"Sweet Seventeen"
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Cat quickly ducked down, avoiding the knife that was swung at her head.
She was quick to dodge the knife that kept swiping at her and raised a hand, using her own knife to block the swipe that was done at her.
The man she was sparring against was over 6 feet tall with long chestnut brown hair, crystal blue eyes and he had stubble on his beautiful face.
Thankfully, it was his right arm he was using against her and not his left-the bionic arm-since it would have done more damage if she tried to block an attack from it.
"You need to be faster. No one else is going to be easy on you." Winter Soldier said.
"This is easy?" Cat asked in disbelief.
Lifting her leg, she then kicked the larger male in the stomach, pushing him away from her.
"What's with you today? You're more sluggish and less agile than you usually are." Winter Soldier frowned in worry.
His girl was stronger than this and had more energy to dance around him, but she seemed off today and had a difficult time moving, almost like she was in pain.
Panting, Cat brushed her messy bangs out of her face and dropped her knife, glancing around the area to make sure none of the guards were around.
"I got pulled out of my cell late last night for some tests." She said.
Lifting the front of her long sleeved shirt, she revealed the fresh wounds that had sealed over into red lines all over her stomach.
They looked like they had been done at random, with no patterns and were simply made to cause damage.
The sight of them made Winter Soldier glare and he tried to keep himself in check before he went on a rampage.
He hated it when the doctors would take Cat away to experiment on her, especially if it was something that was actually a sick form of torture in disguise.
"They wanted to test my healing factor, to see how well I would heal from getting sliced up repeatedly by a knife. It's still kinda tender." Cat told him.
Walking up to the cat hybrid, the Asset placed his cold, metal hand against her burning wounds and she hissed at the feeling, but she relaxed.
The feeling of the cool metal on her wounds helped take away the sting that had been left behind from the constant pain she had been put through for hours.
"We'll go back to working on your aim with guns. We'll try the knives again when you're completely healed. We don't want to put any strain on your wounds and open them up again." He ordered.
Nodding at that, Cat allowed the Winter Soldier to lead her over to the firing range, staying close to his side when she noticed some of the agents leering at her.
She hated the fact that her body was developing and that gained her the attention of the guards, which made her skin crawl in disgust.
Feeling the Asset wrapping his arm around her waist, Cat leaned into his side and soaked up the comfort his presence provided her.
If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she was safe as long as she was with him.
Grunting at the sudden force that landed on her chest, Davey's eyes snapped open and she glared up at the small blue and white dragon who was sitting on her chest.
He was staring down at her with bright scarlet eyes and he smiled down at her in excitement.
"Happy birthday, Davey!" He cheered.
"It'd be a happier birthday if you let me sleep a bit longer." Davey groaned.
Sitting up in her bed, Davey grabbed the baby dragon and held him against her chest.
Giggling, DemiVeemon cuddled into the girl's chest making her smile down at him.
Honestly, she could never figure out how he could be so perky and chipper in the morning.
Glancing over to her door when she heard footsteps, the cat hybrid was stunned when her sister opened the door and then her mother walked through it holding a tray that was filled with pancakes, sliced strawberries and maple syrup.
The Motomiya girls were part Canadian after all.
They couldn't have pancakes or waffles without maple syrup, it just wouldn't be natural.
There was also a glass of milk and a small cupcake that had blue icing and a candle with a lit wick.
David followed after the two females and they all began to sing 'Happy Birthday' to the younger girl and Davey felt herself blush at the sudden attention.
She hadn't had anyone wish her a happy birthday in years and it felt strange to finally see someone act like it was a good thing that she was born, hear how happy they were that she was here right now and not treat her like she had been 'made'.
Completing the song, Josie placed the tray over Davey's lap as she, Jun and David all smiled down at her.
Smiling, she picked up the cupcake and blew out the candle making everyone clap.
"Happy Sweet Seventeen, Davey!" Jun cheered.
