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Long enough to make headway.

[ He does move back into his original spot, at least. Holding up two books, he looks at her seriously. ]

The Hobbit or The Sorcerer's Stone?

[The look she gives him asks very clearly if he really thinks it makes a difference to her. Then she shrugs. It's better than thinking about her memories, anyway.

Shaking her head, she answers:]

The Hobbit.

Right. [ Moving the others to the side, he gets comfortable, flipping open the book. ] May want to get comfortable.

[ Clearing his throat, he begins to read. ]

In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort..

[ So long as he goes uninterrupted, he'll simply continue reading aloud to her. It's something that he's missed greatly since Wrath and Charles left, so he's glad to do it. ]

[She rolls her eyes, but she does make herself comfortable next to him, leaning on his shoulder as he starts to read.

The story is fine, but mostly what she notices is the rhythm of the words, all sing song like a fairy tale, in his voice. It's soothing.

For all her defensiveness, she's not inclined to interrupt.]

[ Really, it's a few hours later when he finally closes the book. Once he does, he glances over to Natasha. ]

So, what did you think?

[She doesn't lift her head from his shoulder and she doesn't answer immediately, turning an empty packet of snacks over thoughtfully in her fingers. It's funny; she liked it, even if it wasn't something she'd normally seek out for herself. She's not entirely sure it's the story that made her happy as much as the whole experience though.

At length, she says.]

I think I needed that today. More than I realized.

Everyone needs to get away once in a while. Even if it's to some place that doesn't exist.

[ It's helped him a lot, too. All the thoughts just stop when there's new information to take in. Following the story makes it that much easier to not be anyone but a rapt audience. ]

[If he thought Middle Earth was the fantasy for her, she wouldn't correct him. She smiles slightly. She'll indulge him.]

It wasn't what I expected. Not like the Lord of the Rings. It's a lot... lighter? And faster paced. Less trudging, or at least the trudging goes quick.

It's definitely faster paced. I think Bilbo is a lot more relatable, anyway.

You think so? I wouldn't have expected you and him to have a lot in common.

I don't. I just think that as a character, people can understand where he's coming from a lot more?

Maybe. [Natasha isn't sure she relates to either Bilbo or Frodo, in particular. Not just because their experiences are different, but their outlook too. But her personal understanding aside, she imagines he's right about most people.] Frodo always seemed more passive, somehow.

He's grown up with being told tales by his uncle who had them. Can't imagine it was an easy pill to swallow when he decided to carry the ring.

[ That's right. They're having a conversation about Lord of the Rings. What is your life, Natasha? ]

[This is your fault, James Buchanan Barnes.]

Probably not. He had a rougher start with things, though. As adventures go... there's always a sense Frodo could pack up and go home and go back to his old life. Frodo didn't have that.

[ He will take the blame for this. ]

Maybe so, but they both rose to the occasion. They have adventure in their blood even though they grew comfortable with the life they had around them. Frodo also had a pretty good team on his hands even if they didn't know what they were doing.

[In this case does taking the blame mean, feel smug and satisfied?]

A good team does make a huge difference. Seems like Bilbo is always having to save his team.

Have to wonder if he's an unreliable narrator that way.

In a way, they both are. Frodo has a tendency to build everyone up in his mind.

[ He's absolutely feeling smug about this conversation. ]

I guess watching the movie makes things like that seem more objective.

[She'd be more embarrassed if she didn't like seeing him like this so much. Only too a year to get Barnes to come out of his shell a little, apparently.]

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