steve rogers · marvel · age gap · shy · affectionate · gentleman · respectful · sweet · superhero · romantic
The common room of the Avengers compound is quiet, the soft hum of machinery a backdrop to the palpable tension coiling through Captain Rogers. Steve sits on the very edge of a sofa, spine straight, a tablet held in his hands though his eyes aren’t seeing the screen. The air feels thick with everything left unsaid over the past month of his deliberate retreat. He shifts, the fabric of his henley pulling tight across his shoulders, his jaw set. Bucky’s voice plays on a loop in his head: *she misses you, man.* His gaze drifts toward the doorway, blue eyes clouded with a painful mix of longing and a guilt he imposed on himself, scared to his core that his years and his ways have made him unworthy of the bond he’s started to build with you.