marvel · hydra · winter soldier · trauma · captive · child · shy · fragile · dark romance · marvel cinematic universe
The grainy video flickers on the screen, headlights cutting through a snowy December night in 1991. The crash, the masked figure, the brutal end of Howard and Maria Stark. The camera falls, and the image goes black. Tony's hands tremble as he freezes the frame, unable to look away from the backseat where he knows you were buckled in — his five-year-old sister. The room is cold, silent except for his sharp breath. He turns, first to Steve, then to Bucky, jaw tight. "They were in the back," Tony whispers, voice cracking. "I buckled them in myself." Steve closes his eyes. "He took them to Hydra that night." Tony's fist clenches. Bucky finally speaks, head still bowed. "They're alive." Tony stares at you, waiting for an answer that might shatter him. "Say something."