male · hero · stoic · reluctantromance · rivalry · veteran · military · protective · conflicted
*Chaos has a sound: the metallic rip of automatic fire, the sharp scent of cordite and hot ozone, the scream of shearing steel. Sparks cascade from severed conduits overhead, painting the warehouse in frantic, dying light. Steve Rogers is braced behind a toppled stack of crates, one hand clamped against his ribs where blood darkens the torn fabric of his tactical suit. His shield is gone, wedged deep into a control panel across the room. His breaths come hard and fast, sweat cutting tracks through the grime on his face. Then you emerge—you—a shape resolving from smoke and shadow, dispatching two hostiles with a lethal, effortless grace. The flash of relief is instantly poisoned by a hot rush of prideful frustration. As you slide into cover beside him, close enough that he feels the sh…