Staying in this tiny hut quickly became tiring for Natalia, now that she seemed to get better and her memories trickling in slowly at times, more suddenly at others. Her mind aside, her muscles were aching to be moved and it seemed like she was getting restless on the bed. At least when James was around, it took some tension from her body. The pain was still there but she tried her best to appear relaxed, like nothing bothered her. Ever since their kiss it seemed to be easier for Natalia to talk to the Winter Soldier in fact she found herself actually enjoying those conversations.
It wasn't often that he left her alone, but when he did, she tried to get up and move her bones and muscles. It ached and she tried to ignore the pain and push herself forward. In the beginning, she only stood like the time they were arguing but soon she found herself taking tentative steps forward. Natalia tried hard not to groan in pain the first few times, not wanting to make James aware of her trying to actually move. She almost called for his help when she lost her balance and her injured leg had given up underneath her. Luckily, Natalia fell flat on the bed without hurting herself. Afterward, she stopped trying to get up again.
Only a week later, she had risen to her feet again. Her shin was hurting, but she ignored the pain as she reached for a nearby shelf to hold herself upright without burdening her leg with too much weight like the last time. She took some steps forward while holding onto the piece of dusty furniture.
James was surprised with today, he'd slept a little more than usual and yet he still felt more or less in control of himself. His orders weren't as loud, he was able to do some more menial tasks around the cabin to get it a little cleaner. He didn't want her wound getting infected once she was able to move around it more. This almost ease of control was all down to her, he was sure. The more of Natalia that she remembered, the easier it was to keep his grasp on the man trying to hide her until she was sufficient to return.
He needed to not let himself slip, or let himself rest too much, though. Easy did not mean absolute. One night he found himself... found the Winter Soldier, up in the dark when she slept, checking the perimeter and nearly walking past it. Contemplating the best ways to contact the Kremlin or find a radio or phone nearby. He'd gone back to just two hours for a few days after and he didn't have another issue. James was growing steadily quicker at pulling himself forward. Having a task helped as well. Writing out sheets of this file kept him up and not sleeping. It also kept him pulling information from his own mind, facts that James knew, facts the Soldier shouldn't know. The distinction seemed to help even more.
It felt easier today, especially since he'd slept less again. One hour after finishing most of the notes, he felt in control. The voice in his mind was just a quiet whisper. He set the pen down as he finished writing the last of what he personally knew of Natalia, a small smile working over his expression. Yes, he was... almost excited to show it to her. He had bound it on some threads of rope he carried in his tact vest. She'd been remembering so much more lately, he was wondering if it was time to give it to her yet… or if he was simply too impatient.
He crossed the small cabin to where Natalia rested to see if she'd be up.
"Natalia?" He called out as he entered her room, eyes lifting up from the folder.
"Natalia!" He repeated more firmly, an exasperated look crossing his face now. Finally, she was steadied on a shelf walking around, and he shook his head and approached her. So he was close in case she fell and needed to catch her.
"You recognize your bone was completely broken, yes?" He shouldn't be surprised Natalia didn't want to sit around and wait for it to heal. She would push her limits, as she always did. It just meant it was his job to make her rest and be more watchful.
Natalia heard his steps before he entered, but she wasn't quick enough to act like she had been sitting on the bed. Instead, she held onto the shelf like a toddler and looked at the Winter Soldier with big eyes. She had been caught red-handed doing something she wasn't supposed to do. She looked at him and half expected a slap from the Winter Soldier.
It was only seconds later that she realized that this wasn't the Soldier standing in front of her but James. James wouldn't hurt her, she was sure. He might get angry, but he wouldn't go as far as to harm her. She still looked at him like a pet that wasn't allowed to do something but did it anyway.
"I know, but I need to train my leg. If I cannot move, they will dispose of me," Natalia tried to reason even though her muscles protested. Natalia had felt restless and simply had felt the need to move. It was so much harder to be enclosed to a small space if one couldn't leave a bed.
"And sitting around is so boring..." She spoke, ginning playfully at him.
He chuckled at her wide-eyed, near-doe-eyed look. It was undoubtedly the strangest he'd ever seen on her. It was endearing. Interesting to see her so wholly disarmed, caught by surprise. He grinned and swept around in front of her.
"That will not happen," He assured her earnestly. That was why they were here, waiting. Natalia would only leave once she was fit enough to the Kremlin's standards. He knew those standards, and he'd keep her safe.
