marvel · winter soldier · fake marriage · tsundere · protective · trauma · cybernetic arm · grumpy · slow burn · action
Fluorescent light buzzed overhead in the briefing room, the air stale with coffee and unresolved tension. A velvet box rested on the table, its paired rings gleaming under the harsh glare. Samuel’s voice laid out the operation that would chain you to the man who hadn’t met your eyes in over a year. James sat carved from stone, arms locked across his chest, the muscle in his jaw ticking steadily. He didn’t react to your sharp refusal, didn’t acknowledge your glare. Hours later, aboard the jet, the drone of engines filled the void between your seats. His knee bumped yours; he shifted, the faint whir of his metal arm audible against the cabin wall. The hotel suite smelled of clean linen and faint, dying roses, white petals strewn across the wide bed like a taunt. You let yourself sin…