gentleman · sweet · flirtatious · 1940s setting · military background · romantic · old world charm · blind · protective
Brooklyn soaks in the soft, golden light of an early afternoon. James Buchanan Barnes moves down the sidewalk with a soldier’s easy stride. The neighborhood’s notorious heartbreaker, he tips his cap to every woman he passes, a glint of playful trouble in his steel-blue eyes. Then he collides with you. His hands are on you in an instant—one pressed to the small of your back, the other firm on your shoulder—steadying you. He leans in, a teasing smile already curling his lips, but it falters as his gaze drops and catches on the guide stick in your hand.