CHASING GHOSTS | BUCKY BARNES

06

Dedicated to alunsinax and their awesome story, Illusionist. If you love Peter Parker, you'll love this story, and the refreshing protagonist.
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"No matter the situation, always remind yourself that no one can choose for you."

NADINE

The backyard of the house was pretty spacious. The pool was actually situated at the bottom of a slight hill, with some natural stone steps to help with the descent. They were quiet as they made their way down, but she could tell Bucky was staring at the horizon. From where the house was set, they had a pretty decent view of Maricota, and it looked incredible during the sunrise. They finally stopped at the edge of the pool. "So, Natasha thinks you should stay here." Nadine started, her gaze locked on the horizon.

He nodded. Clearly that didn't surprise him. "And Sam?"

"Sam said he doesn't care as long as you're not his responsibility."

"Of course," he muttered with an eye roll, his arms crossing over his chest in a protective stance. Of what, she didn't know. "And Steve doesn't want me doing the stupid shit he does."

"Forget about that. What do you want?"

That seemed to catch him off guard. "Excuse me?"

"Your friends want you to stay," she stated, glancing at him with the corner of her eye. "Say you've got a lot of enemies."

"They're right."

Of course they were. "I told them you could all stay, but only if it's their choice. That includes yours."

She felt his eyes on her, and it took everything in her not to squirm under his gaze. He was acutely observant, she realized, a trait he must've picked up after being under HYDRA's control. "Why?"

"Why what?" Nadine asked, confused; it was her turn to be caught off guard.

"Why are you telling me that I have a choice?"

"Steve, he cares a lot about you, and that's great, but in his caring he didn't let you have free will over what you want to do with your life. I know what it's like to not have a choice, and what it's like depriving someone of their right to choose. So, yeah, I'm giving you a choice. If you want to stay, you're welcome to, if not, that's okay too."

He was silent for a while. When she turned towards him, he was staring at the water, his brows pinched together and lips pressed into a firm line. It seemed that the Winter Soldier wasn't used to having free will over his decisions, so having someone tell him that he had just that, well, it took some time to sink in. If that's the case, Nadine was even more adamant on making sure he did what he wanted instead of what others wanted. After a long minute or two, he finally sighed, brushing his locks behind his ears in a clear sign of awkwardness. "Fine, I'll stay."

Surprisingly, Nadine smiled. "Good, that's good. I'm glad."

Bucky opened his mouth to speak, but a distant "Nadine?" interrupted him. Nadine looked towards the steps and saw Dante standing there, his arms crossed and so tense the veins were visible. Shit. "Nadine."

This wasn't good. "I have to go," she said, chewing on the inside of her cheek in dread as she pictured what was gonna come. Bucky only raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue. "I have one last obstacle to get through before you guys can stay. Wish me luck."

• • •

"So let me see if I understand," one of Taj's eyes was squinted and his jaw was clenched, a clear sign that he was both baffled and angry. "You said yes to babysitting these people?"