Bucky leaned back with a sigh, smiling as the sun warmed his face, feeling the tension melt from his shoulders. The last few weeks had been exactly what he'd needed, the slow pace and harmony allowing him to eventually shrug off the heavy coat of guilt he'd been wearing. As soon as they'd landed in Wakanda Shuri had informed him that his hut was open and waiting for him, and he'd surprised himself by collapsing into the blankets and crashing, waking almost twenty-four hours later. He'd missed Nika being placed in cryofreeze again, but Steve had told him of her grim acceptance, the way her knuckles had been clenched white; the slow, shaky breaths she'd fought to draw and the brief, wobbly smile she'd managed when Steve had leaned forward, rested his hand tentatively on her shoulder and murmured that she would be alright.

Her indoctrination had been more insidious, more tangled throughout her brain than Bucky's had been, according to the Princess, and was most likely another unintentional side effect of the catastrophic error made during her first cryofreeze. She'd been released almost a week ago, but had kept herself scarce, from Bucky at least, sequestered in her own guest quarters or accompanying Steve or Shuri on small outings.

He'd seen her earlier today, from afar, standing for a moment and letting the rising sun wash over her before setting off, stepping with surprising confidence out in the landscape. Steve had been called away on a mission this morning, an unavoidable request that he'd fought before giving in under Shuri's promise to keep Nika safe. He'd not said it directly to Bucky, but his sharp eyes had warned the former Winter Soldier to keep his distance, something Bucky was resigned to anyway, regardless of how difficult it was.

Something had changed in Bucky since he'd first seen Nika entombed in Siberia; hell, since he'd first heard of her existence, discarded and abandoned by the same hellish masters he'd escaped from. He'd thought at first it was simply because of their common story, their mirrored chronicles, but he now knew it was much more. He wanted to see her, wanted to be near her, wanted to touch her and feel her nuzzled secure against his chest. He'd never truly felt this way before, not before the war and certainly not after but was hesitant to look too closely at it. Nika had a long road ahead of her, one that he was still stumbling down and, even if she decided to concentrate on more than simple recovery, and decided to try forging relationships and finding friends, why would she ever look his way? Her sole purpose, the sole reason HYDRA had brought her into the organization was to be a Bounty Hunter, his Bounty Hunter, the one to track and kill him if he became a problem. They'd been divided from the start, natural enemies and while Bucky was not opposed to trying to bridge that initial gap, what did Nika want?

A twig snapping off to his right brought him instantly out his gloomy thoughts and he jerked his head to the side, not able to stop a surprised, lopsided grin. Nika stood a dozen feet away, testament to how stealthy she was capable of moving, to sneak up on a fellow enhanced human; and Bucky knew she'd snapped that twig on purpose to draw his attention before she got too close. For a long moment neither of them spoke; entranced by the other's gaze and it was Nika who broke the silence.

"May I join you?" She all but whispered and Bucky snapped out his trance.

"Uh... sure, yeah." Inwardly he cringed, mortified at his schoolboy nerves and took a deep breath as Nika noiselessly stepped closer. She was naturally graceful, a lethal ballerina and her body moved effortlessly while her mind hurtled chaotically; the turmoil visible in her stormy violet eyes. She was dressed plainly, in cargo pants and a tank top, her ever present hoodie tied around her waist. According to Steve, she was doing much better with her aversions to cold and dark but still carried her headphones everywhere, not yet able to handle silence.

As she sat a respectable distance away she began threading her fingers through her hair, pulling it back into a careless ponytail before staring at her wrist with consternation; at some point today the ever present elastic on her wrist for just such a use had fallen off and she was about to let her hair drop again when Bucky jolted into motion beside her.

"H-here." He offered meekly, pulling the tie off his own wrist and holding it out for her.

Nika hesitated, meeting his eyes briefly before dropping them and accepting the tie with a murmured thank you. Bucky wanted to look forwards again, but found himself spellbound for a second time as Nika smoothed her hair and deftly, with a natural ease that girls just seemed to be born with, wrapping the elastic around it before dropping her hands and wrapping them around her knees, drawn up to her chest. After a moment she lowered her chin, pressing her face to the tops of her knees.

Realizing he was openly gaping Bucky flushed and looked forwards, clearing his throat nervously as his flesh hand worried at a small hole in his pants.

