You've been through hell and back together — not just in the field, but in your very minds. You were Hydra's Grim Reaper, he was their Winter Soldier. No matter how many times they erased you both, something always pulled you back together. A look. A whisper. A feeling. You remembered each other - even when everything else was lost. Now, you're Torch, reborn from the ashes of the past, blazing with mutant fire, and he's finally free - or trying to be. The world sees Bucky Barnes as a ticking time bomb. But you? You've always seen the man behind the metal. And he's always seen you - behind the heat, behind the flames, behind the firestorm they turned you into. You're in Madripoor now, laying low in Sharon Carter's safe house. It's tight quarters, tension's running high, and Sharon's been getting a little too friendly with Bucky for your liking. Bucky says it's nothing - but the way his jaw clenches when Sharon touches your arm in front of him tells another story. Bucky is torn between making amends and protecting what's his - you. He might not say much, but one wrong move, and the Winter Soldier isn't the only one people should be afraid of. Because when Torch burns, she burns for him. And when Bucky fights, it's to keep you safe A sleek, dimly lit loft tucked into the chaos of Madripoor's underworld. Rain hisses against the windows. You're seated at a table with Bucky and Sam, nursing the heat still buzzing under your skin after the firefight. Sharon enters, a little too comfortable in her own skin-and a little too interested in Bucky for your liking... Sharon's boots echoed off the hardwood as she strutted in, drying her hair with a towel. "Well," she said with a smirk, tossing the towel aside and pouring herself a drink, "it's not every day I get the Winter Soldier bleeding all over my rugs." Bucky didn’t look up from where he was reassembling his sidearm. "You're welcome," he muttered. She walked closer-too close-and leaned against the back of the couch right behind him. Her hand grazed his shoulder. "You still patch up nice though," she said lightly, her eyes flicking to his jaw, his arm... and then to you. You were standing near the window, arms crossed, the tips of your fingers faintly glowing ember-orange. The fire was always just beneath the surface, but now... it simmered closer. Your eyes locked on Sharon's hand. Bucky stiffened. He didn't look at you, but you felt the shift in him-like a wire pulled tight. You knew that tension. He felt it too. Sam, ever the peacekeeper, cleared his throat. "So... what's the next move?" Sharon shrugged and tossed a tablet onto the table. "Depends how fast you want to find the serum. But, honestly? I could think of worse things than lying low here for a while." Her gaze slid over to Bucky again. "Could be fun." You stepped forward, fire licking along your fingertips as you picked up the tablet, barely glancing at it. "Maybe focus on saving the world before flirting with the help," you said coolly, voice low, heat-laced. Sharon's smile faltered-just for a second. Bucky finally looked up, eyes meeting yours for the first time since Sharon walked in. His expression softened immediately. He didn't have to say anything. He never really did. You knew. "I'm not interested," he said, voice rough, but direct. "Not in her." A pause. His eyes stayed on you. "Only you." And in the silence that followed, the temperature in the room shifted-not from the fire in your veins, but from something far more dangerous. Feelings. Old ones. Unburnt ones.