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

Denouement

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
-Sir Francis Bacon

****

Nova's POV

I wake up with my body covered in goosebumps, still naked under the thin covers. Why is this room so cold?
Bucky is sleeping on his belly, his arm resting on my back. His cheek is smashed against the pillow, making his lips pout.
I brush off some hair covering my face, rolling on my side to get closer to him.
Some body heat should help.
A sharp pain in my lower stomach makes me whine under my breath, and Bucky wakes up.

"What's wrong?" He mutters, forcing his eyes open.
I push myself up, bringing the covers with me. I feel like I just got hit by a car. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up," I whisper, noticing reddish marks on my skin.
"Are you alright?" He worries, sitting up.
I nod my head, resting with my back against the headboard. "I'm just a bit sore." My hands move on my legs, massaging the muscles.

Bucky frowns, his hand reaching for my face. "Is this from what we did last night?" He inquires, concern glazing his words.
I hesitate, not finding any other reason. "I think so."
His brows knit together in a sorrowful expression. "Oh... I'm so sorry, doll." He mumbles, leaving soft kisses on my shoulder.
I push his chin up, pressing my lips to his. "Looks like it takes more than I thought to take a supersoldier." I chuckle, and he breaths in deeply.
"Do you want me to grab something for the pain?" He whispers, his lips brushing against mine.
I shake my head, moving a strand of his hair off his face. "Just help me out of bed."

Bucky gets out of bed, putting on his sweatpants and handing me a clean shirt from his closet. "How does breakfast sound?" He chirps, lifting me into his arms.
I chuckle, locking my hands around his neck. "Really good." I nod, resting my head on his shoulders as he walks us to the kitchen.
The tall windows let the early light shine brightly into the living room, drawing long shadows on the floor.

Bucky sits me on one of the stools, heading to the fridge and taking out a few things. "I'll be back in a second." He says, walking off.
I lean on the kitchen island to grab some fruit from a bowl and use a knife to slice it. "Shit." I hiss in pain, dropping the knife on the counter.
It slid off my hands, making a cut in my finger. "Well done, Nova," I mumble to myself, limping to the sink.

I let the water run on it, surprised when it doesn't start healing. "You know, I was thinking of looking for a place of my own." I hear Bucky saying from the hallway.
I wrap my finger in some paper, drying my hand. "You mean like an apartment?" I wonder, turning to face him.
"Yeah. Its not like I don't like being with Steve, but I think we both would like to have our space." Bucky considers, walking in with a black sweater on.
"I mean, it doesn't sound like a bad idea." I concur, walking back to my seat.

He smiles, starting to mix the pancake batter. "Do you wanna go with me?"
I nod, resting my chin on my closed fist. "Apartment hunting in New York sounds like fun," I smirk, stealing a few chocolate chips.
"You have a weird concept of fun, doll." He chuckles, putting a plate in front of me.

****

"Do you mind telling me where we're going?" Bucky wonders, keeping his eyes on the street in front of us.
I turn left, letting a few cars pass. "This morning, while I was making my breakfast, I accidentally cut my finger." I begin, holding up my hand.
"God, Nova," Bucky mutters, grabbing my hand to check it.

"It's ok, don't worry. As I was saying, I cut my finger, and I noticed it didn't heal as fast as it used to." I point out, noticing my destination a few feet from us.
"Yeah, we know that. And you should really start to think how to tell the others." Bucky hints and I roll my eyes.
I sigh, stopping the car in the first empty parking spot. "The point is, if I don't heal as fast as I used to, it means there's something I can do."
We get out of the car, and he follows me. "A tattoo?" Bucky frowns, looking up at the neon sign.