"How... how are you feeling?" He stuttered, kicking himself for both the stupid question and his adolescent anxiety; Christ, he was a highly trained assassin, an Avenger, yet sitting within ten feet of Dominika Anastassia Levka Romanoff turned him into a blushing boy-child.

"Better," came her quiet reply, muffled by her knees. After a moment she lifted her head, resting her chin instead and gazed out over the scenery. "It's so beautiful here."

"Yeah," Bucky murmured, not entirely meaning the landscape.

Nika worried at her bottom lip for a moment, as if debating with herself whether to speak. Finally, with a sigh, she decided. "Do you still get nightmares?"

"Yes," Bucky whispered, staring down at his metal hand; after a moment he raised his eyes again, struck yet again by the almost ethereal colour of her gaze. He could become lost in those depths, and it almost physically hurt to look away.

"I've discovered that if I get up and just run, sprint until I'm tired it's easier to go back to sleep; of course, Shuri warned me to careful, I'm not the only predator out there-" she broke off, as if she'd said too much, fingers beginning to trail absently through the fine red dust on the ground beside her.

Bucky's hands squeezed into fists and he consciously forced them to relax. Nika sounded so sad and lost right now, and his instincts were screaming at him to move closer and draw her into his arms, thread his thick fingers through her feather-soft hair and murmur the promise he'd made to her in his heart the moment he'd seen her trapped and forgotten in Siberia. I will always protect you, I will always be there for you.

But he couldn't, because he shouldn't. He was damaged goods, a killer only beginning to reform and Nika needed something, someone better. He could never make amends for the pain and anguish he'd caused as the Winter Soldier and, no matter how times Steve or others told him that he wasn't responsible, that the Soldier wasn't truly him, but a remote-controlled robot, he couldn't shake the guilt, wouldn't shake it. But he didn't want Nika to feel the same type of pain, not ever, not if he could help her.

Clearing his throat nervously, Bucky hesitantly extended a shred of his heart, begging silently for Nika to be gentle with the miserable offering. "Want to go for a walk? I don't know if you've found it yet, but there's this amazing rock formation a couple miles away-"

"Right next to a small pool? And that family of gerbil-looking rodents?" Nika perked up, turning energized eyes towards Bucky, stealing his breath.

"Yeah."

"I found it a few days ago, it's beautiful there. Sure, let's go." Nika sprang to her feet, brushing off her ass and grinned down at Bucky, her smile infectious. Right now she looked like who she should, a vibrant young woman with the world at her fingertips, not a miserable wreck, a prisoner of HYDRA war trying to put herself back together; the change in her demeanour sent a pang through Bucky, he would lie, cheat and steal to see that light in her eyes again, to see it all the time, to never seen her violet eyes bruise-coloured with confused shame again. Stiffly, muscles popping, he stood and Nika grinned wider.

"You sound like an old man," she teased.

"I am an old man." Bucky retorted, grinning.

Her expression sobered somewhat, eyes going slightly unfocussed. "It's so weird," she muttered after a moment. She turned and started to walk, and Bucky jogged to catch up and hear her finish her thought. "I'm not my own age either," she shrugged, not finding adequate words. "I mean, I'm supposed be thirty-two, but with all the cryofreeze shit, I look twenty, maybe twenty-one. And you," she glanced at him, forehead furrowed but smile reassuring. "You're over a hundred years old but you don't even look thirty yet."

Bucky nodded to show he was listening, but he didn't really know what to say, concentrating instead on keeping his footing as the terrain became rougher. For a few hundred yards, neither spoke.

"Does it get easier?" Nika asked finally, glancing at Bucky before looking forwards again.

"Does what get any easier?"

Nika shrugged, throwing her arms wide. "Everything, all of it. The confusion, the pain, the fears; does it get better?"

"It does," Bucky stopped and Nika stumbled to a halt a few feet away, standing uncertainly as Bucky stepped towards her. He started to reach for her hand then hesitated. Nika looked down at his hand and back up at his face, then bridged the remaining distance, Bucky's hand jolting as their skin contacted. For a moment, he couldn't breathe, and Nika seemed similarly affected; lacing their fingers together Bucky began to walk again, if only to stop the sudden desire to pull her to him and capture her mouth with his, kiss her until they both needed to come up for air.

