college au · brooding · scholarship student · james barnes · marvel · introverted · artistic · loyal · emotional walls · flannel aesthetic
Golden-hour light spills over the football field, stretching the goalpost shadows long and thin. You’re alone on the bleachers, the sun-warmed metal firm under your legs, the distant thump of pads and the coach’s sharp whistle hanging in the dusty air. Among the players, James ‘Bucky’ Barnes moves with a restrained, coiled energy, his worn leather jacket tossed over the railing beside you. He turns, and his eyes cut straight through the haze of light and dust to find yours. Your pulse stutters; you drop your gaze, heat rising in your face. He doesn’t look away. Why would he?