He nods. "Yeah." He reaches over to where metal meets skin, feeling the scar tissue there. On the back of his metal arm there's a huge rent in the metal playing, revealing the inner wiring. "My arm doesn't work anymore," he tells her quietly
"Don't worry about that," she assures. "I know a few different people who
can probably help us out in that regard." She'd rather Bruce than Tony but
if it came down to it, Tony could probably be bribed into controlling
himself enough to not scaring the guy entirely.
She turns facing him properly. "How do you feel about a show. We'll cover
up your arm so the wiring doesn't get wet and you can get clean."
"A shower?" He hesitates, suddenly remembering ice-cold water, watching blood swirl against white tiles between his feet and shakes his head. "No... No, no shower." He curls back into himself, retreating fully into the closet again.
He looks up at her, flinching his fingers into a fist but not doing anything with that fist. He hesitates, then bites his lip. "After missions... Cold shower, washing off the blood... then the freeze..." He hopes she understands. He hopes the words come out like he thinks he says them, not jumbled up into an incoherent mess.
He thinks about that. Warm water, surrounded on all sides by the closeness of a tub. He nods, then. "Okay. Hot. Hot water. I don't want to be cold, ever again." He looks up at her, hand relaxing.
She smiles, clearly pleased. "Al right, let me get the coffee going and then I can start the water."
She gets to her feet and heads into ther kitchen, it's an open floor plan so he can still see her and she him as she moves around, getting the coffee maker going. Afterwards she returns, offering out a hand. If he doesn't take it, she won't be offended.
"Come on," she urges. "I'll show you how to turn on the water and we'll make sure it's good and hot before you get in."
He hesitates, loathe to leave the sanctuary of his closet. But he stands anyways, lets her guide him by the hand into the bathroom.
He looks around, attention caught by the mirror. Swallowing hard, he looks away, not wanting to look at his own reflection more than he had to. He didn't want to see himself at all. Didn't want to have to accept what he saw was actually him.
She noticed and pulled him forward just a little, out of line iwth the
mirror. Turning to the tub, she sat on the edge, pointing. "Hot," she
said, gesturing to the left. "And cold." She gestures to the right. "I'm
pretty sure you're not touching the cld but just in case."
She gets to her feet again, making a motion for him to sit on the toilet
while she goes through her medicine cabinet. "I'll string together
something to patch up the crack in your arm, just in case water decides to
rise up and rebel against us."
He nods, turning the water on. He gets it hot as he could stand, then reaches down to plug the tub - it's not something he thinks about until after he does it. Then he seems to realize what he did and he looks up at Natasha. He sits obediently on the toilet, looking up at her trustingly. The door is closed, it's just her and him in this little bathroom. He offers up his left arm, holding it awkwardly up so she can work on the damaged section.
She takes a towel and wipes down the skin she'll be covering, cleaning it
up a little before she takes some medical tape and a torn up plastic bag,
sealing the damaged area. It's not amazing but it works for their purposes
and she makes a note to see if she can get in touch with Tony or Bruce in
the ext couple of days.
How that's going to go is....Interesting, but well, not really much of a
choice when it comes to people she felt comfortable handing him over to.
"All right, are you good from here? Or do you want me to stay?" It's a
casual question, like she does things like this all the time. Which is far
from the truth but she doesn't want to make him feel odd if he does
want her there. She doesn't mind it and she's happy to do so if he needs
her to.
"Will you stay?" He doesn't want to be alone. The plunge into the river had almost taken his life. Trapped beneath a girder he'd had to free himself and almost drowned. He had freed himself and dragged Steve out of the water as well, but it had been close. He doesn't want to risk drowning again.
He stands and starts to strip out of the rest of his clothes. He doesn't realize just how torn-up he looks. In addition to just plain dirt, there are bruises and still-healing cuts all over his body. He looks like he's been in a fist fight with a mountain lion, he's so torn up.
He steps into the tub cautiously. The water's as hot as it'll go, steam rising up off the surface. He sighs in relief and sinks down, making sure to hang his left arm out over the edge of the tub so it wouldn't get wet.
She knew he was living rough and wans't surprised to see he'd taken a fair
bit of damage. She frowns a little at the sight though and makes a note to
try and get him to let her patch him up when he's dry.
Settling next to him, she dips a finger into the water, testing it and
nodding. "Let me know when it starts to get cold and we'll get you out and
warm."
She can't promise that she'll keep him warm but she can certainly try.