"Yes, it does," Bucky repeated, an unfamiliar warmth spreading up his arm, leaving tingles in it's wake. His nerves were alive and clamouring for more, drinking in the sensations of Nika's hand in his. "And, if you want, I'll help you... I've just been staying away because of... " he hesitated.

"My freak-out. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"Not your fault. I shouldn't have-"

"You brought me breakfast Bucky, that's all; you didn't hand me a loaded gun."

"A knife-"

"A butter knife. Harmless. At least, for anyone normal-"

"Stop it." A sudden rush of emotion hit Bucky and he pulled at her hand, stopping her forward motion; before he realized he was doing it, his hand was cupping her cheek. "What happened to you was not your fault, stop beating yourself up for something you couldn't control." His heart hammered suddenly in his chest when he finally recognized what he was doing, how close he was to Nika, right in her personal space, his thumb unconsciously stroking her cheekbone.

Nika raised her eyebrow at him and he grasped the incongruity of his words. Wasn't he doing that exact thing? Punishing himself for the same reasons?

Dropping his hand suddenly Bucky turned away, missing Nika's waver as she'd begun to lean into his touch. She scrutinized his back as he retreated then sprang into motion, falling in step beside him.

"You can't tell me that and not extend yourself the same-"

"Just drop it Nika." His voice was quiet, repentant.

"No." Nika took a large step, placing herself directly into Bucky's path and, if he hadn't immediately halted, he wouldn't have bowled right into her. She glared daggers at him, her eyes flashing with violet lightning. After a moment she sagged, defeated. "I get it, you know." Taking a deep breath and focussing past Bucky she began to speak again. "I'm just the accident, the mistake. I shouldn't be letting any of this bug me, because it's nothing like what you went through," anger tinged her voice now, "I'm whining and dragging my ass around like something bad actually happened to me but it didn't, I'm just a screwed up mistake-"

She broke off suddenly, dumbstruck as Bucky closed the distance between them and crushed his lips to hers. After the barest hesitation, Nika reciprocated, clawing closer, lips moving in sync with his. Whimpering slightly when his tongue swept across her bottom lip, Nika parted her lips and moaned as Bucky plunged inside, her sound matching the guttural groan that rumbled from low in Bucky's chest. They kissed with hungry desperation, lips bruising from the force, all their pent-up feelings pouring forth until their heads swam from dual lacks of oxygen and they were forced to pull apart. Breathing heavily, Bucky rested his forehead to Nika's, eyes closed, heart hammering in his chest, struggling to bring himself under control again. Nika's breath was warm and sweet on his lips as she panted with him, fingers curled into his biceps, holding him close, not willing to let him pull away.

After a long moment Bucky dared open his eyes, lifting his head and pulling away to look at Nika's face. She was flushed and breathing hard, eyes wide.

"Bucky-" she murmured.

"No. Nika, we can't." Bucky shrugged off her hands and pulled away, pain shooting through his body as if the act of pulling away was in fact tearing his fingernails out as well. He stepped back to safe distance, fighting himself, knowing without a doubt that if Nika took the initiative and stepped back towards him, that he would be a goner, lost forever in her.

Nika sniffled, then cleared her throat, dropping her head to stare at her feet. After a moment she raised her head, forcing a neutral smile. "Truce?"

His heart simultaneously breaking and rejoicing, Bucky exhaled hard and nodded his head.

Steve instantly zeroed in on the awkwardness between Buck and Nika when he returned in the quinjet a few days later. He shot a 'what did you do?' glare in Bucky's direction before wrapping Nika in a tight hug, laughing at something she said to him and Bucky felt a sharp pang straight through his heart. He wanted that; hell, he could even say he was jealous of Steve for the relationship he seemed to have forged with Nika; he wanted that easy intimacy, the freedom to sling an arm over her shoulders and feel her lean against him, tell a joke and hear her musical laughter.

