A/N: dedicated to my new mutual ladystxrk who's such a sweetheart. Check out her Bucky fic called "Paper Planes", you'll love her mutant child Olivia:)
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"Honestly, trust is something I have a problem with."
NADINE
"Can we stay here?"
Well, thanks for that, Romanoff. Now she wouldn't sleep.
And she didn't. After telling her that she needed to think about it, she stayed up all night doing just that. By the time the sun started appearing, her body was aching and her eyes demanded rest, but she was leaning against the marble countertop in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hands.
This was dangerous. Letting them stay was dangerous. Not because she thought they'd bring criminals to their door, but because they could bring the exact opposite. The government could be on their tail, or worse, governments. This couldn't be a good thing.
And yet despite that, she'd somehow feel guilty about not helping them.
Her endless thinking was interrupted when she heard footsteps and she saw Steve's form walking towards the dining table. Huh, interesting. "Couldn't sleep?" she questioned softly in an attempt not to startle him. The man didn't even flinch, he simply turned and gave her a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. Whether or not it had something to do with her or his current circumstances, she didn't know, but Nadine also didn't question it. She simply grabbed the pot on the counter and reached over to grab a cup. "Coffee?"
That softened him up a bit. "Yes, please." Steve responded, and he sat on the stool next to her as she poured the liquid into his cup and gave him whatever he needed to make the drink to his liking. When he seemed satisfied, she placed herself on the seat next to him. "Thank you, ma'am... for the coffee, and for letting us stay here."
Ma'am? Nadine had the urge to snort, but she managed to control herself. "You're welcome again, sir," she responded, chuckling when he almost choked at her last word. Captain America clearly had some type of sense of humor hidden behind those imposing muscles and growing beard. "Thanks for stopping the knife, by the way."
"Of course. How's your bruise?" he asked softly, eyebrows furrowing together in actual concern.
"It's there, but it's just a bruise. Thank you for asking," she replied, trying to hide the fact that she hated awkward small talk. It was always so forced and unnatural, no matter who it was with. Because of it, Nadine just decided to get to the point. "So, I've made a decision."
Any amusement was gone now. "And that is?"
"You all can stay, but don't use Bucky as an excuse."
"What?" he asked, seemingly dumbfounded by her statement.
"Nat said he needs somewhere to stay, that he needs to lay lower than you do because of his current situation of being branded a criminal and other things." They also didn't know if whatever treatment he'd sought at Wakanda worked. Natasha pointed that out repeatedly after their conversation. "And I understand, I mean, you're just trying to keep him safe. But none of you, not even Bucky himself, should stay here because of that. And besides, what does Bucky want for himself?"
"I-" The great Captain America was at a loss for words. It seemed that he hadn't wondered what his best friend wanted, and Nadine could see the guilt starting to wash over him. "I, hadn't thought about it..."
Okay, time for another approach.
"You know, Dante was shot in chest, once," she started, her gaze averting to the pinkish sky that could be seen through the glass doors. "I mean, he's been shot at before, but that particular time, he almost didn't make it. After that, I made decisions for him. What he could do, what he couldn't do, what he needed, what he didn't need... I didn't stop to think about what he knew he could do, or what he needed. I was just so happy he was alive and so scared that I'd lose him, that I thought I knew what was best for him."
"It sounds like Dante is lucky to have you," he admitted.
"Yeah, he is," she joked, earning her a chuckle from the man. "My point, different circumstances aside of course, is that it's okay that you worry about him. He's your family, you're obviously going to worry and want the best for him, but you gotta let him choose what's best for him."
As the sun slowly rose and the morning started filling the room with a jacinthe glow, his blue eyes still resembled the bottom of a lake. The crystalline sharpness of the day before was gone in such little light, hidden behind his dilated pupils and the dark under eye-circles that were a clear sign of his exhaustion. "I want to apologize," he started, his shoulders hunched and his gaze locked on the coffee in his hands. "I didn't mean to offend you over your job. I agree with you on taking down corrupt organizations, I left America because of that. I just don't agree with your methods. However, I'm sorry for how I acted because it's not my place to say how you should do your job."
If it'd been someone else, she probably would've tried to defend her position once again, but something about the way Steve looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders made her forget about her irritation. "It's fine. You do it your way, I do it my way, yeah?"
He didn't have time to respond, seeing as Natasha made her way into the kitchen right then and there. "Good morning," she chirped, making her way towards the fridge without so much as a second glance at them. "What're you two gossiping about?"
"Just about how I want to talk to Bucky alone, without the Black Widow whispering in everyone's ears." She gave a pointed look towards Natasha, and the redhead simply gave her a smirk as she poured some juice in a glass. "Because, obviously, Steve trusting us didn't come out of his own volition."
"Can't say I disagree" he corrected with a one-armed shrug.
"I know," Nadine drawled, remembering their spat the day before. The way he averted his gaze showed he was still sorry about it. "Anyway, you have your team, I have mine. Come to think of it, I don't think they'll agree with any of this."
"With any of what?" Sam asked as he made his way into the kitchen, his fingers rubbing his eyes out of their tired state. "What're you guys talking about?"
"About us staying here," Natasha replied, grabbing a cup and pouring the man some coffee. "Including Bucky."
"Well, I for one don't give a fuck about where he stays so long as he ain't my responsibility."
"Sam," Steve chastised.
"What? It's true."
"What's true?" Bucky asked as he entered, stopping abruptly when all eyes fell on him. He raised a dark eyebrow in silent accusation, his hand pulling his jacket sleeve down in an attempt to hide his metal arm completely out of Nadine's sight. "What?"
She finished her coffee before placing her cup in the sink. "Would you like to go outside?" she asked, chuckling dryly when she saw the man tense. "Relax, I don't have any guns on me."
She did have a knife on her, but it was the only weapon she could never leave without. However, she wasn't going to tell him that. It probably wouldn't end well if he knew.
"She just wants to talk, Buck," Steve assured, swatting Sam's hand away as Natasha placed a plate of toast in front of him. "Get in line, pal."
Sam grunted, glaring into his coffee. "Rude."
"Anyway," she turned towards the Winter Soldier once again, chuckling a bit when she noticed he'd frozen like a deer caught in the headlights. "I promise it's just a talk."
Bucky seemed to consider it for a minute, his brows furrowed as he studied her for any hostile behavior. Nadine couldn't blame him, really. It's not like she hasn't done the same to him. "Fine," he said eventually, gesturing towards the door that led to the backyard.
"If you're done before we get back, you three better wash the dishes," she warned, narrowing her eyes at her former (and very smug-looking) mentor before she motioned for Bucky to follow her out.
Well, it's now or never.
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A/N: this is kinda trash