"Isn't it supposed to be Sweet Sixteen?" DemiVeemon asked in curiosity as he stared up at the older pinkette.
He was still a bit confused on how humans seemed to have so many birthdays that were of great importance, such as their 18th and 21st birthdays.
And he also didn't understand why girls seemed to think that turning 16 was such a big deal.
"Yeah, well, we never got to have a big Sweet Sixteen for her last year, but we can have a Sweet Seventeen." Jun grinned as she sat down on the bed.
Thinking back to last August, Davey remembered that she had been taken to the facility's branch in America for a few days to battle against the soldiers there where the boss could observe her.
The only good thing about that was that she was able to beat up a bunch of annoying, disgusting men who all thought they were better than she was simply because she was a little girl.
The Asset had a difficult time keeping a straight face as he watched it all and had to wear his face mask to hide the grin that kept curling his lips when he watched his girl fight.
"Even if I was here for that, then that meant I wouldn't have been kidnapped and I would still be a guy, so I wouldn't be able to have a Sweet Sixteen. That's not for guys. At least, I don't think they are." Davey frowned in confusion.
Rolling her eyes at this, Josie leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead and David kissed the side of Davey's head, giving her ears a scratch.
"Eat your breakfast. Afterwards, we can all go out and do something as a family. Unless you want to spend some time with your friends." David said.
"Actually, I wanna spend some time with you guys." Davey told them.
This made David and Josie smile brightly, happy that they would be able to spend some personal time with their children.
"Great! We'll leave you to eat and get ready then." Josie said and couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she and David left the room.
"I think you made them happy." Jun commented.
"No, what clued you in?" Davey drawled sarcastically.
After eating her breakfast and getting dressed, Davey went out with her family for the day.
They went to the movie theatre to watch whatever was playing and then they went out to look around the shops.
For some reason, Davey felt compelled to go into the pet shops and Jun was happy to do so.
Walking into the pet shop, the family glanced around at the different types of animals that were inside.
Jun had gone over to look over the bunnies while Josie and David were looking at the puppies.
When Josie had stepped up to the cage that a Shiba Inu puppy was inside of, the pup started barking in excitement and its tail wagged, hoping for a play mate.
"Oh, what a little cutie." Josie cooed.
Whimpering in excitement, the puppy started scratching his claws against the glass for attention.
"Josie, stop playing with the poor thing. We can't give it false hope that we're going to take it home with us. It's cruel." David said.
"Why can't we take it home with us?" Josie asked as she smiled down at the pup.
"Because our daughter is a cat. I don't think it would be a good idea to get a dog. What if they...have issues with each other?" David asked with a worried frown.
Raising an eyebrow at that, Josie glanced over to where Davey was located and smirked at what she saw.
The girl was looking into a cage that had a Kai Ken puppy inside and was smiling down at it.
The black furred puppy was grinning up at the cat hybrid, her little tail wagging and she was staring up at Davey with excitement in her eyes.
Davey was actually surprised that the puppy seemed to be taking so kindly to her.
Back at the facility, the guard dogs that they had would growl, bark or whimper in fear whenever they sensed her.
This puppy seemed to be taking kindly to her and looked like she wanted to play.
"I don't think we'll have that problem." Josie commented.
Turning to look at where his youngest daughter was located, David saw that she seemed to have bonded with the puppy.
Seeing the look she had on her face, David knew that if she asked him if she could keep the puppy, then he wouldn't be able to say no to her.
Staring down at the puppy, Davey felt her primal side rattling at the cage, trying to break out as it sensed the innocent animal, viewing it as prey.
Realizing that her darker side was still there at the back of her mind, it made the cat hybrid feel greatly upset as she stared down at the puppy.
Jumping onto the cage, DemiVeemon stared down at the puppy and she started jumping up at him, trying to get to him so she could play, making the dragon giggle in amusement.
Jun then walked over to her younger sister, wanting to check up on her.
"So, are we getting a new dog?" Jun asked.