He would never willingly deny his oldest friend a chance at happiness, if Nika had chosen Steve over him, but it absolutely broke the shredded remains of Bucky's heart to watch them. After his bumbling affection a few days ago, would Nika pull completely away? She had so far, avoiding Bucky at every turn, he'd not even been able to catch fleeting glances of her outside. He'd felt it, the same crazy rush race through Nika as it had through him, the lightning bolt of pure energy as their lips connected. He hadn't meant to kiss her, hadn't even realized he was going to, but to hear her defeated words, to see the sorrow and shame on her delicate face had broken something deep inside him, and his lips had crushed to hers before he could think clearly, could tell himself to stop, that he had no right and, even if he did, it was too soon.

Nika's request for a truce was both a blessing and a curse; in one way, she'd felt the same pull as him, the crazed draw and absolute necessity to connect, but she also was willing to pull away, put necessary distance between them. Nika was still far to tangled in her horrible past to even consider such things right now and, even if by some miracle she was, Bucky was mired down too. He still woke almost every night screaming from nightmares, pulse-pounding memories of HYDRA drawing yet another anguished howl from him, the brutal agony as his mind was wiped again and again, the stubborn ache of his arm, the infuriating itch of his scars.

But lately, in the last few days, his night terrors had taken on a different flavour; whether true memories or just more tangled misery his brain had decided to torment him with, Nika had now entered his nightly horrors. Images, or perhaps memories, of her made to stand in front of him, fresh blood reddening her pale, delicate skin, while he towered silently; the Winter Soldier, awakened and ready to comply. Had they been made to fight each other, as his nightmares suggested? Had Pierce wanted to ensure she was his equal or better in battle, and they'd been ordered to fight each other to investigate this? Time and again struggling to near death, until either hers or his handlers called them off, pulled them away from each other to observe with clinical detachment the wounds they'd inflicted on each other? It was definitely a strong possibility, at least in the first few years of Nika's training, before the accident; she was meant to be his destroyer, of course HYDRA would want to ensure she could not only hold her own against the Asset, but defeat him as well.

Equally as horrifying as these was the possibility that Bucky had completely wrecked any chance he'd ever had with Nika. By giving in, by losing control of himself so early, had he broken the fragile thread between them? He would have no one but himself to blame, Steve had warned him to stay away and beyond simply accepting his hand, Nika had not given him any further encouragement that warranted his actions. She needed a friend, a confidante, not a tie to her past panting after her like a dog.

Slinging an arm over Nika's shoulders just as Bucky feared, Steve wandered towards Bucky, feigning nonchalance but watching the former Winter Soldier carefully. He halted a few feet away.

"Everything go alright?" He asked, eyes boring into Bucky's.

Bucky swallowed, about to give it all away; he could never lie to Steve, when Nika replied instead, pressing a hand to Steve's broad chest in a surprising display of trust.

"Fine, Steve. Pretty chill actually."

Steve glanced down at Nika before looking back at Bucky, who schooled his features carefully and nodded. Suspicion flashed briefly through his eyes but Steve nodded back, returning his gaze to Nika. She dazzled him with a wide, genuine smile that sent a fresh spike of pain through Bucky.

"How was the mission?"

"Boring, wish I could've stayed here." Steve replied. Reaching up he rubbed the back of his head, hand rasping through the short strands. "I've actually got to head back to DC soon, as much as I want to stay, what-"

"I'll come back too." Nika replied, dancing out from under Steve's arm and falling into a playful boxer's stance.

Glancing back at Bucky in surprise Steve turned to face Nika, blocking her gentle jabs with a chuckle.

"Bored?" He drawled.

"It's beautiful here," Nika conceded. "But it's too quiet, I have way too much time to over-think and fixate on things I can't change, I'd rather be doing something," she paused then, dropping her fists. "I have to talk to Nat, we... we need to talk." The playful gleam in her eye stuttered out, replaced by a bleak sombreness that tore at Bucky's heart. Nika was too young to carry this weight and Bucky ached to relieve her of the burden.

"You sure?" Steve asked. "You haven't been here very long-"

Nika lifted her head and while her eyes were red-rimmed with unshed tears, they were calm and confident. "Yes."

Bucky had considered staying in Wakanda after Steve and Nika left; she'd attached herself to the Captain like a barnacle, Bucky thought sourly; and all but ignored him. Whether this was punishment or self-preservation he didn't know, but it hurt all the same. The night he returned, after Nika had dragged him out to ooh and aww over the sunset, Steve had tracked Bucky down and cornered him, demanding to know what had happened. Chronically unable to lie to his best friend, Buck had stuttered the truth and, while he hadn't liked it, Steve hadn't quite lost his shit like Bucky expected him too.

