1| hips ♛ BUCKY BARNES

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Natasha sighed and raised her wrist, "I'm gonna regret this." A bolt of electricity shot from her watch, and flew right over Nava's head. She watched in gratitude as it briefly stunned T'Challa. "Go." she recommended. Steve gave a nod of thanks, and Nava got up off her ass. The three embarked the aircraft, drained of energy. They all were aware that the real fight didn't even present itself yet.
Nava just didn't want to accept the truth. She slumped into a chair and buckled herself in.

It was time to finish things up.

𐰑

The ride on the Quinjet started off averagely silent. Steve was focused on piloting while Bucky was drowning in remorse. Nava was consumed by boredom, swaying back in forth in her chair as she usually did when they were mobile. She was shivering, the armor not satisfying and the climate they were currently in not exactly pleasurable. Missions didn't commonly bore her. She guessed it was just that she disliked air travel, it gave her a headache.

"What's gonna happen to your friends?" The part that hurt the most was that Bucky cared; Nava had a weakness for soft men that didn't break down often.

Steve sighed, "Whatever it is . . . I'll deal with it." He appeared genuinely annoyed by the whole topic.

"I don't know if I'm worth all this."

"You're right, you're not," Nava started, and Bucky turned his head to look at her. "You're worth more. What you did for the last decades wasn't you. You were forced, controlled."

There was a long pause. Bucky was staring out the window, watching as they flew through the clouds. "I know," he hesitated, trying to form words. Meeting Nava's eyes, he figured out what to say. "But I did it."

She shook her head several times. "You went through hell, Bucky. They made you into something you're not, something you couldn't control. You didn't do it. HYDRA did it. I know that you wouldn't commit to something like that. If the world knew you, they'd think the same."

"This isn't a game, Socks. I took lives."

"HYDRA did, dumbass. That wasn't you."

"It's not that simple."

"'Socks'?" Steve questioned with a head tilt.

"You're right, it's complicated. But you can't keep beating yourself down."

"They were innocent, Socks."

"Did she wear a lot of socks?" he wondered aloud, but everyone ignored him. "Socks." He repeated the word again, hoping it would help.
He looked puzzled.

"I'm sorry you were involved in that, Buck, but you need to let it go." She closed her eyes, the touchy subject bothering her to an unutterable extent. Nobody but him could begin to comprehend her past grievances.

Bucky stared at his lap, unsure of what words to say. He didn't want to seem rude or disrespectful to his girlfriend. "Did you . . . forget about it?"

Nava put her hand on his knee. "Hey, look at me," he raised his eyes to meet her own.
"It gets easier. I promise." Bucky's giant hand collected Nava's small one, and she smiled sadly at him.

"Does 'Socks' stand for something?" Steve talked to himself.

"It's my middle name, dumbass. My middle name." she repeated so it'd sink in.