Broken Cages (MCU)✔️

Firsts

This next week, I completed training with Steve in a private room where no one was watching or taunting me. He showed me how to remove myself from bad situations with larger men. He showed me exactly where to hit, kick and gouge to disable an attack. This invaluable information had never been provided to me before, and this time, I absorbed the instructions carefully, striving to master the techniques that would grant me freedom.

The more he taught me, the more I learned that fighting back didn't have to be about violence; it was a piece of freedom I didn't have before. And eventually, I felt comfortable asking Steve questions when he was training me.

He seemed extremely pleased with my progress and even told me so on one occasion that had me blushing worse than ever before.

When I wasn't training, I ate lunches with Cassie or binged some of my new favourite shows. Cassie introduced me to one called "Vampire Diaries," but I wasn't a fan of the violence it depicted. Instead, I found solace in sitcoms that featured everyday people engaging in ordinary activities.

When Peter returned from his latest mission, he joined Cassie and me at dinner. "So, do you guys want to hear about my latest date?" Cassie asked, a smirk wide on her face.

"You mean conquest," Peter asked, digging into his potatoes.

"I didn't say that this time. She was charming. Kind of reminds me of Katya - all tough on the outside but an absolute marshmallow on the inside. Her favourite show is Parks and Recreation too!"

I stuffed my face with my food so I wouldn't have to force a smile. I did not like how much Cassie was analyzing me.

"We just went casual and went to the arcade; it was honestly perfect."

I perked up at that, "Like on Stranger Things?"

Peter smiled, "Kind of yeah! I used to go to one near my house with my friend Ned all the time when we were younger."

I nodded, trying to imagine what it would be like – the scents, the sounds, the atmosphere.

"Do you think you would want to go?"

I smiled and lifted my arm, where my tracker still sat. I was no longer shy about sharing my situation. Let them bear some guilt.

"I could take care of that for you," a smooth voice stated behind me.

Loki.

"Would that be because you would get in trouble, and that would be fun for you?" Asked Cassie, who seemed to know everything about everyone.

Loki took the seat next to me, sitting closer than I would've found comfortable a few weeks ago, but I was getting used to the way some of them liked to invade space. "Oh, I think there has been enough of punishing Katya for her parents' crimes. You're not going to run off now that you have so much on the line."

I pondered the prospect of my freedom. If, by some miracle, I managed to escape, I would never truly be free. He had a point, so I held my tongue.

"Wouldn't you like to take Katya on that date, Peter," Loki persuaded.

I glanced up at Peter. It was funny how a twenty-one-year-old man still blushed at the idea of going on a date, but that just seemed to be who he was. "I say you guys head out tomorrow afternoon. I heard that Steve is out, so he won't be there for your training, and Peter, you already did your mission debrief, so what is the harm?"

Peter smiled, obviously convinced. "What do you say, Katya?"

A date? I really looked at Peter. He was classically handsome in a dorky sort of way. He seemed harmless, even if I knew he was a trained assassin. If I were to go on a first date, would I really want it to be with someone I will hopefully never see again? Did I really want that?