found out about Katherine's little secret, the HYDRA experiment had explained everything she could to Logan, about where she came from, where she had spent most of her life.. what she is.

Logan had said nothing the entire time after reviving from her little fainting spell, except for a quick 'I promise not to tell anyone..' as she was leaving to go home.

Katherine had avoided school for three days, not wanting to face her friend or anyone else in the school Incase Logan has blabbed about it. Instead of hanging out with the people her age, she hung out in the training rooms with Bucky (who had become her training partner) and the labs with Tony and Bruce.

Tony didn't seem to mind her presence after awhile, in fact it was almost as if he enjoyed her company even though he was spending most of his time explaining science terms to her and explaining things about their projects and whatnot.

Katherine found that she enjoyed listening to Tony explain these things (though she didn't really retain the knowledge) and had developed a sort of love hate relationship with the older man after a couple days.

She would even go as far as to call them friends, in a sense.

Katherine had become increasingly comfortable with the avengers and living in the tower, she had become increasingly comfortable in general. She felt free, and happy. Although she may have been going through a tough time, she was still happy to just be out in the world.

She was also thankful. Thankful that they had decided to not only keep the incident from Steve, but from Fury as well. She was thankful that she wouldn't have to go back to the sub levels and her windowless cell.

"..ya know kid, I know you don't actually pay attention." Tony says from a few feet away where he was doing something on one of his high tech computers. He glanced at her. "It's okay to not understand it.."

Katherine chuckled lowly, swinging her legs from her spot on the desk. "It's not that I don't pay attention or understand, I just don't retain it." Tony purses his lips and shrugs his shoulders. "I listen to your little science lessons, don't worry."

Tony gives her a long look, turning away from his computer. It could wait a minute. Over the past few days he had grown not only attached to the girl, but concerned about her. And he wanted to ask her something. "Katherine-" He starts, not sure how to really ask this question. The girl looks at him oddly, eyebrows furrowed. "How..how are you, really, since the whole Logan thing?"

"Im fine." She says coolly, her legs no longer swinging. She was glad that he was concerned but she didn't really want to talk about it.

"It's just that you've been a little weird ever since.." Tony says, not believing a word she said. "And your aura has been off-" He ads, trying to make her laugh a little. It works as she laughs quietly and shakes her head at him. "I'm just worried about you kid, so if there's anything you need to talk about.. you know, just come find me and we'll talk about it."

Things are silent for a good few minuets as Katherine processes what he had just said. She was surprised, but grateful as she could tell he truly meant it. Tony had turned back to his work for only just a moment when suddenly he's been attacked by the girl, her arms wrapping around him and her head resting on his chest.

"Thank you, Tony." She says quietly, squeezing the surprised man as he awkwardly wraps his arms around her as well. "For everything."

He gives her a good squeeze back and before he can say anything, she's removed herself and is walking out the door, mumbling something about lunch and training. "..you're welcome, kid." Subconsciously he glanced down at the file he'd been putting together, wondering if he should give it to her or not.. it contained information on, well.. everything.

He decided that he would go to Fury about it first, confront him about everything he'd managed to dig up on Katherine Nicole.

➕

Katherine wasn't sure what came over her when she hugged Tony, and it made her feel weird. She supposed that she was just glad to have someone that was willing to let her talk about things.

Katherine stopped by the kitchen to make herself a quick sandwich before going down to the training room to get a work out in. On her way to the training room she stopped by a doorway to a room that she knew held the avengers' suits and weapons. The door was open and most of the team stood inside of it, talking.

"..guys?" She asks, taking a small step into the room. Everybody but Tony and Bruce were in here.

Natasha gave her a smile before embracing her in a small hug, while Clint gave her a tight lipped look that told her he was still upset about Logan finding out. "We have to go help Steve extract another member of our team from a mission she's on." The woman says. "We just got the call last minuet and everyone but Bruce and Bucky will have to go."

