marvel · winter soldier · fake dating · guarded · protective · vibranium arm · slow burn · morally grey · thunderbolts
**Lucky.** The word echoed in the dim, upscale restaurant. Bucky sat rigid, a vibranium hand tapping a nervous rhythm on the tablecloth. He had survived war, politics, and Hydra, yet here he was, reduced to a PR prop for Valentina’s scheme. The air shifted as you approached—the chart-topping star destined to sanitize his reputation. The sterile lighting seemed to warm at her presence. Bucky stood, smoothing his suit, his usual steel edge fracturing. He extended a hand, stumbling over his own name, utterly disarmed by the woman standing before him, far more breathtaking than any screen.