I pulled the soft sweatpants up, feeling clean and fresh after the shower. Of course I had struggled with the shower knobs. There had been so many buttons the first five minutes I had simply stared at them. Having pushed a random one, it turned on a radio, making me growl at the shower for a few seconds.

There was still a quiet song humming from hidden speakers in the shower, I could really not find any button that would shut it off. "-So let's pretend we're dancing in the street
In Barcelona-" I mentally turned the music off, not really understanding the meaning behind most of the words.

I shook my head, the droplets of water flying on the mirror that took under it an entire wall. I tilted my head and bent closer to the wall, curiously looking as the droplets escaped down the mirror one by one.

I frowned, seeing my own eyes throught the watery mirror. I touched my wet hair, pulling a face as it was still covered with water that was getting cold, tripping on my shoulders. My eyes were brighter then anyone else's I've seen and looked rather frenzied. In fact, looking at the pale pink scars littering across my chest, my crazy eyes and mess of a hair, I looked wild and mad compared to everyone else.

I growled at myself, dropping the facade immediately as I saw my pointed teeth reflecting back at me. I had no idea how to fix my look, to make myself look civil.

I left my dirty clothes and the wet towel in the bathroom and went to join Loki, who rolled his unamused green eyes at my appearance.

"Put on a shirt, Atlas. And please, do dry your hair you're getting the water everywhere." I raised my eyebrow, not knowing where would I get a shirt.

"The drawer right beside your bed, everyone's room are the same at the beginning, if they wish to decorate it themselves, so be it. But when I first came here, there were midgardian clothing already in the room. Well, what are you waiting for? We're gonna start on sunrise if you're deciding to dilly-dally around like a dwarft who lost his axe."

I pushed his insults aside and opened the drawer, surprised at the amount of neatly folded shirts. I picked a random red one, sliding it over my head withe ease. There was something written over the shirt, but I couldn't quite understand what.

I sat opposite of Loki who closed his book gently and placed it in front of me, with a pen and paper.

"alphabet first, shall we?"

After a moment of silence, I looked up, wondering why wasn't he speaking. "when I speak with you, I expect an answer as well as eye contact. Do you know how many humans don't realize they're avoiding eye contact because they are feeling uncomfortable? If you want to be taken seriously, act like it. Don't expect everyone to baby you forever, Atlas."

"okay Loki. What am I supposed to do with the pen and paper?"

"Write down your name. That's the word everyone must know, remember and keep with them till the day they die. How can anyone really make a path for themselves when they have no name to go by?"

I picked up the pen and looked up at his curious eyes. "How did you know my name?" I asked seriously, feeling content at his slightly raised eyebrows.

"so you remember that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "I-I'm not sure, I just know you were the one who told me that. So, Loki, how did you know my name before I did?"

"I looked, and you never forgot it. You always knew. You simply needed a reminder. Now, are we really going to just converse on randomly chosen topics or are you going to start learning at once?"

He asked, his tone having slightly bored undertone. I took the pen that was as black a s Loki's hair and held it above the paper. "I don't know how to, uh, write it."

He snatched the pen and elegantly scribbled my name on the top. I blinked, staring up at him. "There, Atlas, now you copy that writing fifty times in a row, and every time you write a letter, spell it out to me."

And so my path to literature, writing and learning my own name began.

The first hour flew by, I was annoyed and I easily got angry. I couldn't write my name like he had, it was hard to see the difference between the letters T and L. I couldn't spell the letters right, I could hardly write A, I growled at Loki already at the beginning of our session, showing him my teeth and flashing him my narrowed eyes. To my surprise, he scolded me and told me to stop being a disrespectful dalcop.

After one hour and 35 minutes, Loki told me to take a breath and get him and myself a cup of tea from the kitchen. The thought seemed to amuse him greatly as he pointed towards my bedroom door. There was a spark of humour in his eyes, to be frank, I was really agitated as I stomped out of the room, slamming the door with a little too much force.

I knew he was up to something as he had suggested it. And I wasn't sure I wanted to know why exactly was he sending me to kitchen to get him tea. Really, how many drinks did these people have? There was milk, juice, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, what's next? They gonna make a drink out of a tree?

With my dark mood and anger that bubbled at the surface, I hardly noticed the figure sitting in the corner of the living room, near the window that took under it the entire wall.

Of course Loki would send me to get his tea while Wanda was there alone, in the middle of the night.

She didn't seem to acknowledge my presence. Gently swaying on the balls of my feet awkwardly I thought of telling her something. Anything really, it seemed like something civil to tell her something along the lines as hello or good night.

I ended up being silent and just went to the kitchen, hoping she didn't find me any more rude. But who cares? I thought, still angry at myself for being so vulnerable in front of Loki. So useless and unable to write one simple sentence. Maybe Hydra had been right about me, maybe I was truly not good for anything except the missions.

I found myself standing near the stove that Steve always used, suddenly I was not angry but confused.

What was tea?

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, knowing I couldn't go back before I got him his tea. He simply would kick me out with his cold, green magic and call me words I didn't understand.

And he had known Wanda was here, alone. And he surely knew I had no idea what tea was. I slid my fingers throught my hair anxiously, pulling at the knots. He wanted me to ask Wanda's help.

A growl vibrated throught my chest as I cursed Loki mentally. There was no way I was going to ask Wanda what tea was. She would just laugh at my face.

As I made up my mind, I turned towards the cupboards, having remembered where Steve placed the cups.

Okay, I got the cups, I'm halfway throught.

Frowning, I went throught other cupboards, hoping to find something that would just click with the word tea. I tensed as I felt Wanda quietly enter.

