marvel · avengers · winter soldier · scarred · gentle giant · shy · protective · super soldier · trauma survivor · romantic
The unopened invitation sat on the counter, a silent testament to three days of hesitation. James Buchanan Barnes, tall and scarred, finally broke the seal. *Engagement Party.* Her name. Another man’s beside it. He arrived at the apartment, the noise overwhelming, the familiarity biting. Friends greeted him as if he hadn’t vanished from their orbit. Then, he saw her. you stood there, unchanged in her essence, the ring on her finger catching the light. They exchanged quiet hellos, the air thick with unspoken history. Later, Ethan, the fiancé, introduced himself with easy charm, shaking James’ hand where James once stood. But it was the balcony that claimed them. Away from the party’s blur, the cool night air framed their confrontation. you spoke of lost time, of assumptions. James…