They went on to work on a few other basic moves, all of which Nina showed promise in after a few try's. The whole experience was therapeutic. With each jab she felt more confident in herself, which was something she had been severely lacking until then. Being a super hero sounded impossible, and it would have been had she not found so many people to rely on.
"It looked like you and Bucky made some real progress today," Steve said as everyone collected their things, ready to head upstairs and get something to eat.
"Yeah," Nina hadn't been able to keep the smile off her face since they finished up. "It went a lot better than I thought it would," She admitted.
"You should give yourself more credit. You're a natural," He had been watching them between sparing with Katerina. Her body had fallen right into the rhythm and Bucky had done surprisingly well with her. He'd been afraid he wouldn't have the patience to help her, but it had been worth the risk.
"Don't boost her ego too much. She'll be taking you on before long," Bucky winked at Nina as he went by. She bounced on her toes, perking up at his praise.
Steve was left staring after his best friend, taken aback. It wasn't what he'd said that had surprised Steve. It was what he did. Seeing Bucky flirting with women was a completely normal thing, or at least it had been decades ago. Since getting him back from HYDRA he had barely shown a speck of who he used to be.
Nina spent round three of training mostly on her own, messing around with creating stone structures, shields, and weapons. It wasn't something she had experimented with much in the past. There had been no need for a javelin longer than her own body or a wall wide and thick enough to cover multiple people. It took more out of her than she had expected.
After dinner Nina took an extra long shower. She treated her hair with an argan mask and her body with a coconut oil scrub. By the time she got out every inch of her was soft and warm. She slipped into a pair of cotton shorts and a plain white t-shirt, both of which actually belonged to her. She really was going to have to run by Brooklyn soon.
She stepped into her bedroom, toes squishing into the plush carpet as she dried her hair with a towel. When she pulled it away she found Thor lounging on the bed, looking like he'd been waiting for her.
"Oh, right. I've got to find somewhere to sleep," She let the towel fall over her shoulder. "Do you know which rooms are empty?" There had to be several and they were likely just down the hall, but she wasn't about to go opening random doors.
"Why do you think you must sleep alone?" Thor asked, ready to argue his point until she relented.
"We can't sleep together," She responded bluntly.
"Why not?"
"Because...it's inappropriate," Nina was starting to think boundaries were a little different in Asgard.
"What is inappropriate? We have done nothing of a sexual nature. I do not see how tonight should be any different than the last," Nina's face heated and she shifted uncomfortably. "Is sleeping next to someone not a comfort for you?" He questioned.
"Of course it is," She let out a breath. It was very comforting, actually. Even when it had been Olivia sharing a bed with her it felt nice to not be alone.
"Then I see no trouble. Steve may be upset, but I do not see how this is any of his concern," Nina remembered the look he'd been giving Thor when she woke up on the couch with him. She didn't want him to be angry with her.
"Come to bed," Thor said, moving over to give her plenty of room. She hesitated for a minute, wondering to herself what the harm really was to cuddling up to a literal god and getting a good nights sleep. And, he wasn't wrong. What they did or didn't do really was none of Steve's business.
Nina turned off the light and got into bed, intending to keep to her own side and just take comfort in knowing she wasn't alone. Thor, of course, had other ideas.