"I-I don't think so. I mean, I don't trust myself to not hurt the poor thing." Davey said.
"You wouldn't hurt it." Jun denied.
"I might be hiding it pretty well, but deep inside me, there is a...primal side of me. A side that still wants to do some damage, even against an innocent little puppy. It's the lion DNA inside me. Maybe after a few more years when I get better control of myself I can get a pet, but for now..." Davey trailed off.
Wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulders, Jun pulled her into her side and kissed her head.
She knew her sister was still struggling, but Jun was proud of her for being able to cope as well as she has over the last nine months.
"Don't worry. One day you will. Come on; let's get out of here before Mom manages to convince Dad to buy up most of the baby animals in the shop." Jun joked.
That made Davey crack a smile and she grabbed DemiVeemon, taking him with her and as the Motomiya family left the pet shop, passing by a cage that had a snake in it.
The snake hissed at Davey, seeming to mock her and it angered the cat hybrid who hissed back at the serpent.
"Chertov gryaznyy zmey (Fucking filthy serpent)." She cursed in Russian.
She always did hate snakes.
Hearing the song 'Killer Queen' start to play, Davey reached into her pocket and took out her iPhone, quickly answering it without even checking to see who it was.
After all, she had set the ringtone for the person and knew who it was going to be.
"Hey, Tasha." She greeted.
"Happy birthday, kotenok (kitten). Or should I say koneko (kitten)?" Natasha Romanoff greeted.
"Either one works. So, is that all you called for?" Davey asked as she, Jun and DemiVeemon walked out of the shop with their parents.
"No, it's not just that. Clint and I had a mission in Tokyo this past week, so we decided to pay you a visit before we go back home." Natasha explained.
"Wait, you mean to tell me you and Clint are both in Odaiba right now?" Davey asked feeling a bit excited.
"Yeah. We're on our way to Hibiki for lunch. You guys can come meet us there." Natasha said.
"Um, great, we'll be there soon. Bye, Nat." Davey grinned.
"Bye, Nia." Natasha said before she hung up.
Hanging up, Davey then looked up at her parents who were staring at her, wondering what was going on.
"What's going on, sweetie?" David asked his youngest child.
"Natasha and Clint are in Odaiba. They were on a mission in Tokyo this week and want to meet us for lunch at Hibiki before they go back to the States. Can we please go?" Davey asked.
She then gave her parents the puppy dog eyes, hoping they would agree to go since she had already promised the two assassins that she would meet them.
"I think it sounds like a great idea. I haven't eaten there since our wedding night." Josie smiled as she hugged David's arm.
Glancing down at his wife, the man smiled lovingly down at her and sighed, knowing he couldn't say no to the women in his family.
"Well, it is lunch time and I'm starving." David said.
"Yay! Let's go." Jun cheered.
Racing off to the car, everyone climbed inside and David drove off to Hibiki.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the family walked inside and started searching for their friends, unsure of where they were.
Sniffing at the air, Davey caught the familiar scents of cinnamon and rose.
"Do you see them?" Jun asked when she noticed her sister was searching.
"No, but I smell them. Follow me." Davey said as she walked through the crowd.
Shrugging, Josie and David followed after their youngest daughter and Jun went after them, knowing that if anyone could find the two master assassins, then it would another assassin.
Searching around, Davey noticed that the scents lead her to a man with chin length brown hair and a woman with light blonde hair.
Taking a closer look, she noticed that they were actually Natasha and Clint, both on them in disguise for their mission.
Seeing the familiar raspberry colored hair from out of the corner of his eye, Clint Barton turned his head to see Davey and DemiVeemon, then took off his glasses, smiling at them.
Turning to look, Natasha smiled as well as she stood up along with her boyfriend, the two agents welcoming the Motomiya family.
"Hey, glad you guys could make it." Clint greeted as he shook hands with David.
"Thanks for inviting us." David smiled.
Natasha pulled Davey into her side, giving the girl a short hug before she held her hand out to Josie.
