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

Moving On

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."
-James Baldwin

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Bucky's POV

The morning goes pretty slowly from one session to another. I keep my eyes on the rookie's training, feeling pretty tired after a sleepless night.
I didn't really miss this, but I don't mind having a routine.
Ten minutes before I call the end of the last class, I see Nova walking into the gym in her training attire.
As she walks closer, I notice something is off, and the look on her face isn't good.
"Alright, let's clean the machines and take all the gear back to the depot," I shout, clapping my hands.
"Walker, go get a mop. I can't believe someone had the nerve to throw up within ten minutes of training." I scoff, going towards the track.
Nova keeps her head down, sprinting down the red concrete, headphones in her ears.

"Nova!" I shout, hoping to get her attention, in vain.
I sigh and run behind her, quickly covering the distance and grabbing her shoulder when I'm a few inches from her.
Terrible, terrible idea.
Nova stops, spinning on her heels, and her fist meets my nose, making my head jerk back at the impact.
There's a crack, and blood starts to run out of my nostril, "fuck," I groan,
stumbling backward as I hold my face.

I glance at Nova, her face a mixture of surprise and horror. "Oh my God, Bucky," I hear her quiver and feel her hands on my shoulders.
"I'm so sorry," she mutters, moving her hand on mine, trying to check the damage.
"That must hurt like hell," I hear Nat saying as she passes by.
"I'm ok," I groan, squeezing my eyes.
This hurts like a bitch, and I'm pretty sure it's broken.
I straighten my back, rolling my shoulders. Maybe I should get it checked. "Please, I'm sorry." Nova croaks, looking at me with pleading eyes.
"Nova, it's ok." I try to reassure her, walking to the bathroom.
I bend over the sink, staring at my reflection and noticing a bump on the bridge of my nose.
"No, it's not. Did I break it? Oh my... I'm sorry." She follows me, still trying to apologize.
I watch her grab the first aid kit, take out the ice pack, and slam it on the sink to activate it.

"Bucky," she mutters, her eyes filled with remorse.
"Hey, it's alright. I shouldn't have come up behind you." I state, more worried about her.
I don't know what is wrong with her, but it's obvious something happened. She's tense, a nervous wreck.
Her hands tremble, holding the ice pack. "That's doesn't make it better. Let me help you." Nova whispers, staring at me intently. "Please," she begs, and I sigh, nodding my head.
She holds her palm a few inches from my face, and I close my eyes.
A bright warm light moves in front of my closed lids, and I feel my face tickle.
Suddenly my nose cracks again, with a sharp pain traveling through my face.
I open my eyes again, meeting her concerned look.
She grabs a clean cloth, wet it under some cool water, and uses it to clean my face.

"What happened?" I mutter, trying to ignore the annoying pain in my face.
"You scared me. I was all lost in my thoughts when you grabbed me." She mumbles, keeping her eyes on my face as she gently rubs the cloth on my cheek.
"Before that. I saw you walking in, and I didn't like the look on your face. Is something wrong?" I probe, determined to know what's bothering her.
Maybe Tony went off on her because of me. He may not like me, but he can't treat her like a kid.
Nova cleans my lips, zoning out as she does so.
"Nova?" I call, and her eyes dart to mine, looking lost for a few seconds.

"No, everything is fine. I'm just tired. Plus, Tony told me I have to show up at his expo to calm down the press." She sighs, tossing the dirty cloth in the trash under the sink.
I stare at her, trying to figure out what is making her act so weird. "And I guess you're not looking forward to it." I consider.
This doesn't sound like a lie, but something is telling me there's more.
Nova shrugs, washing her hands. "No, but Tony is right. Hiding will just feed their curiosity."
I glance at my face in the mirror, knowing a bruise will soon show up. "So you're going?"
Her gaze moves to the wall behind me, "I... I don't know. I don't think I can do this alone." She says, her voice tired. Something is definitely wrong.