Necessary Good, Unnecessary Evil | No rest For Wounded Souls [Bucky Barnes]

To Be Young And Hot

"The quickest path to self-destruction is to push away the people you love."
-Cassia Leo

TW: drug use

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Nova's POV

Bucky walks down the hall, keeping his head down and his hands in his pockets.
I follow him in silence, anxious to talk to Steve.
I wasn't planning on seeing him so soon after our argument, and I know it's going to be unpleasant.
"Looking good, Barnes." A female voice echoes in the hallway, and I see a blonde girl standing in front of a door.
Her leg is lifted up, supporting a laundry basket against the door.
"Sharon," Bucky greets her with a smirk, and I feel like I've seen her before.
She disappeares into the apartment, closing the door behind her.
"She looks familiar." I think out loud.
"She works at SHIELD. You've probably seen her there." He mutters, searching for his keys in his pockets.
"You two look close," I observe.
"We fucked a couple times. But I'm pretty sure she has a thing for Steve." He shrugs, and I lift my brow surprised.
"Does he know?" I mutter.
I have no right to be jealous, but knowing that definitely hit some kind of nerve.
"Yeah," He huffs.
"Looks like you two have something in common," Bucky adds, sliding the key in the lock.
"I won't have sex with you to get back at Steve." I retort, crossing my arms.
"No need to be so salty." He chuckles, opening the door and walking in.

"Hey Buck, have you seen my headphones? I can't find... What are you doing here?" Steve's eyes stop on my figure standing next to Bucky.
We stare at each other for a few seconds, and I feel my hands sweaty.
Bucky clears his throat, "I'll go take a shower." He mumbles and heads back to the hallway.
I look around, taking in the place.
"What?" He asks, resting his hands on his hips.
I sigh, realizing the best thing to do is just say what I have to say and get out of here as soon as possible.
He clearly doesn't want me to be here.
"I got these about half an hour ago." I unlock my phone and show him the pictures.
He grabs my phone, and his jaw clenches, "who sent this to you?" He inquires, and I shake my head, shrugging.
"It's a private number," I mutter, and he gives my phone back.
He goes to sit on the couch, turning on the tv.
I don't know what kind of reaction I was expecting, but a non-reaction wasn't one of them.
My brow knit together as I watch him staring at the tv.
"You need anything else?" He asks carelessly, not looking at me.
I press my lips together, "you don't care if this stuff gets out?" I wonder, stepping closer to the couch.

He breathes in deeply, "no, not really."
"Ok, but I do. And not because I don't want people to see us like that, but because I have a shit ton of people that want me dead, and they would use anything against me." My voice comes out as a croak, exposing my concern.
"You're telling me that like I could stop it from happening. What do you want me to do?" Steve bellows, turning his face at me.
"I don't want you to do anything, Steve. I just don't want them to hurt you to get back at me." I mutter, my heart aching at the sight of what I did to us.
"I can take care of myself. Problem solved. You can go." He turns his face again.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
I deserve that. I can't get mad at Steve for being upset after how I acted.
My feet move, and I head back to the door, crashing into Bucky coming out of the bathroom.
He's in a black bathrobe with his hair damp, "You ok?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'm going back home," I say, opening the door.
"I can drive you. It's snowing again." He nods to the window.
"I can walk, thanks." I step outside, and he follows me.
"You can't walk 8 miles in the snow. Give me ten minutes, ok?" I hesitate but decide to accept.
"Fine. I'll wait in the hall." I sigh, and he gives me a half-smile before ducking back in.

I lean against the wall, staring at my feet while waiting for Bucky.
Steve seemed so hurt. I wonder if we will ever be able to fix this.
I hear footsteps and look up, expecting to see Bucky, but I see the same blonde girl I'd seen earlier.
She notices me and stares for a few seconds.
"Waiting for someone?" She wonders, checking her mailbox.
I frown. Why is Sharon talking to me?
"Yes," I say quickly.
She nods, taking out her mail, "Steve?" She guesses, and I scoff.
"No, though you can pay him a visit if you need to see him." I jeer.
"Just out of curiosity, since I've seen you two at the compound before... are you guys together?" She wonders, and the urge to overreact builds in my chest. All I need is just a good excuse to take it out on her.
"Neveroyatny..." I mutter, clenching my jaw.
"What do you find unbelievable?" Of course she knows Russian. Today everything seems to be working against me.
"Hey," Bucky utters, entering  the hall.
His hair is still a bit damp, and he's in a black sweater and dark jeans.
I guess I'll have to find another way to calm myself.
"Shall we?" I ask, nodding at the exit.
Bucky nods to Sharon and walks out.
I look over my shoulder, seeing her still looking at me with a smirk on her face.
I guess I've got another one on the list.