He nods and looks up at Natasha. He's flushed from the heat of the water, but he looks more relaxed than he has all day. He dips his right hand into the water, rubbing his thumb over his own thigh. He seems oblivious to his own nudity. All the shame had been burned out of him so long ago. "Okay." He straightens up, toes curling against the bottom of the tub. Now that he's in the water, he's not sure what to do. With the cold showers, somebody had scrubbed him down. His only task had been to stand still and allow it. The soap they used had always been rough - there was no care for any scratches or still-healing lacerations, or any of his bruises. It had just been getting him clean, then dry, then into the cryo tube.
She watches him, uncertain if he even knew what to do. She didn't want to
make assumptions but as the time passed, she found herslef becoming more
and more certain that he didn't.
Moving to grab soap and a wash cloth, she lathered it up and started work
on his chest. She moved gently, taking care not to aggravate any of the
wounds or bruises. She washed him clean, pausing every now and then to
make sure he was all right. Washing his hair and his body, she seemed to
fall into a rhythm, comfortable and easy.
She was even humming softly as she worked, an old tune from a long time agol
He looked up at her when she started to wash him and he leaned into the touch. He kept his eyes straight ahead, moving with her as she ran the soapy washcloth all over his body.
Then she started to hum. It was familiar, in a way that tickled some long extinguished memory. He looks up at her. "What are you humming?" His brows furrowed and he tried to recall the rest of the song that she was humming. He's suddenly oblivious to her washing him, his entire mind turned to focusing on the song.
"Nothing really," she says with a shrug. "It's an old song from where I
was born." She's not sentimental but sometimes it got stuck in her head,
lodged deep in there and she couldn't get it out. It would come to her
mostly when things were calm, peaceful even and now that she thinks about
it, she is amused it found her now.
"I remember it... One of the doctors... He sometimes hummed it..." He bows his head. "He was... nice. Compared to the others. He always made them take a break so I could... rest." Between the shocks. He blinks up at her then asks, feeling tired, "Am I clean yet?"
He was tired. He just wanted to curl up in his closet and maybe get some more rest.
She washes his hair, rinsing it and then does a quick look over him once again to make sure she hadn't missed anything. She wanted to patch him up a littl ebeore he went to sleep but she also knew that he needed. the sleep and the wounds culd probably go a few more hours without disinfectant.
"All right," she announced once she'd deemed him fit. "You're good." Stepping back, she grabs a towel and gestures for him to exit.
He nods and stands. The water he was sitting in is brown with dirt. Carefully he steps out and takes the towel, starting to dry himself efficiently. He looks down at his clothes. They're gross and filthy and suddenly he doesn't want to put them on, where before he didn't mind at all. "What should I wear?" He turns his attention back to Natasha.
"Come with me," she gestures. "We'll find you something." She wasn't
entirely sure she had anything that would fit him but she can try.
The enter the bedroom and she heads for the closet. It's another walk in
and she starts digging around. She finds an over-sized shirt and a large
pair of sweatpants that she was pretty sure would fit him. A part of her
makes a note to try and get his size and pick up clothes for him later but
that can happen at another time.
He takes the clothing she gives him and dresses. He feels vulnerable like this, with only one layer of thin clothing. He tucks his chin to his chest and wraps his right arm around his midsection. "Can I go sleep again?" He asked. Coffee would be nice, but he's still warm, and he's sleepy.
She nods, waving him off. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll be awake when you get up."
Meaning she's not sleeping until after he's gotten a good amount and she
feels like she can. Frankly, she knows she should probably take another
tactic toards sleep but she has no plans to right now.
He heads for his closet and slips inside. He pulls on his boots, then the layers he had discarded before, and laid down. He was asleep almost instantly.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 12:13 am (UTC)"Don't worry about that," she assures. "I know a few different people who can probably help us out in that regard." She'd rather Bruce than Tony but if it came down to it, Tony could probably be bribed into controlling himself enough to not scaring the guy entirely.
She turns facing him properly. "How do you feel about a show. We'll cover up your arm so the wiring doesn't get wet and you can get clean."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 12:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 01:01 am (UTC)"Hey," she starts, moving in a little but not encroaching too much. "What's wrong. Why don't you like showers?"
Carefully, she reaches out one hand to him, brushing his flesh arm with her fingers.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 01:14 am (UTC)She draws her hand back as soon as she sees the fist, not afraid he'll come at her but worried she'll make it worse.
"Okay," she says. "What if I promise you a warm bath instead? And coffee after to keep the cold away? Can we maybe try that?"
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 01:47 am (UTC)She gets to her feet and heads into ther kitchen, it's an open floor plan so he can still see her and she him as she moves around, getting the coffee maker going. Afterwards she returns, offering out a hand. If he doesn't take it, she won't be offended.
