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

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"To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves." 
-Federico García Lorca

****

Bucky's POV

My heart races in my chest as I rush to the gym.
Nova called me panicking, confused, and I'm not even sure I understood all she said.
I look around, seeing Nova sitting on the stage, keeping her head down.
"Hey," she lifts her head, staring at me with teary eyes.
I step closer, and she hops down, coming to hug me.
"What happened?" I ask, still worried.
"I saw him again. He was here." She mutters, keeping her face in my chest.
"Who? Who was here?" I press her. If someone is here to hurt her, I need to know who they are.
"The man I saw when we went to collect our food," my eyes widen.
She steps back, rubbing her eyes. "I tried to get to him, to ask him what he wanted," I shake my head, chiming in.
"You went to talk to him alone?" I ask, concerned. If this man has the gall to follow her around and gets away from her so effortlessly, he is way more dangerous than I thought.

"No, he disappeared." She states, and I breathe in deeply.
"Are there any surveillance camera?" I wonder, looking around.
"I know who he is. It's one of them." I fix my gaze on her, and I knit my brows together questioningly.
"What are you talking about?" I look at her, seeing a fear in her eyes that brings me back to months ago.
"The people at the school who killed me." My breath hitches and I grab her arm and rush her out.
"Bucky, what are you doing?" She squirms.
I take her to my car and escort her inside.
"Are you sure?" I ask, closing my door.
She stares at me, pressing her lips together, trying to process what is in her mind.

"I... I think so." She mutters, scratching the back of her head.
She sounds confused, but I know it's fear.
"I knew it was the same person, but his face was... different. I don't know how to explain it, but I can't keep his face in my mind if I try to. At the moment, they look normal, but then it's like my brain forgets how they look." I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, watching my knuckles turn white.
"That's what I saw in the memories of that guy who gave me my necklace." Nova's voice breaks in a whisper.
I lean back in the seat, staring ahead of me.
"We have to tell the others," I state, and she looks away.
"To do what? Tony tried to find them, and he couldn't." She scoffs, turning away.
She keeps her gaze on the outside, biting her nails.
"To keep you safe," I say firmly.

I watch her shaking her head, trying to hide her trembling chin.
"Hey," I put my fingers under her chin, trying to turn her face towards me.
She tilts her head, breathing in sharply.
I open the door, get out, and roam the car to get to the passenger side, opening her door.
She drops her legs out, resting her elbows on her knees.
I lean my arms on the roof of the car, breathing in deeply.
"Talk to me," I croon, looking down.
"I know you're scared. You have all the reason to be." She glances at me.
It takes her a few seconds to speak, probably to decide how much she wants to share.

"I still can't close my eyes without fearing I won't open them again." She sniffles, her fists clenched in her lap.
I stay silent, unable to find any suitable words for her.
Nova saw her life almost ending many times but never worried about it.
The only time it happened was the only time she didn't want it to happen.
She has something now, something worth living for, and the idea of losing it again must be terrifying.
I take a step back, crouching down, waiting for her to meet my eyes.
"You died in my arms, Nova. They will have to walk over my dead body before I let that happen again. I promise." She bites her cheek, nodding her head.
I stand up and put my hand behind her neck, pulling her in.
Her fingers grip on my jacket, "can we go home?" she asks wearily.

****

"You don't have to take me inside," Nova says as I kill the engine.
"Don't you have to be back at the compound to train?" I wonder, taking off my seatbelt.
"Yeah, in two hours." She scoffs, looking at me with a frown.
"I have to see Nat anyway. Then I could drive you. We have the same schedule." I shrug. 
That's not a lie, but the main reason is that I don't want her to be alone after what happened.
"If you insist," she chuckles, getting out of the car.
I follow her to the elevator and up to her room.
"I don't think Nat is in my room right now," Nova says in a playful tone.
"Right now? Does she spend a lot of time in your room?" I smirk, and she gets my sly innuendo, and her cheeks colour a bit red.
It's lovely how easy it is to make her blush, even with the tough unbothered facade she keeps up.