An unconventional trio

What are you hiding, Sinclair?

Steve's POV:

I was grateful for the distraction when Tony asked me to do some location research for our next mission. My mind had been spinning, and anything to take the edge off the tension between Bucky and me was welcome. I wasn't trying to hurt him. I just... I was trying to be a good friend, looking out for him like he's always done for me. Bucky's come a long way. He's been through hell and back, and the last thing I want is for him to get hurt again.

But Nova... she makes me nervous. She's unpredictable. I can't fully trust her, not yet. On missions, she's ignored orders—blatantly. Just because things work out doesn't mean she gets to play by her own rules. It's a habit that could get someone killed. I sigh, letting out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding, my frustration hanging in the air like a weight.

I shook my head and scrolled through the maps on Tony's laptop, trying to refocus. A small icon blinked in the corner of the screen, and my eyes drifted down to it. Security cameras. Not just here at the compound... but Tony's cabin, too. Bucky and Nova had just spent a few days there.

I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. But the compulsion tightened in my chest. Before I could stop myself, I clicked on the icon, and the footage came up.

I fast-forwarded through their arrival a few days earlier. They were sitting in the car, talking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I watched Bucky get out, grab their bags from the back, and help her out of the car before leading her inside. It all looked so... normal.

Frustration tightened in my gut. I skipped through more footage, bouncing between cameras. Bucky was in the kitchen, making her dinner. I switched angles, and there he was again, handing her a gift. They laughed. He smiled at her. Just being... sweet. Bucky was always good at that.

I sat back in the chair, feeling a mix of emotions rise in me. Part of me was relieved, but another part still held onto that uneasy feeling I couldn't quite shake.

I fast-forward a little more, watching them in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. They're eating cake, but something feels off. My senses peak as I see Nova inching away from Bucky. He's talking to her, but there's something in her body language that feels wrong—tense, closed off. I can't tell what they're talking about, but she's clearly upset about something. She keeps moving away from him, and Bucky... Bucky is trying. I can see it in the way he leans toward her, the way his hand gently brushes her arm, trying to pull her back into the moment.

But she pushes his arms away.

I feel a twist in my gut. He's standing there, just looking at her, lost. And then she walks out of the room. He doesn't move for a few minutes, just staring at the spot where she disappeared. Then, without warning, he pours himself a drink, just staring at it, and in the next second, throws the glass across the kitchen.

I knew it.

I press fast-forward again, watching as Bucky starts to clean up the mess, wiping down the counter like he's done this a hundred times before. Then he leaves the room, frustration written all over him. I'm sitting there, fists clenched, waiting for something to confirm what I've been thinking all along.

And then, moments later, Nova comes stomping out of the bedroom, throwing herself onto the couch like a child. She wipes at her eyes, and for a moment, I almost feel bad. Almost. But the thought is fleeting. *She did what she always does. Runs away.* I think, watching her as she fights with her own emotions, the tears, the frustration. She's wiping her face like she's angry at herself for even letting the tears fall.

I fast-forward again, watching as she pulls out her phone, scrolling through it. She's fighting with herself, I can tell. She starts to make a call, stops, and then tries again. Her fingers hover over the screen, and she cradles her head in her hands, frustration eating away at her.

After a few moments, she drops her hands in her lap, staring blankly at the coffee table in front of her. Her eyes land on a book sitting on the edge. Her fingers reach out, tracing over the cover, and for the first time in what feels like hours, I see a small smile pull at her lips.

That book. That's the one Wanda told me about—the one Loki gave her.

Nova picks her phone back up, chewing on her lip, scrolling with a kind of nervous energy. She hesitates, then taps something, finally making the call. I can't hear the conversation, but I watch as she closes her eyes, letting out a breath. Whoever it is on the other end, they're calming her down. Slowly, her body relaxes, and she eases into what looks like a comfortable conversation. She smiles, even laughs a few times, but what catches my attention is the way she glances down the hallway now and then, almost like she's checking to see if Bucky wakes up.

*What are you hiding, Sinclair? * I think, narrowing my eyes as I watch her on the screen. There's more going on here. Something she's not telling him, something she's not telling any of us. And I intend to find out.

She sits there on the phone for what feels like an hour, maybe more. Grinning, laughing—completely at ease. I watch, trying to piece together what's going through her mind, but when the call finally ends, she just clutches the phone to her chest. She looks... content.

A few minutes pass, and she picks up that book again—the same one she'd been staring at before—and then she just sits there for hours, reading like nothing else in the world matters. I fast-forward, skipping through time, but nothing changes. Just her and that book.

Eventually, she gets up, putting on that ridiculous sweater of hers, and tiptoes down the hallway like she's trying not to make a sound. She disappears into the bedroom for a few moments before coming back out, carrying another leather-bound book and a pen. I fast-forward again as she heads outside through the back door.

Hours pass like that—nothing but her sitting outside by the lake. And then Bucky makes his way out of the bedroom. He pours himself a cup of coffee and walks to the living room. I watch his face as he realizes she's not there. Confusion. Then concern. He looks for her around the cabin but doesn't find her inside. It's only when he spots her through the window that I see the shift.

The look on his face—complete awe. I don't understand it. What the hell does he see in her? How can he be so blind? I can't help but roll my eyes, especially after what I saw the night before. He grabs a Red Bull and heads outside, trying to connect with her. I switch the camera to the lake view, watching them from afar.

It's a brief interaction, but I can see he's trying, trying to reach her. And she... dismisses him. Like he's not even there. The rage inside me boils over as I watch his face when he turns and walks back to the cabin. She's going to break his heart. I can feel it. I know it.

I fast-forward again, but nothing significant happens for a while. I keep switching between the camera views, waiting for something, anything, to confirm what I'm already thinking.

Then something catches my eye.

The front door camera. Late afternoon. *What the hell? * I switch views to the lake. She's not there anymore. I rewind the front door footage, replaying the moment.

"Loki, why are you there?" I mutter under my breath, watching as he steps into the cabin with that smug little grin. He's saying something—I can't hear it—but I see it in his eyes. He knows exactly what he's doing. And all I see is red.

I immediately close the program, my mind replaying everything from the night before. The way she traced the book with her fingers—the book he gave her. The phone call. The distance she kept from Bucky. There's no doubt in my mind now.

She called Loki. She's bored, and we've all seen the way she acts around him. The way he looks at her. The way she... responds to him.

I knew this would happen. I knew it.

I need to find Bucky. Now. I have to tell him before it's too late.