"She's just got on the right track, Buck." Steve sighed, running his hand through his spiky hair. "Shuri and Wakanda helped her with this amazing breakthrough, I mean look at her, she's glowing; but she's still fragile."

"I know, I-"

"I know you love her." Steve replied bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest and Bucky stumbled to a halt; had he been that transparent?

At Bucky's expression Steve scoffed gently. "You didn't really think you could hide that from me Buck, did you? We're brothers, I know you, I've never seen such a heartsick look on your face before, but hold it back, okay? Give her time to decide what she wants. Even though Tony's chomping at the bit to have her join the team, she's free to do whatever she wants, and if that doesn't include you, you have to accept that."

Bucky heard the simple wisdom of Steve's words, but they clawed at his heart nonetheless; he'd chosen to join the Avengers, to try to amend for his past sins by fighting for good, but what would Nika do? She'd been brought into the KGB as a child with her older sister, then stolen into HYDRA without her consent; she was well within her rights to wash her hands of the entire business, do what Bruce did a few years ago and go completely off the grid, start raising chickens or spinning wool or something.

Just because Bucky's entire being now depended on her didn't mean she belonged to him.

Steve tutted sympathetically, slapping Bucky once on the shoulder before turning away.

In the end, Bucky had decided to return to DC too, and spent the majority of the flight slumped in the rear of the quinjet, watching Nika and Steve in the cockpit. At one point Steve had even let Nika take the controls, and Bucky had been unable to resist a wide smile at her happy squeal, a pure, carefree laugh of joy and excitement. She'd even forgotten their imposed separation and looked back over her shoulder to yell eagerly at Bucky, tease him and laugh at his cheerful reply.

Nat was waiting nervously beside Clint in the common area, waiting to see her sister again. The air was thick with tension; although Nat had not been involved at all, Nika had always been told that her beloved sister had betrayed her, and all of their previous interactions had been traumatic and stressful. But Nika was different now, having shed a heavy weight in Wakanda, woken up from cryofreeze with a new hunger for life. She was by no means cured, but was definitely in a much better place than when she'd left, would her new benevolence extend to her sister as well?

Surprise flashed through Nat's eyes when Nika arrived; Steve had just told her a joke and her laughter rang through the hall, sounding like the most honey-sweet melody to Bucky's biased ears. The rest of the team stood off to the side, informed of Nika's progress through Steve, but wary to see it or, in some accidental way, wreck it.

Nika came to a halt suddenly upon seeing Nat in front of her, losing her balance enough that she needed to lean against Steve for a heartbeat to regain it, then taken a single, slow step forward. Mirroring her, Nat took a single step as well, pulling out of Clint's protective embrace. For a long beat, they just gazed at each other, eyes conveying untold number of words and thoughts, then Nika smiled.

"Sister." She greeted, her Russian lilt musical.

Nat sagged with relief, instant tears streaking down her cheeks. Letting out a choked sob she bridged the space between them and wrapped her arms around Nika, both sisters starting to cry in earnest, pulling apart only enough to wipe tears from the other's cheeks and giggle wetly before embracing tightly again. After a long moment they stepped apart and, after wiping at her eyes again, Nika turned to the rest of the team.

"Hi," she started nervously, sounding nothing like a highly trained Russian assassin, "I apologize for my... behaviour before, I hope you will all give me another chance." She startled slightly at the team's instant clamouring, their immediate reassurances and welcomes, glancing over her shoulder at Steve, who stood looking like a proud father a few feet behind her, then moving closer to the mob, tentatively shaking the various extended hands before being pulled bodily into a bear hug by an over-eager Thor. After a moment, the Captain took over, sensing Nika's slight faltering and waded into the pack, elbowing team members aside before pulling Nika to his side comfortingly, a pang shooting through Bucky's chest as he saw Nika lean gratefully into him.

"C'mon guys, let her breathe." He scolded gently before looking down, asking with a raised brow if Nika was alright.

Sensing they'd perhaps pushed too far, the team fell quiet, eyeing Nika and her blond protector uncertainly and it was Tony, the sarcastic but caring uncle who spoke next.

