WILD CHILD │ barnes ¹

eleven

𝐀 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋

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They go to a large store first.

'You need clothes', Natalia had said to her.

Admittedly she did, the hoodie that Natalia had given her in the car was at least three sizes too large and her sleeves had to be rolled up so she didn't smack anyone passing by. 

Evgenia stares at the items on the shelves and racks in wonder. Never had she seen so much toys in one place and the clothes that they had were so different to what she was used to wearing. They would've been there for ages if Natalia had not grabbed the first sweater and leggings that looked her size and then when she saw Evgenia staring at a doll - put that in the basket too.

The trio head to the men's section of the store. Evgenia watches as the Captain and Natalia have a sort of stand off. 

'Natasha, those shoes are way too big for me,' he says, leaning away from Natalia's oustretched hands.

'It's the only size they have,' she watches as Natalia pauses and then the redhead winks, 'Besides, you know what they say.'

Evgenia doesn't know what they say, America was a strange place.

Steve gives in eventually, scowling and pulls the too large sneakers on his feet and then a baseball cap from a nearby rack.

'Want me to wear some glasses too?' The blonde holds up a pair of thick rimmed glasses, mocking Natalia a little.

There's a roll of a pair of green eyes. 'Yeah, sure whatever.'

They leave the store fifteen minutes later, all three with new clothes and Evgenia clutching the doll tightly in her hand.

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The trio go to a 'mall' next. It's a large building with several floors and big windows on the roof. Evgenia has never seen anything quite like this before. She gazes at everything she passes by in wonder as Natalia grabs her hand and tugs her along.

The Captain still hasn't said a word to her. Should she offer her name to him, she wonders. 

'Don't run, walk.'

'If I run in these shoes, they'll fall off,' the man deadpans.

'Where are we going?' Evgenia asks in Russian.

Steve offers a surprised glance at the curly headed girl. He hadn't heard her speak up until now. Did she even speak English?

Natasha mumbles back an answer in rapid Russian as they enter the large Apple store.

Evgenia stays behind Natalia as the trio head to a desk of computers. She isn't used to this many people, it sets her on edge and makes her feel paranoid. Anyone could sneak up on her. The flashing devices don't help either.  They settle on a laptop at the end of the store and Natalia releases her grip on the child's hand.

'The drive has a Level 6 homing device, as soon as we boot up SHIELD will know exactly where we are.' Her finger tap on the keyboard quickly and her words slur together, Evgenia struggles to understand the context of the situation even with her proficient understanding of English.