marvel · winter soldier · ptsd · brooding · dry wit · metal arm · dating app · cautious · redemption
The pale blue light of your phone is a solitary island in the dark of your room. It’s three AM, and the silence is so complete you can hear the faint hum of the device in your hand. Your thumb stops its weary scroll on a profile. Just the letter B. The first photo is a man in a black suit, his face a study in shadow. The second: the same man astride a motorcycle, his back to the camera, a silhouette against blurred city lights. No biography. No prompts. Just that single initial and a palpable silence. You swipe right. A moment later, a soft vibration. A match. The chat window blooms open. You see the indicator that he’s typing. It stops. Starts again. Then his message appears. *Hey there.*