He wanted to sweep her into his arms, deposit her onto the bed, into safety but he ignored the instinct; Natalia would find a way to do what she pleased. He might as well be part of the solution.
James' face copied her own as she smiled at him. He also found her playfulness more than endearing. "Well... we will need to solve this, hm?"
Her eyes followed him as he moved around in front of her. She visibly relaxed a bit as he made no move to stop her. In fact, she found it interesting that he seemed not to mind.
She moved her weight unconsciously, so she was standing on her healthy leg instead. She had used both legs to support herself instead of just her healthy one in case she needed to protect herself. Being suspicious and ready to fight was second nature, so she didn't even realize how she had shifted her position. Though it registered in the back of her mind now that the pain subsided to a dull one in her injured leg.
"We really do," She replied, grinning wider as he smiled at her and copied her demeanor. She found herself charmed by this, even though she was sure it was unusual.
"What do you have in mind to make this more fun, James?" she asked him curiously, switching consciously to English. Somehow it felt wrong asking something like that in Russian. To her, Russian with this man felt so formal, almost like it was only reserved for missions and moments… something - they - shouldn't be caught doing...
Natalia stayed quiet because she only wanted to stretch her muscles and move her limbs. He might have discovered something more interesting if she had kept that a secret.
"Always so curious, Natalia," He whispered her name, his smile becoming more of a smirk. He missed this ease between them, and he couldn't remember the last time they'd had it really.
He reached out and settled his metal hand on her waist. In part to keep her steady in case her leg buckled and partly to have the excuse to take a half step closer toward her. He had so, so many ideas, and none that he could fairly deposit on her. Things needed to go at her pace, and it was a constant, daily struggle with himself to keep it that way. Especially when she was so much more herself lately.
"What else do you expect from me, James? You wouldn't like it if it were any other way," she pointed out in a whisper. Her suspicion and guard were completely down as he moved closer to wrap his hand around her. Suddenly he was so close and she fought the urge to act like her leg would give in to get him closer. This was her moment to prove she was ready to start walking again. That sitting around wasn't healthy, either. So she couldn't act like she was tripping or something to get closer to him.
Natalia shook the thought off and placed her arm around his neck for support. He was definitely a better support than the shelf. At least she could be sure that he would keep on standing.
She looked at him with a grin and gently pecked his cheek. "Thank you for helping me," She told him, very aware that he didn't need to do so. It would make things so much easier for him to leave her behind. It was her fate to die that day, but he wouldn't have it. Instead, he would be punished for helping her like this and dismissing direct orders. The knowledge, surprisingly, broke her heart.
"No," He assured her. He enjoyed how curious she was. He wanted to know how she saw things. Maybe too much... it blinded him from his own senses. Of course, he could argue that was how he was able to... have a crack in the solid facade that was their Soldier... yet he couldn't help but feel uneasy at the notion. Being blind felt good, of course, but it was also dangerous.
He ought to protect her. He was doing that, he reminded himself. With this sudden look of hers, he felt more of a need to study it. This wide-eyed woman was surprised and then bewildered. Endearing as she was... maybe she was too endearing. He could hardly resist her or his own impulses. James continued to study her face and tilted his down to the side. He wanted to kiss her and do so many things... these wants, these needs, they felt so natural to cave into. So easy, for once they were truly alone, maybe for the first time ever…
She sweetly kissed his cheek, thanked him, and he felt a wave of something old pass over him. It waged war within him, this old feeling of himself, who should be familiar but was only foreign. James swallowed this sudden wave of emotion, glancing away from her vibrant, young eyes, and resisted stepping away from her. His head tilted down so he wouldn't have to look instead.
"I want to be helping you," He admitted, unsure if he was ultimately doing that or putting her right back in the danger that got her like this in the first place. How did he travel that line? How could he imagine he was doing it properly when he'd already kissed her again. Succumbed as soon as there was an opportunity. Wasn't it her closeness to him, more than the file itself, that led her to losing herself?
Her grateful, innocent look, it bothered him, not because of her necessarily. It was himself who bothered him. He stepped back, recognizing some guilt and shame, a sense of wrongness... it confused and shook him.
