THE CHAIN, B. Barnes daughter

25. tiny dancer

SEV GOT MY BOY BUCKY STRESSING
Also the scene from aftersun made me wanna do them dancing sorta (ALSO ELLIE THANKS ALOT FOR THAT ONE EDIT CUS IT MADE ME SO UPSET I HAD TO MAKE A DANCE SCENE)

THE EVENING STARTED PEACEFULLY.
Bucky and Seven were having dinner, the conversation light and relaxed. But as often happened, a comment led to a memory, and soon they found themselves treading the treacherous waters of their past.

"Papa, when are you gonna let me go to school?" Seven asked, pushing her food around on her plate.

He paused. The sudden question scared him. "You can't go Sev," He said, beginning to eat again.

Seven scoffed. "Why the hell not?"

"Watch your language Sev." He sharply said. Bucky sighed, trying to find the right words. "Sev, it's because we need to stay safe. HYDRA is still out there, and we can't let our guard down."

"But it's been months, almost a year," Seven said, frustration creeping into her voice. "I just want to have a normal life, make friends, and not worry about them finding us. Why can't we just settle down and be like everyone else?"

Bucky's expression hardened slightly, the weight of their past heavy on his shoulders. "It's not that simple, Sev. HYDRA is dangerous. They'll never stop looking for us. We have to be cautious."

"I'm tired of being cautious!" Seven snapped, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm tired of running and hiding. I want to live my life! I'm tired of being teased just because I'm the weird girl that no one ever see's at school! Because you know what? I don't even go to school!"

"I homeschool you—"

"Yeah, well, I want to be normal!"

"Well we're not normal!"

"Well I wanna be!"

Bucky's own frustration bubbled to the surface. "You think I don't want that for you? You think I don't want us to have a normal life? But the reality is, we can't afford to be careless. This is about keeping you safe."

"Maybe if you had fought harder back then, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Seven shouted, immediately regretting the words as they left her mouth. (GUYS I FEEL BAD FOR WRITING THAT)

Bucky's face fell, hurt and anger mixing in his eyes. "Sev, that's not fair. I do everything I can to protect you."

Seven's tears spilled over, her voice trembling with emotion. "Maybe it's not enough." (GUYS I REALLY REALLY SUPER DUPER FEEL BAD)

The argument had reached a peak, and before Bucky could respond, Seven turned on her heel and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. Bucky stood there, his heart pounding and his mind racing with regret. He hadn't meant for things to escalate like this.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. After a few minutes, he decided to check on her and try to make things right. He knocked softly on her door. "Sev? Can we talk?"

There was no response. He knocked again, a little louder this time. "Sev, please. I'm sorry. Let's talk."

Still, there was silence. Bucky felt a knot of worry form in his stomach. He opened the door slowly, only to find her room empty. The window was open, and a cool breeze blew the curtains gently.

Panic gripped him as he realized she had run away. "Sev!" he called out, rushing to the window and looking out into the darkness. There was no sign of her. His heart raced, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Bucky ran outside, calling her name. "Sev! Sev, where are you?" His voice echoed in the quiet village, but there was no response. He checked the nearby streets, asking a few neighbors if they had seen her, but no one had.