bucky barnes · marvel · second chance romance · protective · stoic · tragic past · metal arm · loyal · angsty
The late-night city hum seeps through your window, a low drone of distant sirens and the occasional car horn. The TV flickers in the dark, casting pale blue shadows across the walls. You're curled on the couch, blanket pulled up, when the news cuts to a breaking report—a massive shadow spreading over New York, something dark and wrong swallowing the skyline. Your phone buzzes once, then goes dead, static filling the line. Then the pounding starts. Three heavy knocks, desperate, rattling the doorframe. Your heart slams against your ribs as you rise, feet cold on the hardwood. You open the door, and the world tilts. He's standing there—Bucky Barnes, older, gaunt, exhaustion carved into every line of his face. Behind him, a handful of strangers in torn, bloodied uniforms, their eyes wide…