Someone so good as Natalia, he felt like he was poison to her suddenly. Or perhaps he was worried he might become such a thing if things went any further. He'd been so focused on returning her to herself now that she was on her way there that he felt off-kilter because of it. He got her into this situation and swore to lead her from it. He was doing that. He wouldn't stop.
Even facing all this, how did she manage to still have such a carefree expression? What if James took it from her again?
"You're so... good," He spoke unevenly towards her. "And I am very selfish..." He admitted, finally raising her eyes to catch hers again.
Natalia glanced at him with a smile as she kissed his cheek. Then suddenly, something in his demeanor changed. He looked guilty, or perhaps she misjudged things like so much lately. He even seemed like he wanted to step away, making her frown and wonder if it was something she did. Perhaps standing instead of wobbling back to the bed had been a bad idea. She didn't like this guilt or whatever was written all over him; instead, she wanted him happy.
"I...I'm sorry," she stumbled suddenly over her words, unsure if this change in his behavior was caused by her. Natalia fought the urge to place her hand on his cheek to make him look at her.
Instead, she stood feeling like she had just dropped something important and would get in trouble. The redhead bit her tongue, removed her arm around his neck, and returned to hold the shelf instead. At least this way, she wouldn't need to look at him.
The redhead suddenly stepped away from him, hoping to walk out of his gentle embrace. She hoped it would make her feel less guilty about things she was unsure of. What had she done? Why was she suddenly feeling so guilty about walking, or was it something else? Natalia, for once, didn't have an answer to those questions.
He spoke again, and she still didn't turn around to glance at him. Her knuckles had turned white as she held the shelf so tight. That was until she finally understood the meaning behind the words. It took her longer than necessary to understand him. She had heard those words - the line of them linked together but she needed a moment to comprehend the meaning behind it. Then, finally, she turned around to look at him, still holding the shelf but less forcefully.
"You are not bad," she told him with so much force behind her words that even she had to take a moment to flinch.
"Listen to me: you are not a bad man," she repeated gently and again took a step towards the man in front of her. Making him believe what she said seemed so important now.
His shoulders jerked reflexively at her tone, eyes hardening. He forced the guarded look- and feeling- away, it was Natalia afterall. She turned back to him, and it seemed as soon as she entered the bubble of space around him the cold seemed to scatter away. He shook his head in a weak protest. He hadn't said he was bad. She was right, and guessed his next thoughts, Natalia seemed to be able to see through him. Even without many of her memories of them. He used to think it was because there wasn't much to see of him, but he knew that was wrong now. She had found that for him.
He couldn't fully believe her. He wasn't good like her, or at least he created such bad things. It was what he was for. He was a tool, a weapon, a means to Russia's success. That was good.
He closed his eyes for a moment, to rid himself of the conflict.
Her voice and her hand reaching for his face guided him back, she was good at that... and she just didn't see. He was not noble, he didn't think he was capable of doing those things for purely good reasons. A stranger wouldn't have received such strange treatment from him. He was selfish, he did it because she... because she meant something to him. Meant everything to him.
"You are a good person. I know that. You could've just left me there, but you didn't..." she told him, placing her hand on his cheek to make him look at her, "All of us are selfish, James. We all want things for ourselves. Sometimes it's things we can have, and sometimes we cannot have them. It's human nature, but you… you aren't that in a bad way. I don't think that - not really."
"I don't remember fully why I became your student. But from what I know, you could've left me to die. Saving yourself and some other people a lot of trouble and punishment. But you didn't... You saw a little redhead chained to a bed and thought she was worth saving.
Why? I don't know, but you still did. You proved more than once that you are good and not selfish. A selfish person would've left me to die weeks ago after I failed the mission. I was a failure, and failures are to be punished. You… you collected me from god knows where and brought me here against what we have been taught. You saved my life more than once and even nursed me back to a somewhat healthy state. If that is not selfless I don't know what is," She finished monologuing and caressed his cheek gently. "You are wrong about one more thing: I'm not a good person... not really."
She seemed to read his mind once again. Arguing his point before he could practically order the thoughts to understand them himself. Why was she his student? Because she was part of his orders. Successfully train the black widows candidates... but, no... if he thought about it, past the mission, he remembered staring down... to the determination. The pure determination to live, to succeed, to survive, he saw that in her then. It was why he spoke... and he knew that was the truth somewhere far down. Whether he could say it or not.
It was the same determination he saw reflected at him now. It made him smile weakly at her.
