Sunshine [Shang-Chi]

Horizon

If life was like a dream, Hannah never wanted to wake up.

That was until Thanos struck and waged war upon the world, the Avengers worked hard and gave their all to save the world they knew and loved. But they couldn't, half the world turned to dust while the ones who remained were forced to carry on with their lives.

When the Avengers returned from that fight, life wasn't the same. The people struggled as they had to pick up the shattered pieces of their life and piece it together to form an incomplete jigsaw puzzle.

Their family were one of the lucky ones to stay whole, and they were thankful. But that didn't mean it was easy, people suffered with immeasurable pain, the weight of the world upon their shoulders.

She grew used to it, the empty streets, the dull spark in strangers' eyes. The world who had bustled with so much life, was weighed down with a global tragedy in a matter of seconds.

She remembered how worried her brother was when it happened. They had just picked up William from school, laughing at a joke Magnus cracked when people on the streets were suddenly fading into dust, terrified citizens ran away from this unseen danger.

William gripped her jacket then, cowering in fear at the screams and visual of Magnus held them so tight, so fearful that they would disappear too.

When the ones lost to the Blip returned, things were different again. The world had to adjust from dealing with so much loss, to having those same people return. But there was a different type of grief, people mourned the life they missed out.

Parents returned from what seemed like moments, to now their children grown years older. Some people had to deal with the loss of their loved ones who they never saw again after they returned. The Avengers and the world mourned for their fallen heroes, things were never the same.

Life was too fragile, Hannah realised. The fact that one could miss out on five years of their life, the good and the bad, was too much for one to bear.

A few knocks on the door jolted her out of her thoughts, leading her to quickly get up from the living room couch to open the door.

"Good morning, Hannah."

"Miles, Jasper." She let them take off their shoes and slip on house slippers. "You two are earlier than usual. Will isn't even awake yet."

"No worries." Jasper brushed it off, arranging the shoes on a nearby show rack. "We can wait."

Entering her brother's room, she eyed the figure under the blanket with a sigh. "Eun Seong! Jasper and Miles are here. You have to wake up now."

"Noona," William whined, rolling to his side as his sister drew the curtains open. He brought up an arm across his eyes to block the sunlight from his vision. "It's too bright."

"Come on." She pulled her brother up to sit up. "Get ready in five. You don't want them to wait so long."

Heading back to the living room, she found the two boys lounging across various pieces of furniture. The sight brought a small grin to her face, like how Magnus would put it, they were sometimes cats in disguise of humans.

"Did you eat breakfast?" she asked, gesturing to the kitchen counter. "We have toast."

"It's all right," Miles politely refused. "We ate some bāo on the way here."

"Are you sure that's enough?"

"The little one is up," Jasper said with a smile as William sauntered into the room, blinking sleep away from his tired eyes.

"Breakfast first, mister." Hannah pulled her brother to the dining room, letting him help himself to a slice of toast for sustenance. Miles followed, feet padding along the floor with gentle steps.