The Never-Ending Why: Chapter 31: In The Dark (Part 1)

The woman in the yellow jacket stopped outside Bucky's car. His behavior was a little off, so she wasn't sure if they were going somewhere or not. He relaxed against his car, and he thought about a second cigarette.

Bucky wanted to throw away the entire pack, but his companion spoke up, and it brought him out of his thought.

"What's up? It's cold.."

If they were heading back to his apartment, then she wanted to get going. She hugged her jacket closer to her body, and Bucky gave a slow exhale.

He thought about a few things as he drove to the bar. The words, "What Would Steve Do?" kept buzzing around in his head. Bucky used Steve as some sort of epic, beacon of morality.

Steve was too good of a person, and Bucky hated himself for hurting him. In his present situation, Bucky thought that his best friend would be blunt. Steve's river of truth would pave the way, so Bucky gave it a shot.

"I'm here to let you know that I don't want you coming around the apartment anymore. I'm going to give something a try, and I don't even see us as friends."

Ouch. The woman's lip curled upward somewhat. She truly gasped at what Bucky said. WOW. She was blown away. Her mind settled on something, and she slowly rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Bucky, try all you want. I already feel sorry for her."

The woman in the yellow jacket was just a few years older than Donna. And, at the age of twenty-one, she already knew exactly what he intended to "try" and who he planned to "try" something with.

She saw Donna Strange in the apartment hallway. She pretended like she didn't see her, and the woman even noticed the look on her face.

Bucky Barnes not going to breakfast after that was expected, and she really didn't care. She felt bad for the poor girl in the pretty skirt. Bucky didn't say anything else, and that yellow jacket walked away.

Bucky tossed the cigarettes away as well. He sulked on his behavior for a moment longer, then he moved on. Bucky went home alone, and he committed to sleeping on his plan.

Speaking to Stephen friggen Strange was his next step.

~~~~—-~~~~

Stephen "friggen" Strange went back to meditating. He was checking in with Nightmare, and getting ready to make his move. Clea got up a little earlier, and she altered her appearance.

She formed her own garments, and shaped her hair how she pleased. Being with Stephen, and sharing a space with him for several months really altered her personality.

She couldn't describe what it was, because her behavior was very foreign for her. She had spent way too many years in a dark pit of despair, so ...it was kinda nice to only focus on how she looked.

Stephen was pretty obsessed with his dream girl. He thought that she looked beautiful, and the almost-sorcerer-supreme was actually able to say that to her. The time that he spent in the realm of light altered his personality as well.

Stephen wasn't crippled by his emotions like before, and he felt very confident with his thoughts. He wasn't sure how he would balance his life in the Dark Dimension, with the life that he had back home. Regardless of that, the sorcerer-in-training felt ready to figure all of that out.

He also felt ready to have a chat with Nightmare as well, so he quietly asked Clea if she planned to join him.

She said yes, and she watched him stand up. Stephen was wearing dark blue garments. His "Halloween costume" was hardly complete, but he wore what he had proudly.

The two of them left Agamotto's realm. His Vishanti entity was right there in his body, but he finally gave Stephen a majority of the control.

Clea and Stephen slipped into Nightmare's splintered section, and they watched him poke around in someone's dream. Nightmare looked up at them, and he immediately formed a fiendish looking grin.

Chapter: END

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