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

Pride

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
-Lao Tzu

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Nova's POV

The morning went smoothly, and without training, I even got the time to run some errands.
"Hey, Parker!" I shout from the hallway.
Peter turns around with a big smile on his face. "Hi, Nova! Have you seen Mr. Stark?" He wonders.
I narrow my eyes, trying to remember if I've seen him today. "Conference room with some people from the Pentagon. Something wrong?" I inquire, noticing he's a bit nervous.

He shakes his head, grabbing his backpack and a snack from a basket on the counter. "No, no. Actually, I have pretty good news, and I wanted to tell him." He says, unwrapping the candy with his teeth.
"What is it?" I wonder, looking for a snack too.
I skipped breakfast, so I'm starving.
"Uhm... I got into MIT." He says, scratching the back of his head.
I widen my eyes, dropping the bag of chips back on the counter. "Are you being for real? That's amazing, Peter!" I cheer, going to hug him.
He hugs me back, chuckling. "Thank you,"

"May and Tony must be really proud of you." I hint, and he shrugs.
"Yeah, I hope so." Peter sighs, looking more relieved. Maybe he was waiting to tell this to someone.
"We should celebrate," I smirk, resting my hand on his shoulder.
He smiles, nodding his head. "Hey, can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure," I state, getting back to my snack.
"Can you give me a ride to MJ's place?" Peter asks.
I nod, bringing a few chips to my mouth. "Of course, let me get my things, and I'll meet you at my car," I say, walking towards the elevator.
"You're the best," Peter shouts from behind me, rushing downstairs.

The steel doors open, and I step outside, walking into Pepper. "Oh, hi." She greets, stopping in front of me.
"Hey, Pepper." I smile, moving to the side to let her in.
She hesitates, staring at me. "Have you got a moment?"
I frown, confused. "Yeah."
Pepper moves a strand of her hair behind her ear, clearing her throat. "I really don't know how to put this... But I need you to promise me you are not going to tell this to anyone." She stresses, and I tilt my head.
"Oh, should I be worried?" I inquire, crossing my arms.

She shakes her head, holding up her hands. "No, no. It's just that I need the right moment to break this to Tony, and I want to be the one who tells him." She explains, and I nod.
"Tell him what?" I ask.
Pepper bites her lip, looking down. "I'm pregnant." She mutters, looking up again.
I feel my jaw fall slack, but I'm not able to say anything. "I... I want to tell him, but with this whole new problem, he's always so busy." She frets, probably worried about me misunderstanding her.

I rub a hand on my face, not knowing how to react. "That is... Wow, that's great." I hesitate.
"Why are you telling me this?" I inquire, surprised she's come to me first.
"This war against Agapi, he's doing this for you. And that made me realize how important you are to him." I let her words sink in, and guilt starts to build up.
"Pepper, if I could stop the team from joining this, I would. Believe me," I say wearily.

"I know. And I know how stubborn Tony is. I don't blame you for this." She croons, and I let out a relieved sigh.
"You're family, Nova. I think its fair to tell you this and ask you to be careful, for both you and Tony." Pepper concluded, giving me a smile.
I relax my shoulders, nodding. "I will."
Pepper disappears behind the steel doors, and I remain in front of the elevator for a few minutes, trying to wrap my head around what I just learned.
Is Tony going to change his mind if he finds out Pepper is pregnant?

"Hey, I thought you were going to get your things." Peter pulls me out of my mind, and I realize I've arrived in the garage.
I roll my shoulders, unlocking my car. "Uh, yeah. I can grab those later."
Peter gets in the passenger's seat, dropping his backpack between his feet. "So, there was a slight change in our plans. We're meeting MJ at Ned's." He reports, and I nod.
"No problem, I remember his address." We leave Stark Tower, and Peter puts on some music.