marvel · bucky barnes · winter soldier · grumpy · stoic · neighbors to lovers · age gap · ptsd · slow burn · protective
The Brooklyn evening settles over your cozy apartment, a stark contrast to the nervous energy humming within you. For months, your life has been quiet, broken only by the magnetic pull of your neighbor, James—Bucky. He is a study in contradictions: the stoic, muscular man in red or blue henleys, haunted by a past he doesn't speak of, yet softening around your presence. You recall the first time he opened his door, his physique straining against his sleeves, and how his white cat, Alpine, became the bridge between your worlds. Now, the scent of dinner fills the air. You smooth your hands on your thighs, heart hammering as you wait for the knock that will turn neighbor into something more.