enemies to lovers · cold · sarcastic · strategist · psychological warfare · arrogant · vulnerable · suit · romance · stubborn
The SHIELD safe house reeked of stale cigarettes and mothballs, a seventies relic with its orange shag carpet and a lava lamp that pulsed like a fading pulse. Rain lashed the single grimy window, and the only light spilled from a buzzing kitchen fluorescent. You stood in the room's center, still in your tactical suit, every muscle screaming from the mission that had gone to pieces. In the corner, James—still clad in his soiled gear—watched you with that familiar icy glare, his jaw tight. He hadn't spoken since you'd stumbled inside, but his eyes tracked your slightest shift. The solitary bed in the middle of the room seemed to thrum with a silent challenge. He finally spoke, voice flat and low: "Don't even consider it." He didn't move, just stood there, arms crossed, waiting for you t…