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

Like Nothing Could Touch Me

"Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time."
-Maya Angelou

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Nova's POV

"You're not even trying, Barnes," I grunt, pushing Bucky back.
He charges at me again, avoiding my baton. "What are you talking about? I'm kicking your pretty ass." He grins, grabbing my wrist.
I drop the baton, catching it with my other hand and hitting him behind his knee, making him lose his balance. "You neglected your fighting skills, haven't you?" Bucky jested, dragging me to the ground with him and locking his leg on mine to keep me down.
He holds my wrists in his hands over my head. "I got distracted." I grit, trying to push my hips up to get him off me.
Bucky smirks as he leans on me. "Really?" He breaths, his face an inch from mine.

I wet my lips, staring at him. "Just a bit," I mumble, lifting my chin and making our lips barely brush each other. Bucky inhales deeply, studying my face. 
I exploit the moment, feeling his grip loosen on my wrist and pull them apart, making him fall forward.
"Looks like someone needs to focus." I taunt, standing up and taking my baton from the ground.
Bucky runs a hand through his hair, brushing it off his face. "Get rid of that stick, Nova." He nods at my hand.
I hesitate, not sure if that's a good idea. "You can fight without it," Bucky reassures me.
Hand-to-hand combat never worried me, but somehow now that I don't have my powers, I feel I won't be as good as I used to be.
I doubt myself too much, rely on weapons. "Come on," Bucky encourages, bouncing on his feet, inviting me to fight him.

We keep fighting, my heartbeat pounding in my chest as I parry his hits.
I try to jump on him, but he predicts my movements and shifts his body to the side.
A sharp pain runs through me as I fall on my right side, and I hiss in pain. "Shit, are you ok?" He rushes to me, kneeling on the ground.
I keep my eyes closed, nodding. "Yeah."
"I thought you were good to get back to training." He hints, helping me to sit up.
I sigh, keeping my hand pressed on my hip. "I am. I just landed badly." I mutter, the pain slowly fading away as we speak.
Bucky stares at me, worried. "Why is it not healing? You still have the serum." He mumbles, his hand resting on my thigh.

I shake my head, knowing his concerns are valid. Even without my powers, I'm supposed to heal faster than this. "It's getting better, don't worry," I assure, not sure what to say. 
"Nova..." Bucky huffed, dropping his shoulders.
I drag myself up, stretching my arms and back. "I'm fine. It is healing, and I am ready to get back." I insist, knowing that the goal of this training is to determine if I'm ready to get back to work. 
"No, you're not." He objects, standing up.
I scoff, looking away. I should have expected this reaction. "Oh c'mon!" I whine, stepping closer to him. 
Bucky shakes his head, looking down. "I'm sorry, but I don't want you to get hurt."

I rub my face nervously, forcing myself to stay calm. "I won't. That's why I asked to train with you, so that I can be prepared to face our missions even without my powers." I point out, glancing at him.
Bucky clenches his jaw, inhaling deeply. "I agreed on doing that only to keep you safe, Nova. And for the same reason, I won't tell Steve you're ready." He concludes, walking to the bench to grab a towel.
I watch him dry the sweat from his forehead. "That's not fair! Why should it be you to decide that? I know myself. I know if I can go out or not." I argue.
This whole situation is making me crazy. I need to have control over something. Everything is going to hell, and I need to feel like I can actually do something.

"Nova, the sole reason I'm keeping your secret is you. I'm not fond of any of this, but I want you to be the one to tell them what's going on." Bucky scolds, walking past me.
"I told you I'm going to take care of that," I shout angrily.
He turns around with a stern look on his face. "And I told you that this would have come with a compromise. Your safety comes first. If something is not safe, you are not doing it." He counters.
"Sounds more like a threat than a compromise." I scoff, walking towards him.
Bucky follows me, and I know from the tone of his voice he's not mad but upset. "I'm don't want to force anything on you, Nova. But I won't stand back, watching you risking your life." He grabs my arm, making me turn around.
"Funny how I'm the only one who has to be careful here," I mumbled, leaving the training room.