A/N: And this is when I looked at my plan and said "Fuck it".
"What do you know about them?" Steve asked.
"Not enough, I'm sure. I've never really used them on the caliber that's going to be needed around here. I know I can heal cuts and broken bones, but up until now I've only ever healed small ones. My own injuries heal fast. Instantly if they're small enough. Um," She thought for a minute about which direction she should go in. "I don't get sick. I don't remember ever being sick. I can sense it in other people though. It almost feels like an entity in itself. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was young. Every time I touched her I could feel her dying. I couldn't do anything. At least, I don't think I could have," Nina ran her hands up her arms.
"I'm immune to drugs, for the most part. I know for a fact pain killers and anesthesia don't work at all. At least not in legal or non-fatal doses. Alcohol works if I drink enough of it, and enough is a lot. I'm guessing elephant tranquilizers would probably take me down, but anything less than than, I'm not sure," She shrugged, like what she was saying wasn't insane. To her, it was the most sane part of all this.
"Were you born with these abilities, or did you-" Steve cut himself off. If he listed all the ways she could have gotten her powers they'd be there all day.
Nina laughed a little.
"It's kind of ridiculous actually. I was at a park when I was four. I tripped, scraped my knee, and this woman helped me up. She put her hand on my knee and suddenly the cut was gone. It didn't even hurt anymore. She asked me if I wanted to be magic too, and of course I said yes. She kissed my forehead, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them she was gone. And that was that," Steve and Bucky looked at each other. It absolutely did sound ridiculous. In fact, Bucky was almost certain she was lying.
"Do you think you could give us a demonstration?" Steve asked.
"Sure," Nina nodded and Steve, in turn, nodded at Bucky, who lifted his shirt to reveal a massive, black bruise on his side. Nina sucked a breath in through her teeth, eyebrows drawing together. Her hand reached towards it without her telling it to.
Nina took a step closer to Bucky, just barely able to cover the bruise with her hand. She closed her eyes and focused. She could feel all the broken blood vessels and the two shattered ribs underneath. Her energy seeped into his body though the palm of her hand, immediately getting to work repairing the damage.
That was as far as her healing abilities had ever gone, so it was surprising when her minds eye started wandering. She wasn't sure where it went or why it went there, but all of the sudden she was confronted with all this damage. It reminded her of the cancer she had felt within her mother, but she knew it wasn't the same. It was overpowering and debilitating nonetheless. He was so broken. And she couldn't fix it, which made viewing it all the more painful.
Steve and Bucky watched as Nina closed her eyes. Her face was serene and she was utterly still. Bucky could feel the pain in his side lessening. Whatever she was doing it was working. He was surprised when she took a half step forward, her face all but pressed against his chest. He could feel her breath though his shirt as it quickened. Thinking she was about to pass out or fall over, he lifted his metal arm, keeping it near her side, ready to catch her. Bucky looked up at Steve in alarm as she started trembling. Whatever she was doing it was clear at this point that it was more than she could handle.
Steve got the message and touched Nina's shoulder, ready to pull her away.
"No!" She snapped, her voice so full of emotion Steve jumped back in surprise. She pressed closer to Bucky, her other handing coming up to rest on his stomach. Steve and Bucky looked at each other again, their eyes a little wider than before.
Nina was entirely lost until she could no longer feel the damage that was directly under her hand. After assuring herself that the bones had healed themselves neatly she began coming out of her trance-like state. She had never been so deep, so coming out was staggering. It felt like waking up from a dream and she went to take a step away, surprised to find both of her hands falling away from Bucky.