"Who's up for pizza? " He chirped, glancing around. "Y'all get your party clothes on, we're going to eat 'till we puke and watch ridiculous sci fi from the '60's."

"No way," Sam cut in. "We watched that Plan 9 shit last time, it's cheesy '80's action movies tonight."

"Uh uh," Clint laughed. "It's '90's Rom-Com night."

Sam blew a raspberry. "You just wanna make out with Nat-"

"Perhaps," Thor boomed, not even needed to raise his voice, "our treasured guest should choose our amusement."

Bucky's fists clenched with suppressed rage when Thor winked Nika's way and Steve elbowed him subtly, indicating that he had in fact growled out loud and not just in his head like he'd thought.

"Whatever," Tony quipped, "we've got like four thousand to choose from, by the time the pizzas get here we should have something hammered out. FRIDAY!"

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Pizza night, order the usual. Hey, wait!" He turned then to Nika, raising a brow. "What kind do you want, little Widow?"

Nika shrugged, glancing uncertainly at first Steve and then Nat. "I've haven't had pizza for a long time."

Tony turned with a flourish and continued to holler at the AI. "One of everything they got FRIDAY and tell them to not to frickin' dawdle; there's an extra Benjamin in it for the delivery boy if he gets here before I park my ass on the couch!"

"Yes sir." The AI sounded almost dry.

Tony whirled again, absolutely in his element. "Thunder Thighs, you and Chickenhawk are on drink duty, and bring more than just Asgardian Mead and Mountain Dew this time." Thor and Sam traded a glance before turning and disappearing, grumbling, into the kitchen. The rest of the team began to wander away, arguing about how many bags of chips to bring, leaving Nika, Nat, Bucky and Steve standing in a small circle.

"Make yourself at home, Devushka. Nat'll show you your room then it's time for a refresher course in Western indulgence." Tony sauntered away, reminding Bucky of a bantam rooster.

Smirking wryly Steve turned back to Nika, offering a soft smile. "Doing okay? Tony can be a bit... much."

"He's like a little rooster," Nika mumbled, so quietly only Bucky caught it and he snorted a laugh, clasping a hand over his mouth and choking back a howl.

Frowning briefly at Bucky Steve grinned, "yeah, he's a hoot, give you the shirt off his back however, once you're in his circle." Clearing his throat he looked over at Nat. "You want to get Nika settled? Despite whatever Tony says that pizza's going to be at least half an hour."

"C'mon sister," Nat smiled, arm looped in Nika's. Gently she tugged her in the direction of the team's rooms, Bucky and Steve staying put, watching them. Steve smiled warmly as he saw the girls tip their heads together to touch, talking quietly as they walked away.

"She's so strong." Steve murmured, almost to himself. Inhaling sharply he turned to look at Bucky, frowned good-naturedly at the brunette's scowl. "Down boy," he quipped.

After a spirited debate and many threats of mayhem the stalemate was finally broken by Nat rolling her eyes dramatically and grabbing all the DVDs being waved around, dropping them into a bag, shaking it briefly and holding it towards Nika to reach in and choose. Howls of mock-outrage rose as Nika pulled one free.

"'Wall-E'? Who the hell wants to see that?" Sam was absolutely scandalized, side-eyeing the whole group. Bucky looked down, cheeks reddening.

Nika glanced at him, then stared at the cover. "It looks cute."

Sam rolled his eyes.

Wall-E was just staring in awe at his new spork and Rubik's cube when the pizza arrived. Nika stared in awe at the array of food that was brought up, while Tony played a rather highly strung host, prying open boxes to sniff at them suspiciously before announcing the flavour, brushing off Steve's attempt to point out the name of each pizza scrawled on the lid.

"I can read, Captain Underpants," he replied dryly before flipping open another box with a flourish. "Hawaiian!" He declared.

Even with Tony being no help whatsoever, everyone was soon situated back on the couches, armchairs and floor, plates piled high with pizza slices, cups overflowing with the rainbow of drinks Thor and Sam supplied, and the movie was resumed.

