The beds of her finger nails ached from biting at them. No one had stopped her from doing it, not like how her papa would. Music played through the speakers softly and Mila rested her head against the window. The awkwardness of the car ride was making her anxious. They had been driving for twenty minutes now and no one had said a word.
Pepper drove with Tony in the passenger seat. Natasha and Steve took up the two middle seats leaving Sam and Mila in the back. The hum of the music coming from Sam put Mila a little more at ease. Her forearm burned but she did her best to ignore it. Her eyes trailed the beads of rain down the window, picking one in her mind to win the race. She guessed wrong but let out a stifled laugh. Sam turned to look at her with a smile on his face.
As they got closer to Avengers Tower, Mila could feel her heart hammering in her chest. The six of them exited the vehicle once they pulled up to the entrance. Steve and Sam carried the bags behind Mila and the rest. She felt someone push her chin up, "Close your mouth kid or you're going to catch flies," Natasha smirked. She was in awe, this place was incredible.
The modern and slick interior made it look like an office building until you got to the top five floors, all of which were meant for the team. Pepper very kindly showed Mila around the building while Steve and Sam put the bags away and Tony and Natasha talked.
"And this is the lab. Tony and Bruce spend most pf their time in here so if you ever need one of them, check in here first," Pepper said as she pointed to the science lab. It reminded Mila a bit of the labs in Siberia, only this one had a warmer more welcoming feeling to it. Pepper was walking faster ahead of Mila so she jogged to catch up with her. "Here is the main kitchen/living room area. This is the hallway down to the gym and training room and here is the hall down to the sleeping quarters," she continued. Mila followed Pepper into a room at the end of the hall.
"This is your room. I apologize if it's not really your style, I only found out you were coming twenty four hours ago so I did what I could. We can change it tomorrow if you want-" Mila interrupted Pepper from her rambling.
"It's perfect. Thank you Pepper," Mila gave the woman a genuine smile. Pepper flushed red before speaking again.
"Well I'm sure you must be tired. I'll let you be and I will see you in the morning," she added before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
Mila wasn't lying when she said the room was perfect. The beige walls really brought out the green leaves that hung down from the shelves full of plant pots. Small strings of lights were hung on the wall above a double bed covered in a white duvet designed with different flowers and plants. Two large bookcases stood at one end of the room, full with copies of the most famous literature and the newest releases. A small wooden desk was placed in front of the large window overlooking the skyline of New York City. To top it off, a small mural of butterflies stickers on the wall next to her bed. Everything was perfect and beautiful.
The young girl made her way towards the bed. Sinking into the soft mattress, Mila could feel herself getting emotional. Tears sprang, pooling around her eyelids. This was the life she wanted, a safe, normal life, a home. And here she was, without her papa. She let the tears fall, no one was watching her anyway. Mila let herself cry until she grew tired and curled up under the comforting covers of her new bed, in her new room. In her new life.
***
The next morning Mila was up just after seven and had already eaten breakfast, which consisted of half an apple and a slice of toast. She had made her way to the training room after that and four hours later that was were Steve had found her, punching the hell out of a punching bag.
"Hey, you good?" he asked, entering the room. Mila stopped what she was doing to face him. She held the swinging bag steady and spoke.
"Da". She realized her mistake and tried to correct herself but Steve stopped her.
"Don't worry. You can speak in whatever language you want and I will try my best to understand it, okay. Just as long as you're not insulting me in Russian," he laughed. Mila smiled lightly and nodded. "Need a partner?"
Mila looked at his face, he was serious. Steve wouldn't hurt her, not like all her other training partners would. "Sure," she replied and he walked further into the room. He pulled on the hand covers as Mila adjusted her gloves and then they began. Mila punching at the pads and tucking under Steve's hands. Steve blocking Mila's punches. The two went on for another two hours until it was noon.
Her head swiveled towards the door when she heard it open. Standing in the door frame was Pepper, holding a phone to her collar. "There's lunch on the table if you're hungry," she smiled sweetly before returning to her phone call. Steve looked questioningly towards Mila whom, as if on cue, stomach rumbled. She giggled and jogged towards the door, throwing her gloves onto a nearby bench, Steve following in suit.
