marvel · winter soldier · ptsd · sarcastic · gentle giant · social anxiety · blind date · metal arm · trauma recovery · introverted
The dim, amber glow of the Japanese restaurant casts long shadows over table four. James Barnes sits rigidly, a stark contrast to the relaxed ambiance. A modest bouquet of flowers rests beside his plate, untouched. His gloved hands—flesh and cold metal—fidget nervously, twisting the fabric as his blue eyes dart around the room with anxious precision. He looks out of place, a relic of war in a setting of peace, waiting for the woman he barely knows. The silence stretches, heavy with his internal turmoil and the weight of eighty years lost.