Katherine blinked in surprise, in her almost two months of living with the team she had never been left alone while they went on a group mission. "You're going to leave me alone?" She questions, a quiver to her lips as she glances down at the sandwich in her hand. "For how long?"

"It'll only be for the night, Lady Katherine." Thor states, clapping the girl on her shoulder with a large hand as Sam Wilson turned to look at her. She took in a deep breath, she could handle one night.

"And you're not alone, you've got Bucky and Bruce to keep you company!" Sam says, suiting up just as Tony's voice comes over an intercom.

"Quinjet is ready, let's roll!" He says, letting some music blast over the speakers for a moment before it cuts off.

Katherine thought for a moment, one, it was pizza night. And two, Bucky and Bruce were as much company as silence with Bucky hardly ever leaving the training room and Bruce practically living in the labs. "So let me get this right, you're leaving me alone on pizza night?!" She calls as everyone runs out. She followed them out of the room.

"We'll be back in the morning!" Natasha calls over her shoulder as she rounds a corner. "Be good!"

"When do I get to go on missions?!" Katherine yells, taking a bite out of her sandwich before heading to the training room.

➕

Katherine lay in bed several hours later as she listened to the sounds of loud crashing noises come from outside of her window, wincing every time a crack of light bolted across the sky and burying herself into her pillow every time it thundered.

Every time the thunder rolled and her eyes were closed, a weird film would dance behind her eyes, and fear would fill her body even more as she suddenly realized that the clipped image of a masked doctor and a needle standing above her was a memory.

The team had left just as it started to rain lightly, and she had been then as it was only rain.. confused but fine. But this, this was horrifying! The loudness of it and the unfamiliarity is what scared her the most. Katherine turned into her side, hoping it would be more comforting to not stare at her curtain covered window as the storm raged outside. The clock on her bedside table read 1:43 and the pizza box laying next to her held only three slices of cold cheese pizza, which she found oddly comforting as she closed her eyes and trying to let her body relax.

BOOM!

Katherine jerked up and was out of her bed and across the room before the crash of thunder could even finish rumbling, throwing open the door and running across the hall where she pushed open Bucky's door and flew across the room, launching herself into his bed with a sqwak of fear. "Bucky!" She squeaked, sitting on top of the man and poking him in the shoulder repeatedly.

The man came to with a surprised grunt, pushing the girl off of him before sitting up, hand going for the gun that he kept under his pillow. "What the hell, Kathr-" Thunder struck once more and the teen screeched before latching herself onto Bucky's shirtless top half much like a scared cat to a human arm. Instinctively one arm wrapped around her while the other (the flesh one) stayed on his gun.

Her entire body was shaky as she clung to him in a death like grip, he thought that maybe someone was on the private floors in the tower, or that maybe Bruce had gone code green on accident. But when thunder struck again and her shaking got harder he easily put two and two together and relaxed, his body slumping and his hand moving off of his gun.

Bucky realized without a doubt that Katherine had never heard a thunder storm before, and he should've realized this when hours earlier she asked him "why is there water falling from the sky" and genuinely meant it. There was no way that she could've heard a storm down in the sub levels.

He pat her back awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. "It's just a storm, Stretch." He was trying to comfort her and he figured that maybe his nickname for her might help. "There's nothing to be afraid of.."

Katherine's body was still shaking but she loosened her grip on him as she buried her face in his bare chest, trying not hear the noise. "I-it's loud!" She stammers, hot tears she hadn't noticed before rolling down her cheeks. "It's loud and h-he keeps trying inject me!"

Katherine was blubbering by that point, making absolutely no sense to him as she talked about the memory that plagued her, and he didn't know what else to do other than let her wear herself down, so without speaking he leans back and turns to his side so that she isn't laying on top of him and locks her in both of his arms before subconsciously resting his cheek against the top of her head and closing his eyes, tired.

➕➕➕

WHAT AM I DOIN TO MY GIRL YALL
BUT LIKE
THAT CUTENESS??