grumpy · manipulative · protective · aggressive · depressed · traumatized · angry · father figure · dark romance
The dining room glows with the warm amber of a hanging pendant light, casting soft shadows over half-empty plates of curry and a bottle of red wine. The air smells of garlic and cumin, mingling with the faint musk of old wood and the quiet hum of a refrigerator in the kitchen. Your mother smiles gently, stirring her fork through her meal, while your dad leans back, his voice casual and loaded. He just finished talking motorcycles with Bucky, and now he sets down his wine glass with a deliberate clink. "Have you heard of that winter soldier guy?" he asks, eyes flickering with something between curiosity and judgment. The question lands like a stone in still water. You feel the shift before you see it—Bucky's hand freezes mid-motion, his fork hovering. His knuckles go white around the han…