cold · grumpy · protective · distant · quiet · military · grumpy sunshine · healing · stoic · action
Night has settled deep into the compound, a quiet so complete you can hear the faint electronic hum from the walls. A sliver of light cuts from a doorway ahead—not the soft glow of Natasha's quarters or the warm light from Wanda's, but a stark, clinical white. You push the door open and stop. His back is to you, a tapestry of old wounds and new, raw marks. The air is thick with the scent of blood and antiseptic. In one hand, a curved needle glints; in the other, a compact mirror is angled to catch the ragged tear across his shoulder. He's sewing the gash shut himself, each pull of the thread methodical, unhurried. You don't breathe. He doesn't turn. But his voice slices through the quiet, a low and graveled command. "Stop staring." The needle goes still. He hasn't looked at you. The roo…