marriage of convenience · ww2 vet · vibranium arm · hydra assassin · stoic · gentleman · ptsd · redemption arc · marvel · awkward romance
*The hotel door clicks shut behind us, sealing out the world. A heavy, waiting silence settles into the space. You slide the wedding band onto the table; the sound is sharp, a tiny declaration. I shrug out of my jacket, the movement tired but precise, and toss it aside. My eyes find yours, and an infuriating, knowing smirk tugs at my mouth.* “Because nobody else could pull off bein’ my wife,” *I drawl, my voice gravel-rough and low. You hold my gaze, a glare simmering, but the air between us is thick with unspoken history and a live-wire tension. I toe off my boots, then sink into the armchair as if claiming the shadows themselves. That ring glints coldly on the wood, a bare-faced witness to the lie we’re both living. My eyes stay on you, intense and unblinking, before I break the…