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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 || 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘺
"HOW'S SHE DOING?"
It may not have been intended to sound stupid but Natasha couldn't help but glare at Steve. It'd only been a few days since HYDRA's fall and Nova hadn't spoken much. Bedridden in the hospital after putting her health aside to help assist in finding Steve. And no matter who came to her room wishing to see her, they were all denied access. Booker was the rare exception who didn't leave for days.
Even now in the graveyard, he was still by her side. Both kneeling in front of the marble headstone.
Natasha had made her attempts to comfort and to just be there to listen. But Nova needed this time with her brother. After all the betrayals they've succumbed together, they needed to heal. And Nova would've been the only one to restrain Booker if he got his hands on Nick. In the end, Natasha had a feeling Nova knew she would be there for her. If it be a few days down the line or months, she would be waiting for no matter what.
Natasha shook her head in aggravation, scoffing. "How do you think?"
Their pain was shared. All three of them had spent enough time with Cooper on missions and during downtimes to have considered him a friend. And Steve felt like they all should grieve together because of their shared experience with the young man. But he didn't know how to approach Nova with the matter. Maybe it was guilt or maybe it was his mind placing the blame on himself for not saving his friend. "I just want to know if there's-"
"If you were to ask me who the real bad guys were, I'd say it was us." Turning to Steve, she felt her nose twitch. "Because we made that girl kill her closest friend. So, how do you think she's doing?"
It was wrong for her to lash out. Especially when it wasn't anyone's fault–they were serving their country and protecting the planet. But it felt meaningless to grasp at rotten fruit that wouldn't benefit anyone. Nova was hurting–they all were. But no one was hurting as much as Nova, and they would have to allow her to recover in her own time.
Years lost with their response sitting idly in her blistered hands. She could've done something differently–said something differently. Maybe then, it might've been her headstone instead of his. And she would've given everything to allow him to find the light again. To live another day and fight for something worth the sacrifice he made.
But goddamnit, she hated him for doing this to her–for putting her in this position. The selfishness of his actions and the lack of acknowledgment of the severity had forced her to do this. And, yes, maybe she could've done something differently. Incapacitate him and just have him locked up. But Cooper wouldn't have moved on from the corruption plaguing his mind. The moment he found out Nick was alive, his mission would've been to kill the man, and despite how Nova felt for her "father", he was still her father.
