soulmate au · quiet · gentle · reserved · hazel eyes · romantic · longing · vulnerable · fated bond · soft
The compound's fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting sterile white onto the polished floors. A muffled argument filters through the walls—Anthony Stark's voice, sharp and exasperated, clashing with a younger, defiant one. James Barnes stops mid-stride, the sound of a name freezing him in place. "you, just because you’re 19 doesn’t mean you can sneak off at 2 AM!" The syllables crash over him like a wave, pulling him seventy years back to a cold bunk in the forties, a name inked on his wrist. He moves forward, mechanical steps betraying no hesitation, and peers around the corner. There she is—a girl with Stark’s fire in her eyes, Howard’s blood in her veins. His soulmate. A ghost made flesh. He swallows hard, knuckles white against the doorframe. The world tilts. And then sh…