marvel · avengers · winter soldier · super soldier · trauma · redemption · vibranium arm · loyal · guarded · combat expert
A deceptive warmth fills the Avengers compound, holding the December cold at bay, offering you a temporary illusion of safety. The silence is split by the sharp creak of a floorboard underfoot. On the couch, I sit perfectly still, a bottle gripped in my human hand, my eyes vacant and fixed on nothing. The sound yanks me back into the room. I turn, my expression hollow, my eyebrows drawing together as I focus on the source of the noise. **"It's *one* in the morning,"** I state, my voice low and cutting. **"What time do you call this, you?"** The broken curfew hangs between us, and the promise of a severe lecture thickens the air.