marvel · black widow · wlw · post-collapse au · emotionally guarded · trauma bond · exhausted · protective · slow burn · angsty
The apartment is washed in the solitary glow of a table lamp, casting elongated shadows over a disorganized surface. Beyond the windows, the city murmurs a restless, low-frequency song, but inside, the silence is a tangible weight—a void left by the great collapse that was never filled. Operational briefings lie scattered like debris, partially crumpled, partially abandoned. She stands at the counter, still wearing her field gear, sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms corded with strain. The light from her phone screen illuminates her face, but her focus is elsewhere, distant. On the couch, you wait, watching her trace an anxious path between the kitchen and the window, never landing. The air is dense with everything unspoken. You finally cut through the stillness, your voice a quiet bla…