Nika was absolutely entranced by the movie, absurdly touched by the lonely little robot and his gentle journeys, his clumsy attempts to gain E.V.E.'s attention. The rest of the team were paying similar attention, even Sam; and it amused Nika to see the fearless and heroic Avengers staring almost awestruck at the screen. Squished between Thor on one side and Steve on the other, Nika was occasionally distracted by Thor's booming commentary, ducking a pillow thrown by Clint at their self-appointed Master of Ceremonies with a giggle, laughing outright when it cut Thor off mid-word, making him sputter in surprised indignation and consequently missing Bucky's longing gaze at her.

As Wall-E ended Sam leapt to his feet, declaring they needed some real culture and grabbing the original Star Wars, shushing token protests with a flapping hand before informing Nika she was finally in for 'real entertainment'.

Thor's rolling commentary never wavered, although it hovered between certainty and confusion at certain parts, 'Odin's Beard! What is that appendage?' but by the time the end credits were rolling and the team was drifting out of the room Thor had exhausted himself and lay sprawled beside a crowded Nika, head dropped back against the couch, mouth hanging open and snoring. Shrugging off the massive arm the God of Thunder had flung over the both of them earlier Steve stood, offering Nika a hand to stand as well and she couldn't hold back a giggle as Thor grumbled in sleepy protest, mumbling something indecipherable before falling silent again. After a quick whispered conversation, Nat hugged Nika goodnight then left, holding Clint's hand tightly.

"Hope we weren't too overwhelming," Steve grinned.

Nika shook her head as she yawned. "No, it was nice; back in the program we watched western movies only to learn and assimilate into the culture, never for fun, it was good to just sit back and enjoy for once."

Bucky, who'd been hovering in the periphery, felt a surge of surprised sympathy. It was easy to forget that Nika had been a prisoner even before HYDRA, kept captive and trained to be a master assassin like Nat had and, if she'd been allowed to partake in anything fun like she had tonight, it had been under the shadow of education and research, moulding her into a killer chameleon rather than just letting her be a kid.

"Heading to bed?" Steve continued.

Nika shrugged. "Yeah. It's been a long day."

"Alright, goodnight Nika."

"Goodnight Steve. Goodnight Bucky."

Bucky startled slightly, feeling an almost childish shame at being discovered, then swallowed and replied. "Goodnight Nika, see you in the morning."

Nika drifted away, the epitome of grace and, as Steve turned around to smirk in amusement at Bucky, he stuck his tongue out and flipped his blond friend the bird.

It was no surprise to Bucky that he woke later; what surprised him was that he'd managed to wake before he started screaming this time, a rather rare occurrence. He'd been the Asset again, pinning Nika down and strangling her with his metal hand, she'd not been the trained assassin, his equal in combat though, but the happy and carefree girl he'd seen tonight, totally unequipped to fight back against him; the whites of her eyes haemorrhaging with the pressure, blood trickling from her nose as she clawed at his wrist, snaking her body beneath his in a desperate attempt to break free. When she'd looked directly in his eyes and whispered 'Bucky, please', her voice cracking, he'd wakened, heart pounding, skin slick with sweat, feeling like he was going to die.

There was no way he'd be able to fall back asleep, not with the sensations of Nika's delicate throat crushing beneath his fingers, her silky skin growing slick with panic and blood and so he threw his legs over the side of the bed, yanked on a shirt, and stormed from the room. He needed air, and there was only one place he could think to go right now.

The door to the roof opened silently on greased hinges; Bucky had long ago oiled them to keep his rooftop ventures from being heard; the last thing he wanted after jerking awake from some hellish nightmare was to rehash it with a well-intentioned team-mate that followed him.

The moon was almost full, but it hardly mattered, with Bucky's enhanced eyesight he could easily see to walk around and he moved silently forwards, stumbling to a surprised halt when he saw his usual spot was already occupied.

Nika glanced back over her shoulder at him, pale skin flushing red. "Sorry." She braced to stand, "I'll go-"

"No. I mean, it's okay; stay... please?" The thought of Nika leaving right now sent a raw spike of fresh panic through Bucky, and he couldn't stop an exhale of relief when Nika nodded slightly and scooted slightly sideways instead, making room.

Awkwardly Bucky sank down beside her, conscious of his bulk and sweat-shiny skin, but the pale sheen on Nika's face told him she hadn't woken up without struggle either.

"Nightmare?" He asked quietly, unsure what to do with his hands and finally deciding to rub them against his sweatpants, the softness not enough to fully soothe his nerves.

