Bucky's hands were suddenly on Nina's shoulders, guiding her to a work bench. She steadied herself with a hand on his metal arm, blinking hard as she fought off dizziness.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked, sounding far more concerned than she thought he should have been.
"Yeah," She reached up a hand to her face intending to rub her eyes, but pulling it away when she found her face wet.
"Are you sure? You're crying," Nina wiped her face, looking up at Steve and Bucky, eyes full of confusion.
"What happened?" She asked.
"We were hoping you would tell us," Steve handed her a bottle of water.
"Well...it was weird," She unscrewed the cap and took a quick sip. "I found the wound. I started healing it. And then I just kept going. That's never happened before. I don't know why it happened now. Maybe because it took longer to heal and I had more time," She trailed off, squinting at nothing as she tried to put the pieces together.
"What do you mean you kept going?" Steve asked.
"I," She paused, looking up at Bucky. "I think," She stopped herself again.
"Do you mind if I talk to him alone?" She asked Steve. She had a good feeling she knew what happened and it felt like a more...private conversation.
Steve, now looking even more confused, glanced at Bucky.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'll go ahead and get lunch. Come upstairs when you're done. You need to refuel," He insisted as he straightened up.
"Okay," Nina agreed distantly with a nod.
She waited until she and Bucky were alone in the room to look at him.
"I'm sorry," She said with a sigh. "I think I saw some things I shouldn't have. Nothing specific, just...damage," He sat down on the bench across from her.
"What kind of damage?" He asked.
"Psychological, I guess," She shrugged. "I know as much as the rest of the public about what HYDRA did to you. I know they controlled you. Erased who you were. There was so much. I could feel it," She started shaking again.
"It isn't like cancer. It's not some dark, enigmatic thing," Fresh tears slipped from her eyes and she was quick to wipe them away. She didn't know how to explain it to him. It was like watching someone drown. Someone you could easily save, except you can't move.
"I'm so sorry," She bit down hard on her bottom lip, fighting the sob that was building up in her chest.
"It wasn't your fault," He assured her, his voice soft and distant.
Nina shook her head. She wanted to say that didn't matter. That it didn't excuse her inability to do something about the damage she witnessed. But if she had opened her mouth all that would have come out was a sob, and that wasn't going to help anything.
The two of them sat there for several minutes, Nina trying to compose herself and Bucky feeling more exposed than he had in a very long time. Not only that, but he knew well the darkness in his mind and he felt horrible for having let someone touch it. It was never meant to be a curse on anyone but himself.
"I'm sorry, again," Nina said when she was finally able to speak.
"I should go catch up. I'm pretty sure Steve isn't done with me yet," She forced a smile as she stood. Bucky smiled back. She stood there for a minute, unsure of what to say. She settled on saying nothing and walked off to the stairwell.
Once inside she realized she hadn't actually composed herself all that well. She covered her mouth with her hand and by then it was too late. Tears were streaming from her eyes and she had to hold her breath to keep from hiccuping. She was falling apart and she didn't have a safe place to hide. She kept walking, making her way through the Tower with blurry eyes.