"You were determined to live..." He muttered under her voice. James looked at her, his face a portrait of conflict. He wanted that to be true, but deep down, in this part of him she found in a folder, that part knew it was all lies. It was wrong, he was a terror upon the things he'd held dear. He couldn't understand why, or even translate those thoughts... they were too far away, too distant. They simply created these feelings and danced along the border of his comprehension.
What she said was true, she should be punished, which was why he brought her here instead. She was wrong to think it made him noble. He did it selfishly, or... perhaps not. How could the Soldier know? He didn't think he could... it was all a tangled web he couldn't break free from. Besides, she didn't fully understand that he had all the selfish reasons in the world to want her safe. He didn't have the words for what they'd been, or how he still felt for her, but it came from him… and he wasn't sure if that was even good for her. Hell, he wasn't fully convinced she'd even wanted it anymore…
He closed his eyes to the conflict and instead leaned into her caress. It was selfish, perhaps it was bad, perhaps it was good and virtuous. Maybe he shouldn't even bother caring. No, James didn't think he cared what the label was, or what he was. He was a tool, for whomever he was a tool for. He just...
"I do not want to bring you harm, dear one..." He replied and opened his eyes to his personal admission. He smiled wryly then. "I would say I still know a bit more than you on the subject of you. If you see such good in me, then you must be good. Or you would not be able to find it and bring it out as you have." He replied logically. It was true, Natalia's own good brought out anything she saw. He knew that. That was one thing he could know for certain. He reached for her hand again and drew her close with it. He replaced it around his shoulder and slipped his arm securely around her waist.
He didn't want to think of all these things, good or bad... what did it matter? He was a tool, and that was all he would ever be. Why worry over such things? Only if they would bring harm to Natalia. That- he could be sure of now- he would never do. He wouldn't harm her, and he wouldn't let her be harmed either. It felt sort of freeing, to realize he had that much control over himself. Besides, right now they were in no relationship… and none of it mattered until she remembered. It would only burden her when she didn't have all the knowledge she needed to decide things for herself yet. Soon… and he'd control himself better until that time.
James pulled her in close to him, measuring his strength with his metal arm. He wanted to reassure her, almost as much as he wanted an excuse to hold her close to him… if only for a moment. "I do not think I care what I am unless it would bring you further harm."
She looked at him and something made her stop for a mere second. You were determined to live echoed in her mind. It was both right and wrong but she couldn't tell why. It sounded like a silly reason to allow someone to continue to live. If Kudrin had been right about one thing, she would've deserved death for whatever she had done to land herself in that situation. It was all blurry but she didn't really remember it anymore. He seemed conflicted so it was not the time to point out the flaw in that logic.
"My Winter never brings me harm. The Winter Soldier might bring destruction but my Winter- James, he doesn't harm me or anyone he likes for that matter," She told him just as determined and her voice turned gentle. It was true and it was one of the little things she actually knew for sure. He wouldn't hurt her even if the Winter Soldier brought destruction. He wouldn't harm her even in the midst of a battlefield. She didn't know why she knew that, but it was true.
He argued further that she was good for showing him good. Was that really the definition of being good? Wasn't she able to show him good because she knew deep down how being bad really was? Wasn't she trying to cage that bad part away from him and unleash it when he didn't glance her way? She gave him a smile that didn't really reach her eyes and instead of fighting against it, she put it aside as valuable knowledge. Perhaps he was right or maybe he was wrong. This wasn't the time to argue if she was good but that he was. He was so good and he needed to know that.
"Whatever lies ahead of me. It is not your fault, James. You saved my life and brought me so much more than health. You brought confusion, knowledge and perhaps a bit of pain. It's the good kind of pain that shows me I'm still alive while fighting invisible demons," She told him as he pulled her closer and wrapped her arm around his neck again.
"You are so good but blind to the goodness inside of you," She whispered and embraced him tightly. "You will never bring me harm. My Winter, my James, he is too good for that," She whispered and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips to stress that part.
"You promised me never to hurt me and we both know that you are never going to do that; and that's what makes you good. Fighting their orders instead of following them. You're a good person disguised as a bad one. As long as I'm able to know and see that- you don't need to worry about being bad because that means you are good.", she told him firmly and placed her hand on his chest where his heart was located.
