Chapter Text
Principal Bates’ pro-education philosophies mean that he’s willing to give Katya a second chance. Partly thanks to Sofia arguing her case.
She’s back Monday morning and confronted with a far too enthusiastic Sofia Lebeaux for not even 9 am, especially when Katya never thought to see her again.
“Hi Katya!” Sofia grins, almost vibrating with energy. “Did you have a fun suspension?”
“You are talking to me?” Katya asks, starting to move again to avoid the wrath of the crowd flowing into the school.
“Uh, yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
“I hurt you?”
“Katya, Katya. You do realise that Thursday afternoon was the most excitement I have ever had in my life? Plus, I think I might have been offered a job by a Maria Hill, and I feel like that’s only a standing offer if I keep talking to you.”
“Hill? Offered you a job? Director Hill? Of the global organised defence agency?”
“She’s the director? Holy shit. She said I would make a good agent, and to think about it. I probably would have freaked out a bit more if I knew she was the person in charge of an entire secret agent… Agency. Woah.”
“Whatever you said to Hill on Thursday, keep it up, she’s a good person to have on your side. She scares me, and I don’t scare easily.”
“I will do that… Besides, I now know all your dirty little secrets and can tell literally no one ever, so damn right I’m gonna make friends with you. And you’ve still got to introduce me to the rest of the Avengers.”
Something must show on Katya’s face because Sofia says, “I’ve got you stumped, huh? No ones ever wanted to be your friend before, have they?”
“I don’t know how to have a friend.” Katya says quietly. “Not one I don’t live with.” She amends, thinking of Darcy and Wanda.
“It’s simple, I talk to you, you talk to me, we get to know each other and boom, before you know it, we’re friends. I’ve kinda got a head start on you after the frigging Winter Soldier told me everything about you, so you get to ask me whatever you like about me, and I will answer as honestly as I can. But, right now, you tell me what class you’ve got, and I’ll walk you to your room.”
Katya does, and true to her word, Sofia walks Katya to her first class, telling her everything she needs to know about Mrs Scibienski, the geography teacher.
The geography class doesn’t involve much geography in the sense that Katya understands the word, it does involve a lot of reading from a book about the caste system in India. She spends most of her classes trying to devise questions that will provide insight into a normal person’s life. By the time Sofia drops into the chair across from her in the dinner hall, Katya has to admit, she hasn’t been successful.
“What are civilian appropriate questions for determining the nature of an unknown entity?” Katya asks.
“Is that super spy speak for ‘I don’t know how to make a friend, help?’” Sofia says with a laugh. Katya nods, though she didn’t need to, Sofia is quick to answer.
“You ask the basic things; where are you from, what shows do you watch, what do you do in your spare times. So; I have dual citizenship for the US and France, so I always say I’m from both, even though I live most of the year here. Although, I was born in Germany. I was a little surprise while my parents were on holiday there. My mum didn’t know she was pregnant, she thought she had food poisoning or something, so went to the hospital and out I came. Surprise! I was a small baby, so I guess I didn’t make much of a bump? Uh, you already know I can speak French. Um, I read and watch everything that is science fiction and I’m a sucker for medical dramas and police procedurals. I’ve seen just about every Disney movie ever, and I was brought up watching Star Trek. My favourite animal is meerkats, though I think my spirit animal is a sloth. In my spare time I watch cartoons and science documentaries, and obsessively find out everything there is on the internet about the avengers, And have just realised I am going to have to stop doing that, or I might accidentally tell the internet about you… Uhhh, my favourite colour is blue, my favourite subject is computer tech, I’m pretty good at sciences and crap at sports.” Sofia runs out of steam. She takes a breath, pulling a face while she thinks.
“I think that’s about everything I can tell you off the top of my head. Which makes me realise, I know everything about your tragic back story, but I don’t know anything about you. Can I ask you questions?”
Katya concedes.
Sofia starts off with what should be an easy question. “What’s your favourite book?” But Katya gets flustered and doesn’t know what to say. She’s never thought about these things before. Sofia seems to understand though, and switches the question.
“Have you ever read Harry Potter?”
“Yes, three times. In English, Russian, and Mandarin.”
“Ooh, show off. Was it weird for you? I find it weird sometimes, if I read a book in French after reading it in English. Like it’s the same story, but it can have a whole different feel to it.”
“I don’t understand.” Katya frowns.
“Like, a sad bit, it’s still sad, regardless of language, but if I read it in, say, English, I might cry over it, but in French, it doesn’t quite have the same effect. It’s still sad, and it makes me feel sad, but one language can make me feel sadder. Do you get that?”
Katya shakes her head. Then thinks about it some more. “Maybe. I don’t know. When I first… started reading, I- I mean I didn’t even know that the book would stay the same language throughout. Then I read it in another language, just to check that the story stayed the same; to make sure no one wanted to trick me, I guess. I don’t think I- that I really understood the emotional side until recently. I can’t really say when I started reading for pleasure, instead of because I thought that’s what I was expected to do. And I mean, it was Barton, of all people, who helped me figure out what I thought of what I was reading. He made categories for me. Positive, neutral and negative.”
“Everyone keeps talking about Hawkeye likes he’s a human disaster, and I still haven’t even met him yet. Anyway, so was Harry Potter positive or negative for Katya Med? Medeva?”
“Medvedeva. Ivanovna Medvedeva. Though my real family name is Barnes.”
“Aww, you’re cute when you smile. You have dimples.”
Katya scrunches up her face at being called cute. “Harry Potter was positive until I read it again, then it was just confusing.”
“Its one of those books that’s good until you try using your brain while reading it. So, I only read it when I don’t want to use my brain. Have you read… Lord of the rings?”
“I’m not allowed.” Katya admits, which means she has to spend the rest of their lunch break explaining what happened when she read ‘The Hobbit’ with Papa, and then arguing the over the reasoning of that decision. Sofia declares it a stupid decision, nothing might happen. Are they banning her from watching tv, or movies just in case she hears a trigger.