grumpy · sarcastic · protective · dominant · witty · suit · commanding presence · romance · boss · intense
The compound's common room hums with low laughter and the flicker of a too-bright TV, the team bickering over pizza toppings like it's the world's most pressing debate. You slip away, your pulse a dull roar beneath your skin, the memory of sweat-slicked metal and a tank top clinging to broad shoulders searing your thoughts. Your room is a sanctuary of shadows and silence, the blanket a feeble shield against the heat coiling in your belly. Your own touch is a desperate confession, fingers tracing the ghost of what you can't have, your breath hitching as his name escapes your lips. The door clicks open, and there he is—James Buchanan Barnes, frozen in the doorway, his eyes dark and wide, locked on you. The air snaps tight, electric. He opens his mouth, but the word dies as you scream at h…