"what are you searching from there?" her emotionless voice broke the still silence. I could sense the suspicion that tripped from her cold tone. "tea." I said quietly, hoping she would go away.

There was something about her emotions that made me uncomfortable around her, the dislike was so strong it nearly made me sick. "that's where the cleaning supplies are, tea is on the cupboard near the coffee machine."

I turned around, nodding at her as I opened the cupboard and hopelessly looked at the dozen of tea bags in a box. I heard her sigh in annoyance and stroll closer to me, I tensed, trying to turn off her emotions.

"what's your favorite flavour?"

I shrugged, gulping anxiously as I looked between her and the tea bags. "you know, you actually answering would help the conversation a lot." she said, obviously irritated with my behaviour. "My apologies, I'm making tea for me and Loki, but I- I have never made tea, I don't kn-know how to make it." I admitted, hoping she'd either help me or leave me alone.

She scoffed and snatched the box with tea bags from my hands. "just turn the kettle on, will you?" She said tightly, I nodded again and did as she asked me.

"was it so hard for you to ask my help? I know we are not on best of terms, but I'd rather you not burn the place down because you didn't know how to make tea. Or kill someone because you didn't know the difference between bleach and mint tea." she said, and I felt the jab of her words hit me in the chest. She too found me useless when it came down to something as simple as making tea.

"I did not wish to disturb you, you looked peaceful."

"and you looked stupid going through cleaning chemicals."

I simply shrugged, not knowing what else to say to her. Her expression changed from annoyed to confused. "why are you making tea for Loki and yourself at.. 2AM?"

I gulped again, I couldn't possibly tell Wanda that Loki was helping me learn how to write and read. I shrugged again, flinching at her darkening mood. "are you planning an escape plan?"

Her accusation threw me off guard as I looked up, surprised at her question. Where would I go? "I knew it!" she hissed, pointing a finger at me as I gaped at her. "you've been playing us just to get your precious information and then get out of here, haven't you?" she growled.

I ducked as soon as I saw her fingers curling into a fast, surrounded by red hue of her angry magic. On fours, I crawled behind the table, staring at the pieces of broken china on the ground where I had been and the small dusty dent of something burning.

"parasite, get out of there you murderer!" she growled at me, out of the blue something hit me from behind, making me stumble at her feet.

In a daze how easily she had gotten to me, I failed to see a row of pans she had decided to throw at me. As I tried to push myself up, ignoring her cursing, she flew a vase at my temple, making me hear silence and see stars dancing in my line of sigh.

Parasite.

I blinked at the ceiling, Wanda's angry eyes still staring down at me. Always, always staring down.

I slowly traced my upper lip, raising my fingers to my eye level to see the blood. I growled at him, trying to scare him away with my unnatural teeth.

It worked, or at least, it made her stumble back a bit.

"No" I said angrily, glaring at her as she stumbled on the chair. She was scared, I could feel it. I could see it in her large, vulnerable eyes. But I was done, I had had enough of her angry self always accusing me of things I hadn't even thought of.

"he is teaching me how to write and read. Unlike some individuals, I had no pleasure of learning something as simple as reading or making tea as a young child. Unlike some people, I do not understand how civilization works. So I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry Wanda! I don't know these things, but please." I said out of breath, falling on my knees before her. "please stop accusing me of things I don't... Things I don't know, don't remember or don't understand just yet." my voice broke, and I felt so sad as I watched up at her, her mouth was open in surprise as I took a hold of her cold hands.

"Please stop being so angry at me all the time, I'm not saying we should be friends. But I'd appreciate it a lot if you would stop being so suspicious of me, I'm sorry if my actions don't... Don't seem normal. But I am trying."

She gaped at me like a fish out of water. After getting no response I let go of her hands and pushed myself up, frowning at the pain in my abdomen. I turned my back at her and raised my shirt, sighing at the forming bruises. Letting go of the shirt I turned back towards her, she still looked speechless.

Glancing towards the kettle and the mugs made me realize that I had been here longer then intended. "if you don't mind now, I would take the tea and go." I said, this time my voice wasn't quiet and even, it wasn't even emotionless. It was cold and tired.

She nodded and simply poured the hot water in the mug where the tea bags were.

Oh, that's how you make tea.

I didn't look at her as I gently took the two mugs and turned to leave. I stopped when she called out to me. "You should go to sleep. Fury is coming today, he usually comes very early, and if he... Nevermind. Instead of... Studying. You should rest. Have a good night."

I wondered back towards my room, holding the two cups in my hand.

Suddenly I had lost all will to learn.

As I opened my bedroom door awkwardly I slammed it shut with my leg, placing the mugs on the table.

Loki stood up, I noticed he was slightly taller than me. "I appreciate the tea. But we are finished for today. The girl is right, we don't want to over exercise your brain, do we? I'll take that" he took the bigger mug, his book and turned to leave. "but please, do brush your hair tomorrow, if you want to look civilised, try to look presentable. And if you need any help with that, don't ask me. Find someone else to play dress up with you. Have a nice night, drink your tea and sleep tonight."

After wishing him a quiet good night, he gently closed the door, leaving me to my thoughts.

I took the mug, turned the lights off and sat on the ground near the large window. I placed the mug on the ground near my bare feet and pulled my legs up to my chest.

World outside of Hydra was harder then I had thought at first.

I groaned and laid down on the floor, cursing the quiet music still coming from the shower.

A/N

It's 1am and I'm gracing your news feed with my chapter, my lovely midgardians.

Is this book getting too long? I feel like it should like, end already or something. Even tho I think there are like many more chapters to come until the very end you know.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave me a comment what you liked or what not, and happy new year to ya'll!

Love you all!