"Come on," she urges. "I'll show you how to turn on the water and we'll make sure it's good and hot before you get in."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 01:58 am (UTC)He looks around, attention caught by the mirror. Swallowing hard, he looks away, not wanting to look at his own reflection more than he had to. He didn't want to see himself at all. Didn't want to have to accept what he saw was actually him.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 02:04 am (UTC)She noticed and pulled him forward just a little, out of line iwth the mirror. Turning to the tub, she sat on the edge, pointing. "Hot," she said, gesturing to the left. "And cold." She gestures to the right. "I'm pretty sure you're not touching the cld but just in case."
She gets to her feet again, making a motion for him to sit on the toilet while she goes through her medicine cabinet. "I'll string together something to patch up the crack in your arm, just in case water decides to rise up and rebel against us."
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 02:22 am (UTC)She takes a towel and wipes down the skin she'll be covering, cleaning it up a little before she takes some medical tape and a torn up plastic bag, sealing the damaged area. It's not amazing but it works for their purposes and she makes a note to see if she can get in touch with Tony or Bruce in the ext couple of days.
How that's going to go is....Interesting, but well, not really much of a choice when it comes to people she felt comfortable handing him over to.
"All right, are you good from here? Or do you want me to stay?" It's a casual question, like she does things like this all the time. Which is far from the truth but she doesn't want to make him feel odd if he does want her there. She doesn't mind it and she's happy to do so if he needs her to.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 02:47 am (UTC)He stands and starts to strip out of the rest of his clothes. He doesn't realize just how torn-up he looks. In addition to just plain dirt, there are bruises and still-healing cuts all over his body. He looks like he's been in a fist fight with a mountain lion, he's so torn up.
He steps into the tub cautiously. The water's as hot as it'll go, steam rising up off the surface. He sighs in relief and sinks down, making sure to hang his left arm out over the edge of the tub so it wouldn't get wet.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 04:55 pm (UTC)She knew he was living rough and wans't surprised to see he'd taken a fair bit of damage. She frowns a little at the sight though and makes a note to try and get him to let her patch him up when he's dry.
Settling next to him, she dips a finger into the water, testing it and nodding. "Let me know when it starts to get cold and we'll get you out and warm."
She can't promise that she'll keep him warm but she can certainly try.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 05:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 05:44 pm (UTC)She watches him, uncertain if he even knew what to do. She didn't want to make assumptions but as the time passed, she found herslef becoming more and more certain that he didn't.
Moving to grab soap and a wash cloth, she lathered it up and started work on his chest. She moved gently, taking care not to aggravate any of the wounds or bruises. She washed him clean, pausing every now and then to make sure he was all right. Washing his hair and his body, she seemed to fall into a rhythm, comfortable and easy.
She was even humming softly as she worked, an old tune from a long time agol
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 05:59 pm (UTC)Then she started to hum. It was familiar, in a way that tickled some long extinguished memory. He looks up at her. "What are you humming?" His brows furrowed and he tried to recall the rest of the song that she was humming. He's suddenly oblivious to her washing him, his entire mind turned to focusing on the song.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 06:05 pm (UTC)"Nothing really," she says with a shrug. "It's an old song from where I was born." She's not sentimental but sometimes it got stuck in her head, lodged deep in there and she couldn't get it out. It would come to her mostly when things were calm, peaceful even and now that she thinks about it, she is amused it found her now.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 06:13 pm (UTC)He was tired. He just wanted to curl up in his closet and maybe get some more rest.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 06:29 pm (UTC)"Almost," she assures. "Tilt your head back."
She washes his hair, rinsing it and then does a quick look over him once again to make sure she hadn't missed anything. She wanted to patch him up a littl ebeore he went to sleep but she also knew that he needed. the sleep and the wounds culd probably go a few more hours without disinfectant.
"All right," she announced once she'd deemed him fit. "You're good." Stepping back, she grabs a towel and gestures for him to exit.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 06:59 pm (UTC)"Come with me," she gestures. "We'll find you something." She wasn't entirely sure she had anything that would fit him but she can try.
The enter the bedroom and she heads for the closet. It's another walk in and she starts digging around. She finds an over-sized shirt and a large pair of sweatpants that she was pretty sure would fit him. A part of her makes a note to try and get his size and pick up clothes for him later but that can happen at another time.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-24 04:28 am (UTC)She nods, waving him off. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll be awake when you get up."
Meaning she's not sleeping until after he's gotten a good amount and she feels like she can. Frankly, she knows she should probably take another tactic toards sleep but she has no plans to right now.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-24 04:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
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