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

Ever Again

"Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite all of the darkness."
-Desmond Tutu

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Nova's POV

I open my eyes to find myself in nothing but darkness, and I quickly realize this is not real, but it doesn't feel like a dream either.
My efforts to get back are in vain, therefore this can't be the void, or I'd be already back to my reality.
A bright light shines in front of me. I shield my eyes, avoiding being blinded by the light.
Suddenly, all around me, there are thousands of stars. They all shine bright in every direction, creating beautiful patterns in the black of the space.
Two stars glisten in warm, shiny light as they gradually get closer and closer till they start spinning around each other.
The collision generates a strong wave of energy, and I feel my hair blow away from my face as I close my eyes.
Of all the places I've been to, none of them were so beautiful. Not even Asgard.
Tall black marble columns stand on both sides, adorning a long aisle. At the end of it, a golden throne shines in the dim light of a sunset. Behind it, a big window showing the purple sky.
Fine marble covers the floor too, and I walk down the aisle keeping my head popped up to admire the rich pattern of the ceiling.
A glass dome lets in the warm light, creating shapes at my feet.
The sky starts to turn dark, and goosebumps begin to cover my skin.
I look around, confused by the sudden change of atmosphere. Something is wrong.
My gaze turns back to the sky, noticing a constellation I've never seen before.

A chain sound catches me off guard, and I step back, feeling cold string around my wrists. "What the hell?" I panic, seeing chains hanging from my hands.
I squirm, jerking against the heavy metal, trying to break free, but the hold on me gets tighter, and it drags me down.
My knees hit the cold marble, and I look around desperately. "Help!" I scream, my hands glowing with purplish energy but unable to break the metal.
The place gets dark, light only coming from the glass dome, shining directly on my head.
Pain starts to grow in my chest, cutting off my breath. I need to get back.
A choked groan leaves my lips as I pin my hand to the floor, squeezing my eyes.
My body tenses to capacity, drops of sweat form on my forehead as I scream for help. "Please, anyone!" I cry out.
Struggling, I lift my hands and stare at them, startled, noticing purple energy flowing out of me, dissolving into the air.
How is that possible? I can't lose my powers.
I force myself to get up, feeling my legs shake, too drained to fight whatever is happening to me.
My head falls back, my eyelids too heavy to keep them apart. I can't stop this.
My legs give in, and my body collapses on the floor, everything around me spinning.

My eyes snap open again, and I gasp for air as a splitting headache makes my stomach turn.
I bring a hand to my chest, looking around and recognizing Steve's apartment. "Bucky?" I call, not seeing him around.
What time is it? Where is he?
I stand up, and after the first step, I'm back on the ground, hitting my elbow on the coffee table. "Bucky!" I scream, trying to get up.
My eyes move on the glass resting on the table, and I try to move it using my powers, failing.
"No, no, no," I fret, holding up my hand and focusing on the small object in front of me, ignoring my brain melting in my head.
I hear the front door open and quick footsteps coming towards me. "Nova," I hear Bucky call.
"What happened? Are you hurt?" He probes, grabbing my face.
I let my hand fall down and move my eyes to him. "My powers," I shudder, "they're gone."
Bucky's brows draw together, his eyes studying my face. "What... how?" He wonders, and I lean forward, resting my forehead on his shoulder.
"I don't know," I whisper, grabbing his sleeve.
His hand rubs my back, trying to comfort me.

I've been living for sixteen years without powers, but that was before I was an Avenger.
Back then, I could be just a girl, and no one would have complained about me being of no help, but now?
"What am I going to do now?" I mutter, already fearing for my place in the team.
"It's still you, doll. We will try to talk to Strange, or maybe you could get back to Asgard to see what happened." Bucky says, his voice calm and low.
I bite my inner cheek, worried. "What if I can't have them back?" I hesitate, not wanting to even consider this as an option.
Bucky pulls me up, fixing his eyes into mine. "It won't matter. You're still the best-trained person I've ever met." He affirms, stroking my face with the back of his hand.
I shake my head, looking down. "I'm going to be useless." I scoff, running a hand through my hair.
"Nova, you're not just your powers. Yeah, they come in handy a lot, but you have so much more that the team values." He asserts, standing up.
He stretches out his hand, and I grab it, walking to the kitchenette. "I mean, look at me, Steve, Nat... God, even Stark. None of us have magic, but we still manage to do a good job." He hands me a cup of hot coffee and waits for me to drink it.