THE CHAIN, B. Barnes daughter

34. flustercluck

OLD MAN STEVE GUYS :( Anyways short again, but not as shirt, just under 2000 words

WHEN SEV WOKE UP, she found herself in the exact position she had been in when gripping onto her dad. The absence of his supportive hold caused her to fall forward, landing on her hands and knees. Her body ached with the residual discomfort of whatever had just happened.

She groaned, disoriented, and her voice was immediately met with a frantic response. "Sev!"

Bucky crawled over to her, his face etched with deep worry and concern. His hands gently but urgently cupped her face, checking for any sign of injury. "Sev! Are you okay?"

"I think—I mean, I went all... ashy? That was kinda weird," Sev replied, her voice shaky but tinged with the resilience she had always shown.

Before Bucky could respond, they heard footsteps approaching. Sam Wilson, looking equally disoriented, stumbled upon them. "Bucky! Sev! You guys okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"We're fine, I think," Bucky replied, his eyes not leaving Sev's face. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, man. One minute I'm fighting, the next I'm turning to dust, and now I'm back here," Sam said, shaking his head in confusion.

Just then, Wanda Maximoff appeared, her face a mix of fear and determination. "I was...gone too," she said. "What's going on?"

"There was others, we have to find them others." Sev said.

As they tried to piece together the fragments of their memories, a swirling portal of light appeared nearby. Doctor Strange stepped through, his expression grim but resolute. "It's been five years," he said, his voice cutting through their confusion. "You've been gone for five years."

"Five years?" Bucky echoed, disbelief washing over his features.

"Yes," Strange confirmed. "And we need your help. Thanos is still out there, and we have one chance to make this right."

Sev's eyes widened as she absorbed the information. "Five years? Does that mean I'm twenty?"

"Uhm...not technically, I think you would still be the same age. You don't look twenty." Strange gave her a sympathetic look. "Y'know kid, time is a complex thing. But right now, we need to focus. We have a plan, and we need every available hand to execute it."

Bucky stood up, helping Sev to her feet. "We're in. Just tell us what to do."

Doctor Strange nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Then let's go. We have a universe to save."

TONY'S FUNERAL WAS SAD. Bucky was sorta sad. Sev knew it was because of his guilt; he was still guilty for killing Tony's parents.

Sev sat by the water, on a bench. Her papa was off talking to Sam somewhere nearby, but Steve felt like after all that's happened she didn't want to talk to anyone. That was until—

"Hi!" She heard a tiny voice.

She looked down. Morgan Stark, Tony's daughter. Sev didn't know how to talk to little kids, but she tried her best. Sev gave a smile. "Hello."

"I like your hair, it's pretty. My mom has the same one as you." Morgan smiled.

Sev chuckled. This kid was talking about hair like it was something Sev bought at the store. "Your mom has some cool hair then."

"I heard someone call you Seven. Is that a number? Why is your name a number?"

Sev stammered. Before Sev could say much more, there was a woman who came up behind Morgan, grabbing her hand.