"Hope you don't mind that we crashed your birthday plans." Natasha apologized.
"No, don't worry about it. We're fine with this. Besides, I love this place." Josie said kindly to the Russian.
Everyone then sat down in their chairs, waiting for the waiter to come take their orders.
"So, I have to say, you look awesome as a blonde, Natasha." Jun grinned.
"That's what I said." Clint smirked.
"Yeah, well, I'm not keeping it. This is a wig. One of many I have, actually. I keep these around for my missions." The Russian explained.
"Is that a wig, too, because it looks pretty bad?" Davey smirked over at Clint.
"Hey." Clint gave her a mock glare.
The rest of lunch was filled with everyone talking and laughing, enjoying themselves.
Later on, they all had gone out to the nearest ice cream shop for dessert, the two SHIELD agents wanting to spend a bit more time with the cat hybrid before they went back to America to give Fury their mission reports.
Sitting down at a table outside, Davey was staring out into traffic, watching as parents walked across the street with their children.
"So, are you excited?" Natasha asked.
"Excited for what exactly?" Davey looked at her.
"It's your senior year. You know, you have university applications, prom and a bunch of other things. It's going to be a busy year for you. Might even be the most fun." Natasha said.
DemiVeemon was sitting at their feet, gobbling down his chocolate ice cream cone.
He was listening to the conversation, but was staying out of it since he could tell that the two 'unmade' females wanted to talk by themselves.
It was why they had sat away from the others, leaving them to joke around and talk about whatever that came to mind.
"I don't know if I will go to university. I mean, it's already difficult enough for me to keep up with my classes in high school since I have to work hard to learn all of the things I've missed. Also, how am I supposed to go to university and work at SHIELD at the same time?" Davey questioned.
"You're still young, Davey. You have a lot of things you can do with your life and experience. Also, you should be enjoying yourself for as long as you can." Natasha told her.
Humming at that in contemplation, Davey took a bite from her strawberry cone.
Staring at the girl and seeing how tense she looked, Natasha then took her purse off of her lap and opened it, searching inside it for something.
"I managed to pick this up for you a few weeks ago while I was in Australia for a mission." Natasha said.
Curious, Davey watched as the woman pulled out a small, rectangular velvet box and she held it out towards the girl.
"You were out on a mission and you managed to buy me a gift?" Davey asked in disbelief as she felt a smile growing.
"Don't make fun. The only person I've ever picked up a gift for is Clint. I wasn't sure what to get you, but felt that this would look good with your hair." Natasha told her.
Accepting the gift, Davey took the velvet box and opened it, checking inside to see what it was.
Wanting to know as well, DemiVeemon finished off his ice cream and climbed up onto his partner's lap, peering over the top of the table.
Lying inside of the case was a gold choker that had a pink diamond attached to it.
"I tried looking for one with a blue diamond, but they didn't have one. Besides, you usually wear blue all of the time, so I thought this would add a bit more color to your wardrobe." Natasha said as she nodded at the girl's outfit.
The girl was wearing a pair of blue jeans and her top was a sky blue spaghetti strap that had tiny cherry blossoms on it.
"It looks great. Thanks, Nat, I love it." Davey smiled at her.
Seeing the girl smile made Natasha's lips turn up, fighting off the bashful blush she felt burning onto her cheeks.
Taking the necklace out of the box, Davey then hooked it around her neck and DemiVeemon smiled up at her, liking the way the pink diamond sparkled in the sunlight.
"Pretty!" He chirped.
(That night...)
When she got home, Davey found that her friends had all left her presents in the apartment and she opened them up along with the ones from her family.
She wasn't upset that her friends were unable to spend the day with her since she knew they were all busy with work, visiting universities and other family engagements.
Overall, she had enjoyed her birthday and wasn't complaining about it at all.
That night, when she crawled into bed, she cuddled up with DemiVeemon and fell asleep instantly and didn't have any nightmares, thankfully.
To be continued...