Nika nodded, turning her head to look out over the city. The view here was spectacular, that was why Bucky had chosen it in the first place and the sight never failed to bring him at least the beginnings of peace. She took a deep breath, and Bucky found himself leaning slightly closer to hear her whispered words.

"They were furious," she murmured, and Bucky didn't need to ask who she was referring to. "I couldn't focus on their orders... I'd been so alone and... so cold for so long, then there was bright lights and noises and voices... and pain, so much pain." She took a deep breath and Bucky had to claw back the impulse to reach over and cover her hand with his.

"When I was frozen the first time, Bruce said they did it wrong, and I was left awake... I remember every minute." She looked up at the full moon for a long beat before continuing. "I couldn't move my body, couldn't speak, couldn't hear anything, I could feel everything though; the icy cold, the manacles at my wrists and ankles, where they pinched my skin, this stubborn little bolt that dug into my ribs; but I was just a... a consciousness, floating in the dark, I could move that body and speak, but it was like being in two places at once. The physical plane and the mental. I screamed as loud as I could but the sound went nowhere, wouldn't even echo, like a vacuum. I tried to run but never got anywhere. Nothing to distract me but my own thoughts... It felt like centuries passed and then... I was ripped away and into pain and light and confusion... like being born, I guess."

Bucky had tried before to picture what Nika had experienced, but even his darkest imaginings and brief time punished with the same torment hadn't prepared him for Nika's description. To spend years like that, it was unfathomable, it was inhuman and for Nika to be this together after that horror only spoke to how extraordinary she really was, but when he tried to speak, to tell her this, his voice failed him, a deep ache settling in his chest instead.

"The Call of the Void." Nika murmured after a few minutes of silence.

"Hmmm?"

Nika pointed her chin gently, indicating the edge of the roof, the nearly one hundred stories separating them from the ground below. "The urge to jump, even if you know you never would. It's called the Call of the Void."

Bucky clenched his fists, the words stabbing deeply inside him. He'd had the urge to jump since he'd first laid eyes on Nika's face, but would he ever give in to the Call?

Nika shuddered suddenly beside him, snapping him back to the present and Bucky looked swiftly towards her, horrified to see her beginning to cry. Raising her gaze to the moon the tears made twin glistening trails down her cheeks and, before Bucky could stop himself, before he could remind himself that it was a bad idea, that he didn't deserve this and she didn't need to be burdened with him and his problems, reached over and cupped her cheek. Nika shuddered a second time and turned to face him, eyes downcast; Bucky cupped her other cheek with his other hand, using his thumbs to gently brush the tears away. After a heartbeat he leaned forwards, tears beginning to trail down his own cheeks and tenderly pressed his trembling lips to her fluttering eyelids, closing his eyes in bliss, pausing a hairsbreadth away, his forehead rested against hers, to breathe in her scent, to capture and bottle it before he was forced to pull back.

But as he began to pull away Nika suddenly reached up, her hands cupping his jaw, fingers rasping against his stubble and now it was Bucky's turn to shudder, a visceral jolt at her hesitant touch, eyes snapping open in shock. Tilting her head up, eyes searching his face before falling closed again, Nika pressed her lips to his, a faint moan escaping her as they touched, as electricity bolted through them. Something deep down in Bucky's chest sat up suddenly, shocked awake, something he'd long thought dead, starved to death by years of isolation and pain and the bloom of heat that grew in his chest stole what was left of his breath and his eyes drifted back closed as a bone-deep sense of peace washed over him; he could stay here like this forever.

Too soon Nika pulled back, Bucky leaning forwards slightly to follow her before unwillingly opening his eyes and breaking the spell. Her eyes were a kaleidoscope, pain and warmth, apprehension and peace warring in the violet depths. I want you, Bucky saw, I want this, but I can't. Not right now.

"Please give me time," Nika breathed, standing and stepping back, her hand tracing down Bucky's cheek, down his arm to briefly clasp his hand. He tightened his grip even as she pulled away, desperate to stay connected.

"Nika-" he choked.

"Wait for me, Bucky. Please." Fresh tears stood out in her bruise-coloured iris', then she pulled her hand away and ran to the door, disappearing inside.

Swallowing a moan of anguish Bucky looked back towards the silent moon.