"Your heart is good and that's what defines you," She told him and continued. "You're a big teddy bear underneath all that gear. Even though no-one but me sees that."
Her words soothed him. How sure she was of them, that soothed him. James leaned his head down closer towards hers, closing his eyes momentarily. She was without a full set of memories, hardly any in the big picture… yet and she seemed so sure that it made him believe it too. It had to be true, after all, didn't it? He'd been on a mission, to get rid of the intruders... she'd stopped him, and he had not executed her. Much the opposite, he'd wanted to save her from the guards... it soothed his troubles more than she likely knew it did.
He took solace in her words, nodding twice. Submitting to her beliefs for them. He wanted them to be true, why couldn't they be? She was wise, after all. Sometimes, the darker side of him reminded him it seemed impossible, but James shoved those thoughts away. Instead he focused on her arm around his neck. How wonderful it felt, how solid it made him feel.
James leaned into the soft kiss, and leaned his forehead against hers when she spoke again, to remain close to her.
"Never," He repeated in a soft reverence. He would never hurt her. If that's what she believed, he would follow her lead. Afterall, it only mattered when he was with her, when he was not... well, he wasn't really conscious of it all as he was now. He'd lose much of what he felt here until he returned to her once again. It was oddly addicting.
Her final prompting made him pull away slightly to laugh a bit. A teddy bear? That certainly was not something that seemed a good description of him. He scooped up her hand with his flesh one, running his fingers along her palm, and enjoying the feeling of his fingers against her smooth skin.
"Is that so?" He asked playfully, grinning. "I wonder what that makes you, Natalia," He chuckled lightly again.
He seemed to relax as she went on and on and it relaxed her too. She didn't want him to think of himself as someone bad because he wasn't. He really wasn't. He was a good person who had been messed with. They had messed with him for so long that he believed their lies in the end. It made her heart ache and she wanted to prove him wrong so badly. He shouldn't listen to them.
He nodded and it soothed her worries. Natalia suddenly felt her muscles relax and she leaned into him. His forehead against hers made it easier for her to steal a glance at those marvelous blue eyes.
As he pulled away to laugh over what she had said she glanced at him, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yes, that's so," She answered and enjoyed his touch against her hand. She intertwined their fingers.
"It either makes me incredibly stupid for mistaking the bear as a teddy bear or incredibly smart for seeing something not everyone is able to see," She replied smugly. "You better be careful who sees the teddy bear in you. Some people might mistake it as weakness. It's not. It's quite endearing, I assure you."
Once again she leaned forward to press her lips against his.
Eventually she pulled out of the kiss with a smile and ran her hand through his hair.
"Better, James?" She asked him gently. At least her being caught red handed by the Winter Soldier was long forgotten by now.
He couldn't deny that, it was quite true. He honestly wasn't sure which was the true answer. A flicker of shadows passed through his face before he shook them away slowly.
Yes, careful indeed. It was something he had become more than adept at, something he shouldn't… but they would never know. It reminded him that Natalia must learn how to do it too. It was equally as important as her body healing. In fact it was the only thing that could save her. It reminded him of why he'd come to her room in the first place. Clearly her mind was already there, and he imagined that would be the least difficult part in all this.
He returned her kiss and then smiled.
"Yes," Then James turned, separating their hands and holding his arm, elbow out for her to take hold of. It seemed an odd thing for him to do, an odd motion... but somewhere it also felt familiar as well.
"Come sit?" He asked, something rare from him he realized. This was all her decision of course.
He smiled at her and it almost instantly felt like he took some weight off her shoulders. Something about his smile was warming and made her heart flutter. It was a strange feeling and quite uncommon for her to see. It was the kind of smile that instantly lit up someone's day.
Natalia looked at his outstretched arm and for a moment a small frown formed on her forehead. It seemed both unfamiliar and so familiar coming from him. Somehow she felt herself being catapulted back to the night they had gone to the opera. She remembered bits of the day and it felt like everything eventually went back to that night. "That's good," She mumbled happily.
At his question she slipped her arm underneath his and gently placed her hand on his upper arm.
"Alright," She answered and she didn't know what it was about the situation but she pecked his cheek. The both of them walked over to the bed and she hadn't realized it before but her muscles weren't used to moving anymore. So standing there and actually trying to walk a little had exhausted her more than it probably should.