As the two reached the kitchen. giggling like school girls, a third person was sat at the table. Mila stopped and stared. The man at the table stood awkwardly, pulled his glasses off his face and reached a hand out before pulling it back. "Hi, um, I'm um, ah, I'm Bruce. Banner," he rambled. Steve had already taken a seat and dished out a plate before Mila replied.
"Um, Mila. It's nice to meet you," she said slowly, looking at Steve for confirmation that she was saying the right thing. He just nodded at her then began eating. Mila looked back at Bruce giving him an awkward smile while sitting at the table. Everyone ate in silence for a few minutes until Tony entered the kitchen.
"Pizza, again," he mumbled. Mila kept her gaze on her slice. She quite liked pizza, one of the few foods she could actually eat and finish. "Um, so Mila, how'd you like your room?"
She swallows quickly, not expecting to be called upon. "I love it, It's very, um," she struggled, not being able to remember the English word. "Um," she rubbed at her eyebrow uncomfortably, " I can't remember the English word for it but I really like the room sir".
Tony barely finished chewing before he replied to Mila. "Oh please you don't need to call me sir. I'm not in charge of you here kid, you can do whatever you want. Except at around 2pm. We're going to need you in the lab at that time but any other time, your free," he added. She just nodded agreeably as Tony headed out of the room, pizza in his hand.
She was free, he said that. He said that to her face. Mila was free here, and she truly felt like it. Travelling around with Natasha was freeing but there were still rules she had to follow and things she couldn't do. She has no restrictions here and that made her ecstatic.
2pm had come sooner than she had anticipated and before she knew it she was being escorted to the lab by a man who told her his name was Happy. That made Mila laugh but she did try her hardest to bite her tongue.
The sliding door opened and Happy spoke. "Hey boss, the kids here". He waited for a response before leaving.
"Yeah, come on in kid," Tony said from behind a large cabinet. Mila made her way further into the lab, stopping to look at bottles, flasks and computer screens. Once she made it to the table Tony and Bruce were stationed at she felt her hands go clammy and her heart beat race. Mila shuffled her feet around and tried to bolt for the door until Tony's voice stopped her. "Don't worry Mila, none of this is going to hurt you, we promise".
She turned around slowly and headed for the chair she was meant to sit in. Tony smirked at her and Bruce gave her a small smile. Sitting down she looked around at the unfamiliar equipment. Hydra didn't have technology like this. Tony started up at machine and turned to face the teen. Mila quickly spoke up "You're not going to do any, um, ah, physical testing, right?" she muttered.
"No of course not. Why? What's wrong?" Tony asked tentatively. Mila just stared at her shoes.
Bruce stood up from his place behind a computer. "You can tell us Mila," he shared. She pulled her gaze from the floor to Bruce's. "Well it's just that, my last doctors weren't so kind when taking physical tests, that's all," she mumbled. Bruce and Tony shared a concerned look.
"We aren't like those doctors Mila," Bruce added comfortingly. She was beginning to like this guy. "These tests will take about an hour and it will help us determine how we can help you here okay?" Feeling more comfortable and reassured, Mila nodded and allowed them to begin the testing.
An hour and a half later, Mila was sat around a dinner table with Steve, Natasha, Tony, Pepper, Bruce and Sam, enjoying a nice hot meal consisting of boxes of Chinese food and drinks. While she didn't talk much, Mila really enjoyed dinner. She liked hearing everyone talk and tell stories and laugh. She liked seeing everyone smile or get embarrassed when a story was about them. For the first time in a while Mila wasn't thinking about her papa or Hydra, and she liked that feeling.
Later that night once Mila was fast asleep, Tony called everyone into the lab. "Her results have come back and I have never seen anything like them".
"What's that supposed to mean Tony?" Natasha asked, worry spiking her voice.
"Some of her results are normal, for a human of flesh and blood. Some of them make no sense for a human of flesh and blood," Bruce answered.
"What the hell does that mean?" Sam snapped.
"It means that Mila is human. Just not the same way we are. Not biologically anyway," Tony grimaced.