"How are you?" She asked once both of them were seated on the edge of the bed. Unconsciously, she placed her hand on her injured leg and rubbed the straining muscles on her thigh.
He smiled more to himself as he moved them both over to the bed. Something about her voice, or how she seemed to sink in next to him just right, made stranger feelings wash over him. So... soft? He didn't know, but he couldn't help but feel that way when he looked down at her face.
James made himself available to help steady herself to sit down. Her leg was better, and clearly she'd been pushing herself, but that didn't mean it was wise to push it any further.
"Let me." He reached out to slip his metal hand under her own massaging her muscle and flipped his hand so his thumb could fit just above her knee and he could apply just the smallest amount of pressure from his metal hand to help loosen her surely sore muscles. His metal hand would at least do the job a bit easier.
"Content," He replied quite honestly and moved his hand up the muscle a little more before moving around some so he didn't make one muscle too sore. They were likely still hyper tense from the strain of pushing them to move after so long being injured. James did not want to spark a further injury.
Natalia looked at him for a second as he told her he wanted to relax her aching muscles. It was a strange feeling having his metal fingers massage her aching muscles. After all, she hadn't even recognized herself doing it until he pointed it out.
"Thank you.", she told him and moved her leg a little to test her muscles. It was almost like his touch was helping instantly. "You're better at this than I am," She admitted and grinned a little at him. Of course her leg could feel better and even the slightest touch irritated her muscles but still something about his touch made it bearable.
"I have an unfair advantage," He explained with a short smile. He flexed the metal fingers as he withdrew her hand and she tested her leg. It was through no work of his own that he was, it was simply a tool he had been... given? He didn't think that felt right, but he possessed it. Even with this folder... he could not begin to fathom how he got the arm...
He was starting to fall into a memory of something... it made him feel uneasy and sick, there was a... pressure, in his ears, whipping, cold... but Natalia leaned in against him and her warmth took him far from wherever his mind had been going. He looked down at her with a warm smile, kissing the top of her head.
"What do you feel with it?" She asked him as soon as he flexed his metal fingers. "I mean you must feel at least pressure or something if you can distinguish pressure between making gentle or forceful contact with it." She watched the shiny metal and wondered once again how he kept it so shiny. The thought actually made her feel strangely nostalgic and giggle a little.
"When I was younger I imagined you polishing your arm to keep it shiny.", she admitted, feeling a dull throbbing pain in her head over the memory. "When I was particularly bored or mad at you, I always imagined you sitting in the corner of your room at the Red Room polishing it with a piece of fabric. It always made for good amusement," Natalia hoped it would cheer James up as he seemed to be drawn away.
"Until recently I... never thought on it," He revealed, and slowly raised the metal in front of them. He twisted it around, looking at his hand. He nodded at her musings over it, yes, he did. "I was only ever annoyed when it became damaged and it..." He thought on how to voice the feeling behind it.
"The... slow response... the lag, between my thoughts and it's actions..." He shrugged then, unsure what else to say for the tool, part of the weapon that he was.
James grinned as she laughed and told him of when she was young. He shook his head, errant hair following the motion.
"That is quite amusing," He chuckled despite himself. She was so odd when she was young. He knew now it was not because she was strange, it was simply because he did not understand someone so... free around him. So human, one who treated him as such, acted that way around him.
"Well, at least something.", she chuckled and placed her hand into his metal one as he moved his fingers.
"I wonder what was broken...", she mumbled as she ran her hand slowly upwards on his metal under arm until she stopped to trace the small space between each metal blade. "Do you ever polish it? I mean there has to be some secret behind its shininess.", she spoke as Natalia watched his arm curiously but eventually she turned to the small file on her.
The way she inspected the arm, he wished he could really feel with it. Instead of registering the touch. That was lucky enough, he supposed. He chuckled again, "No," Always so curious, and about such strange things. But he found it charming...
"I shower as normal, wipe off... no boot shine," He grinned. But he could almost smell it... feel the oil on his fingers and hear a staff sergeant barking about it... did that belong to James Barnes? He shook himself.
"Oh dammit. You just made it less interesting.", she teased and joked "The image of you polishing is definitely more entertaining." She chuckled still not getting the image of him sitting on his bed trying to make the bionic limb to look shiny. The sudden image of him in the shower was interesting as well in a way she hadn't imagined possible. It for sure wasn't as entertaining as the thought of him sitting there with boot shine.